Real Homes

Space, or, should I say, the lack of it, is the most common response when we ask homeowners what motivated them to take on their home improvement project. It’s not uncommon to feel that where once your home was incredibly spacious when you moved in s

Fire up the Mariachi band, dining tables are getting some South American spice. West Elm’s latest tableware collection has more than a nod to Mexican styling. Bold colours and terracotta finishes are at the core of these designs, with natural materia

You can always rely on us to launch ourselves into summer, which is why our buying guides cover everything you need to make it sizzling hot. This month: our favourite barbecues and lawnmowers. realhomes.com/buying-guides Want to know the best tech t

I love a holiday more than anything else. More than Gucci bags and Tom Hardy. They are a balm for the soul; a chance to lie prostrate on a sunbed; an opportunity to catch up on the books everyone else has read while you’ve been doing school runs and

Making decisions on your feet isn’t usually the best way forward when it comes to buying a house, but for Lily and Col, five minutes in their south London home was all they needed to know it was right for them. They won the property after it went to

Changing your front door is a cost-effective way to improve the look of your property. Market-leader Klöeber has a wide range of bespoke doors and windows for home improvers and self-builders, and offers a VIP service from the initial meeting and sho

Positioning your living area near windows or patio doors brings an additional sense of space, and offers more to look at than the TV alone. Set an oversized rug in the middle of the seating space and arrange furniture around it. An L-shaped sofa is i

You might think you’re cool. Your children might think you are, right up until they hit double figures. Then suddenly, sometimes overnight (there’s a reason that Kevin & Perry sketch is still hilair) you are, like, sooo uncool. Unless you don’t give

For many of us, our home is not always the mansion we once dreamt of living in. Sometimes an extension is the best solution to gain more space, but if time, budget or property constraints won’t allow for that, you need to get creative and use some in

‘I’m no stranger to a big building project, having completed several in the past, but this is the first one we’ve taken on since having the kids, which adds to the stress levels! This time we took on the remodel of a 1969 detached home, after falling

LUCY and Jack’s extended London flat is proof that small properties needn’t hold you back when it comes to design. In fact, they’re all the more reason to get creative with your ideas. For families in particular, it’s about maximising every corner’s

Think you’ve outgrown your current home? If the cost prevents you from upping sticks to somewhere bigger – or you’re happy with the location but just need more room – there are plenty of ways to make your place feel larger and better suited to your h

‘This was a typical Victorian terrace,’ says Michael. ‘The outside space was too narrow to make use of and the kitchen was detached from the rest of the house. We didn’t really enjoy spending time in it and it had damp. ‘Although extending to the sid

‘The couple were a psychotherapist and an aspiring chef,’ says Shade. ‘A room that opened to the outdoor space had been identified as the location for the psychotherapy consulting room, and seemed ideal for dining. We converted a small, darkly lit ar

‘Before, the lower-ground floor of the maisonette was two bedrooms with a small bathroom in between,’ says Matt. ‘The toilet was separate in a small rear extension. All of the living spaces were on the upper floor and to get to the garden you had to

In every episode of the Real Homes Show, sponsored by Checkatrade, our Small Space Squad helps owners of cramped homes create extra room. Renovation experts Jason Orme and Laura Crombie travel the country, advising on everything from budget storage s

Stepping into the unassuming terraced home of designer Sally Tooth and her family, you’d never guess the explosion of colour, pattern and print that awaits. One of the first things that strikes you is the hand-painted graphic wall in the open-plan pl

Am I best to stay in my house or should I move out for the duration of the work? It’s the question you ask when you tot up the budget for your project while browsing the local rental ads, factoring in the costs of a temporary home while you build you

IT had been Maxine Brady’s long held dream to own a beautiful sunny garden that she and her dog, Teddy, could enjoy all summer long. When she viewed her terraced house in Brighton, its key attraction was the south-facing plot. ‘The garden had been le

When Paul Vowles and Philip O’Dwyer moved into their east London Victorian terrace, it was in a dilapidated state. But while it needed completely updating, the pair realised that with clever planning and careful spending, it could prove a fantastic p

We’ve all thought it, and some of us may even have said it out loud in moments of mild rage. It happens when you can’t find something/put something away/ accommodate the whole family for a party. Does the sentence ‘This house just isn’t big enough’ r

You’ll be wanting to make your newly extended space as appealing as possible and, while it’s not exactly the most glamorous of considerations, ensuring it is well-heated is critical. In fact, the primary reason so many people are replacing older cons

PLANNING an extension with a family in mind comes with a whole new set of considerations. Is the floor non-slip? Are the surfaces durable? Is going open-plan just inviting toy-filled chaos? Nicola and Alex had to contend with all of these, along with

Tap water isn’t always as filtered as we might like, but what if your kitchen doesn’t have the space for an integrated filter system? This new filter tap, with an above-the-surface design, removes bad bacteria while retaining beneficial minerals and

When more daylight’s required inside your home, rooflights are a terrific solution. Their location means they’ll bring in more light than a window of the same size would, and they don’t take up wall space that you can otherwise use for storage units,

You can create your own office without compromising your home’s décor with this Midsomer design. The modular shelving has open and closed units so essentials are near to hand while paperwork is concealed. There’s a choice of 18 painted shades and six