These days, you can get all kinds of weird and wonderful advent calendars – from face mask calendars to ones filled with Wedgewood ornaments. For Christmas 2021, Dunelm is ringing the changes with an advent calendar cushion.
The best advent calendars are, of course, a must this time of year. Starting a daily Christmas countdown is a fundamental step towards finally ‘feeling Christmassy’ even if you’re not that into it. Here’s what the Ideal Home team makes of the Dunelm advent calendar cushion…
Image credit: Dunelm
Dunelm advent calendar cushion
Lindsey Davis, Ecommerce Editor in Chief
‘This would look lovely in a traditional or Scandinavian-inspired scheme… if you can work out where to put it,’ says Lindsey. ‘On the sofa? You would melt any sweets in minutes if you sat on it.
‘On a shelf? That would look weird,’ she adds.
Lindsey thinks it would be a brilliant Christmas hallway decorating idea if you have a bench seat – as long as the dog can’t reach it.
Image credit: Dunelm
Tamara Kelly, Digital Editor
‘As an alternative advent it’s pretty cool,’ says Tamara. ‘It would save having to find anywhere to hang a fabric one!
‘But the present would need to be non-food based because pets and young children would surely empty it in seconds. I like the idea of it being on a child’s bed, filled with mini toy presents sort of like a stocking vibe – they can wake up and open one each morning,’ she says.
Image credit: Dunelm
Becky Knight, News Editor
Becky is a big fan of this Insta-worthy Christmas idea. ‘I really like it, but I’d probably skip the filling it part,’ she says.
‘I’d maybe get a fabric star or a clothes peg to move along the pockets as a tracker rather than something with a treat each day. It’s definitely one for that chair in the corner of the room you never sit on,’ Becky comments.
Nordic Nomad Advent Calendar Cushion | £15
The Dunelm advent calendar cushion is available for click and collect – and for £15 we think it’s a lovely festive addition to a hallway or corridor
So, brilliant or bonkers? We’re going to have to say brilliant. It’s a great sustainable option and we like the idea of using it as an advent calendar/stocking hybrid.
You’d need to be careful and make sure it didn’t get too warm in a room with heating on, but it would also be lovely to be able to offer guests a candy cane or trinket as they leave.
It’s just a question of finding somewhere to put it among our other Christmas decorations. Will you be picking one up?
Putri and Ben Mackereth are serial renovators. They moved from New Zealand to the UK nearly 12 years ago and starting out with a small flat renovation in Clapham, South London.
Ben has a building firm (www.macbuildingsolutions.co.uk) and Putri an interior design consultancy (www.maehousedesign.com). Their combined skills have seen this dream team complete 11 renovations of their own and over a hundred for clients. This is their first self-build together, and what a dream real home it is.
House before
Photography: Chris Snook/FuturePLC
Ben began trawling online portals looking for the perfect plot and found a dated house in Streatham, South London, in the summer of 2019, on approximately 700m2 of land. They demolished the house in February 2020, just before the pandemic hit.
‘We were lucky that the construction industry was still able to operate, otherwise we would have been left with an empty site,’ says Ben.
New house: Exterior
Photography: Chris Snook/FuturePLC
The build itself was relatively straightforward and quick. Securing planning permission, however, was one of the biggest challenges for the couple. ‘It took a pre-application meeting, three planning applications and numerous Variation of Conditions (VOC’s) to get to the design we were happy with.’
Not only was a self-build new to them, but they were hoping to build in a Conservation area. Their architect David Bell from AtelierDB explained that it would be difficult to get planning permission for their contemporary vision and suggested they incorporate architectural forms and characteristics from within the conservation area. ‘The tile hanging at first floor level and the gable roof were examples of this and really helped us create a house which was sympathetic to the surrounding area,’ says Putri.
Open plan living area
Photography Chris Snook/Future PLC
Open-plan living and impressive design features were top of their list of must haves. ‘We wanted a polished concrete floor throughout the ground floor; it’s a very Antipodean look, but after doing some research we found out they can be problematic; they can stain and crack and are very difficult to patch in when something goes wrong. So, we opted for large Terrazzo style porcelain tiles and used throughout the ground floor to unify the spaces.’
Photography Chris Snook/Future PLC
‘The ground floor was designed to make the most of the southerly aspect and capture the sunshine all day. We really liked the look of metal doors, however wanted these to open right up to connect the indoor and outdoor spaces. After much searching we found a company that could create exactly what we had in mind.’
The outdoor BBQ is where Ben spends most of his time. ‘We both loved the existing rustic brick wall, so decided to retain but added cedar cladding at the top to tidy it up and create some privacy with our neighbours. For the decking, we chose a composite product called Millboard which looks just like timber but without the upkeep and issues of rotting and warping.’
Seating area
Photography Chris Snook/Future PLC
With a new build, its essential to incorporate eco-efficiency measures where possible. In addition to double glazing and EcoTherm insulation for thermal efficiency, an air source heat pump was installed so no gas is required at the property.
This powers the wet underfloor heating throughout the entire house. They also had to pass an air pressure test to ensure the house was well sealed; minimising any heat loss.
Kitchen
Photography Chris Snook/Future PLC
‘The kitchen really is the heart of the home. I spend a lot of time here and the open plan allows me to keep an eye on the kids. It also makes a great space for entertaining,’ says Putri.
‘I really liked the idea of having a walk-in pantry to keep everything hidden away, but unfortunately the space didn’t allow for it. Instead, we opted for a kitchen design with fold away doors which allowed us to create a larder cupboard with the same functionality. Opened right up it gives easy access to everything but when not in use it can be closed right up.’
