Marriott Bonvoy puts members in pole position with Monaco GP opportunity
Marriott Bonvoy is offering members the chance to take part in once-in-a-lifetime trip to the Monaco Grand Prix from a VIP yacht chartered by the Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team.
Find the perfect spot for your sofa with clever ideas from George Clarke and Sofology
Get your sofa placement wrong and the complete scheme and feeling in your living room could fall apart. There’s a whole psychology and science behind the way we experience the environment around us and, from an interior perspective, the rooms we spend time in.
Image credit: Sofology/Dominic Blackmore
Our senses, emotions, and expectations all have a bearing on how we feel in spaces. It’s an art and a skill, and interior designers spend years learning how to channel it perfectly through their work. For us, there are simple things you can do when decorating a space – and the first place to start is with the sofa.
Which segways us nicely into the newest launch from Sofology, created in collaboration with architect and television presenter, George Clarke.
Drawing on his talent and experience in architecture, the new ranges – Brantwood and Midland Hill – are an expression of the designs that inspire him and will bring a mix of contemporary and timeless style to any home.
The Midland Hill
The Midland Hill epitomises the era and architecture of one of George’s favourite places: the Midland Hotel in Morecambe, north Lancashire, designed by Oliver Hill.
Capturing the building’s character, you will find subtle touches of the Twenties in the detailing of Midland Hill’s sofas, armchairs and footstools: you’ll see stitching, fabric colours, materials, legs and shape all giving a nod to the decade.
The Brantwood
The other new range, the Brantwood, oozes an understated yet elegant charm that boasts ultimate comfort and snugliness.
Its bold, square silhouette is housed neatly inside a unique, visible timber frame that wraps around the sofa from the arms to the feet, like a giant hug.
Its deep design beckons you to snuggle in and curl up, whilst giving a grand presence in the room. And the vertical fluted finish on its sides, achieved with a clever stitching pattern, softens what might otherwise be a boxy, monolithic appearance.
Get the right sofa placement
Once you’ve chosen the sofa of choice, you need to start thinking about positioning.
Image credit: Sofology/Dominic Blackmore
‘Having an amazing sofa is fantastic, but you really need to know what to do with it,’ says George. ‘How you position a sofa in a space can make or break a room. You can put it in the corner, you can centre it on a wall. Even in small spaces, you can sometimes put a sofa away from the wall, just to make it feel like you’ve got something behind it. So you’ve got to get it absolutely right.’
Sofology’s Virtual Placement
To give you the confidence that you are getting the placement right, Sofology has a brilliant virtual tool for your mobile phone. Using its camera, the tool will show the spaces inside your house, so you can virtually position the new sofa.
Visualising how it will look in 3D, you can move it around and really get a sense of the space the sofa will take up. It’s often difficult to appreciate how a piece of furniture will fill the space in a room, so this tool is a must-have when decorating and purchasing a new item.
What you’ll use the room for will also influence the position of furniture. Are you a television lover, where the sofa will benefit from being directly in front of the telly. Are you an avid bookworm that likes to escape with a good story, curled up in an armchair in the corner? Or perhaps you do a lot of social entertaining, which would lend itself to seating in a facing position.
Plus, if your space is multi-purpose, such as performing as a lounge and a work-from-home space, then you can position the armchair or sofa to zone the two separate areas. Lots of comfy cushions and throws will up the comfort factor in the relaxing zone, compared to what might be a spartan desk area.
And, why not use dual-function pieces of furniture, such as the storage footstool in the Brantwood range.
Image credit: Sofology/Dominic Blackmore
Whatever you choose from the collections, you can rest assured that it’ll last. Sofology values itself on helping consumers to find furniture that they’ll love and be happy with for a long time. In fact, every sofa from Sofology comes with a 20-year structural guarantee, leaving you to cherish and enjoy it in your home for years to come.
To find your perfect sofa from the Brantwood and Midland Hill ranges, visit www.sofology.co.uk or visit your nearest Sofology store.
The post Find the perfect spot for your sofa with clever ideas from George Clarke and Sofology appeared first on Ideal Home.
Reading time: 4 min
Lawn care tips – expert advice for healthy grass and improved garden turf
Keeping your lawn looking healthy and green takes consistent care and a whole lot of patience. If yours is looking a little worse for wear after winter, don’t worry. Because we’ve got all the top lawn care tips you could need to bring it back to life.
Gardening experts at Flymo and Sycamore Lawn Care have shared their lawn care knowledge to help you get your grass looking rich and bouncy in no time. The warmer weather and longer days have certainly inspired us to give our gardens a spring refresh with some attractive new lawn ideas.
Lawn care tips – to improve garden turf
However, before we make any changes or head off to the garden centre for inspiration, the first step has got to be giving the lawn some TLC. It’s the centrepiece of most family gardens – after that, everything else will fall into place.
1. Fertilise your grass with lawn clippings
The experts at Flymo say that leaving your grass clippings on the lawn provides a great natural fertiliser for your lawn. This is known as ‘grasscycling’ and gives your lawn extra nutrients.
‘It does not create thatch like some people believe,’ says Flymo. ‘Some lawnmowers have a mulching mode that does this for you, making them ideal for leaving your grass clippings on the lawn.’
Alternatively, if you cut the grass often without the grass box attached, you can leave short clippings on the lawn.
Image credit: Future Publishing Ltd / Colin Poole
2. Pave the way with stepping stones
Chances are there are a couple of areas of lawn you walk on far more than the rest, and these pathways can soon start looking tired. Consider laying stepping stones to protect the areas you walk on all the time.
Pave the way to your decking, washing line, or summer house to prevent worn patches from developing on your lawn. It also makes your garden design look more intentional and enchanting.