Kitchen seating
Photography Chris Snook/Future PLC
A tan leather sofa makes a stylish yet practical place for the children to hang out while the couple prepare meals. ‘Building your dream family home is a lot of fun and creating a space that you know will make your family life easier is very rewarding.’
‘Not only does our house work well for our young kids now, it can be easily adapted as the kids grow older to work well in the future.’
Main bedroom
Photography Chris Snook/Future PLC
‘Sometimes starting from a blank canvas is easier than refurbishing, and self-building allowed us to make our family home exactly how we wanted it,‘ says Ben. ‘We added a coffered ceiling complete with LED strip lighting as a point of difference in our main bedroom suite. The soft lighting works well in the bedroom and gives the impression of increased ceiling height.’
Bathroom ensuite
Photography Chris Snook/Future PLC
With three young children the couple don’t get away as much as they used to and they wanted to create a luxury hotel room feel with an open plan en-suite complete with free standing bath, as a space to unwind after a busy day.
Photography Chris Snook/Future PLC
Deep green ceramic wall tiles, laid vertically rather than horizontally, add a modern twist that makes the brass towel radiator and bathroom fittings really ping.
The highly anticipated John Lewis Christmas advert 2021 is out – Christmas has landed. But with an unexpected guest this year.
Our Christmas ideas brainstorming doesn’t really begin until the seasonal adverts start hitting our screens. The John Lewis Christmas advert has become the highlight of the Christmas countdown since its first blockbuster advert in 2007 that cost a whopping 6 million pounds to make.
This year the advert has landed a few weeks early this year and stars an unexpected guest – Skye, an Alien who comes to earth and experiences Christmas for the first time. The two-minute advert debuted this morning to John Lewis & Partners customers via email at 6.30am.
The John Lewis & Partners Christmas advert is called ‘Unexpected Guest’ and follows a young boy called Nathan and the space traveller, Skye who has landed in the woods beside Nathans home.
The advert celebrates the joy of friendship and the wonder of Christmas as Nathan introduces Skye to his family’s festive traditions for the first time. All to the soundtrack of Philip Oakey and Giorgio Moroder ‘Together in Electric Dreams’ performed by Lola Young, a 20-year old singer-songwriter from South London.
Image credit: John Lewis
A friendship blossoms as they decorate a tree with fairy lights, he even encourages her to try her first mince pie. At the end, before Skye returns home she receives her first Christmas present, his Christmas jumper, a version of which customers will be able to purchase online and in-store.
John Lewis & Partners Christmas advert jumper, £14
A version of the advert jumper will be available in mens, womens and childrens sizes. 10 per cent of the profits of each jumper will be given to John Lewis & Partners Give a Little Love charities FareShare and Home-Start UK. Prices start at £14 for the kid’s version.
‘There is nothing more magical than discovering the joy of Christmas for the first time and enjoying your favourite festive moments with loved ones,’ says Claire Pointon, Director of Customer.
‘After the last 18 months, we wanted our advert to really celebrate this as we look forward to a brighter future. We know our customers are excited for this festive season more than ever, as they reconnect with family and friends. Through the story of Skye and Nathan we celebrate friendship and are reminded of the joy of experiencing Christmas for the first time.’
Image credit: John Lewis & Partners
Lola Young says: ‘I feel super honoured to be a part of this, growing up I always watched the John Lewis Christmas adverts, they’re iconic and so it kinda feels surreal getting asked to be in one.’
‘It also means a lot as an up-and-coming artist to be a part of something this special,’ she adds. ‘Together In Electric Dreams is a very beautiful song.
Image credit: John Lewis & Partners
‘I love that era of music and I think Philip Oakey & Giorgio Moroder are incredible. The lyric and soul within the song is something inspirational, fitting to the story within the ad. I feel so excited to be covering it and working with John Lewis.’
John Lewis & Partners have turned this year’s advert into a fully interactive event creating installations of an apparently crashed spacecraft on the South Bank in London and in Newcastle last week.
A Snapchat filter is also available to mark the launch today. For the first time My John Lewis Members will be able to interact with the advert through ‘Unexpected Guest: The Experience’ on the app and website.
When will the John Lewis Christmas advert 2021 be released?
The department store built up anticipation for the new ad, teasing that an unexpected guest would be landing on the 4th of November at 8 am on social media.
As well as debuting online, the advert will air this evening at 8.15pm on ITV, in a special premiere during The Pride of Britain Awards.
Image credit: John Lewis & Partners
The Christmas adverts have started earlier than ever this year, with Very launching its first festive advert in October. Marks & Spencer also choose the 4th of November to unveil their Christmas advert which featured Percy Pig for the first time ever.
The 4th November appears to have officially been marked as the first day of Christmas. John Lewis & Partners released the advert earlier than usual after a rise in searches for Christmas products on it’s website.
It is no surprise that with the Christmas tree shortage warnings, and Black Friday almost here, customers are looking to get ahead of the December rush.
Last year’s John Lewis Christmas advert
Last year John Lewis abandoned its traditional character-led campaigns like 2019’s Edgar the Dragon and 2016’s Buster the boxer. Instead, it opts for a part-animated, part live-action advert that featured animals, snowmen, and all the festive tropes you would expect.
Like with most John Lewis and Partner’s adverts it was anchored in a theme of goodwill and charity. However, rather than a break-out star character, it was the heart-shaped umbrella that became a bestseller off the back of the advert.
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