Image credit: Future Publishing Ltd / Colin Poole
3. Adjust the cutting height with care
If you’ve left the garden to do its thing over the winter months and your lawn’s looking a little unkempt, fear not. You can gradually decrease the cutting height on your best lawnmower over the weeks each time to reach your desired grass length.
Cutting the grass too short too quickly is known as ‘scalping’ and this can result in disease and weed infestation. It can also stress the grass, so avoid cutting off more than a third of the blade in one go.
‘Cut grass with the lawnmower blades set high for the first few times, then use a good lawn feed to help your lawn look its best,’ advises Marcus Eyles, Horticultural Director at Dobbies. Then you can learn how to get stripes in your lawn for the ultimate fancy country garden look.
4. Get rid of leaves, weeds and moss
Image credit: Future Publishing Ltd / Polly Eltes
Removing debris, moss, and dead ‘thatch’ from your lawn is an important job. For a smallish lawn, use a spring-tine rake and a bit of physical effort.
For larger areas, consider hiring a scarifier with a motor, which will pull all the moss and dead stuff out of the lawn, allowing light and air to get in. The debris will still have to be raked up and removed.
Clear leaves with a rake as soon as they fall so they don’t rot and damage the grass. Banish weeds either by hand, using a traditional daisy grubber, or a chemical treatment.
Chemicals are less effort but make sure you follow the instructions to the letter to avoid over-treating and unnecessary damage. Use a spring-tine rake to remove moss (called scarifying).
It’s hard work but it stops the moss from smothering the grass, giving it a chance to grow. Only scarify in spring, otherwise, you can cause lasting damage.
5. Spruce up your lawn edges
Image credit: Amateur Gardening
Garden edging ideas make all the difference to the overall look of your plot. Keep the borders of your lawn neat by using a half-moon edger a couple of times a year.
This tool will define the line between flower beds and lawn, and make your whole garden look tidier instantly.
6. Improve drainage
image credit: Claire Lloyd Davies
Where lawns have become very compacted and are not draining well, use a lawn aerator; a straightforward tool that has hollow prongs you push into the lawn like a fork. This will remove small plugs of soil which can then have lawn sand brushed into them. This will help the lawn to drain faster.
Alternatively, you can use a garden fork. Push it into the lawn and wiggle it around to break the soil and reduce the compaction. If you have a wet, soggy lawn, plunge a fork into the ground all over your patch (called aerating). Go as deep as possible every 30cm or so, and it will help with drainage and encourage grass root growth for generally healthier grass.
For lawns to look truly spectacular, the soil needs to allow water, air and nutrients to move quickly down into the root layer, says David Truby from Greensleves. The soil particles that the earth beneath your lawn is composed of will compress together over time, which can stop grass from growing and lead to poor drainage or even waterlogging.
7. Repair patchy grass areas
Image credit: Amateur Gardening
Get rid of bald patches by sowing new grass seed. Rake up the earth until it’s crumbly, then sow seed according to packet instructions. Water the area well and don’t walk on it for several weeks.
‘Sow new lawns or repair bare patches from April if the weather allows, on ground that has been pre-prepared, levelled and firmed,’ Marcus advises. ‘If you are laying new turf, leave undisturbed for a few weeks to allow time for new roots to establish.’
8. Top dress your turf
Brush top-dressing over the lawn surface to get rid of lumps and bumps once in the spring and once in autumn. Top-dressing is a mix of soil, sand and well-rotted compost, but you can also buy pre-mixed bags.
Apply two lots, allowing a few days between each to let the mixture settle into any holes and dips. This will also encourage grass to thicken and put down more roots.
9. Give the grass a feed
Image credit: Amateur Gardening
Lawn feeds encourage grass to ‘green up’ and look healthy. Once you start feeding lawns they become dependent on it, so it’s important you don’t stop. Start in spring and get into a weekly routine during the main growing season but don’t over-feed as this can cause scorching.
‘If you want to promote wildlife in your garden avoid using weed killers on the lawn and allow clovers, bugle, and tiny trefoils to populate the lawn, all of which give bees something to feed on,’ says Craig Roman from Dobbies.
What’s the best way to treat your lawn?
Invest in seasonal lawn treatments, and regular scarification and aeration. Calum Maddock, gardening expert at Homehow says if you want your lawn to remain perfect, you can’t just leave it and hope for the best. It needs to be fed and taken care of, which means applying lawn treatment regularly.
Some treatments are designed for simply feeding the lawn and helping it to grow stronger and thicker, while others are designed to kill weeds or moss. ‘The best way to treat your lawn is to think carefully about the results that you want to achieve and then buy a lawn treatment that suits those purposes.
‘Natural lawn treatments are always the best option as these are not toxic and are much better for the environment,’ says Calum.
How do I get my grass really green?
Regular fertiliser treatments will help you to achieve a deep green tone, says Zach Osta from Sycamore Lawn Care. He also warns against cutting the grass too short, particularly in spring. Grass grows thicker and stronger in the summer so it’s important to give the lawn time to thicken up before giving it a haircut.
Image credit: David Giles
How do I keep my lawn healthy?
To keep a lawn healthy there are a few simple rules to follow:
- Stay off your lawn until you can walk across it without leaving footprints/sinking
- Water it through the summer months
- Remove debris from lawn
- Use a lawn aerator to help lawns drain
- Feed and seed bare patches of grass
- Avoid weed killers if you want to attract wildlife to your garden
If you’d prefer not to have the real deal, look into whether artificial grass would be a good solution for your outdoor space.
The post Lawn care tips – expert advice for healthy grass and improved garden turf appeared first on Ideal Home.
Reading time: 7 min
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