It’s rare for a cushion to achieve cult status, but the M&S x Kelly Hoppen chenille leopard print bolster cushion is on the cusp after selling out not once, but twice in a matter of months.

Kelly Hoppen is one of the UK’s most well-known interior designers, and has built up a fanbase who adore her use of texture and neutral colours to create gorgeous, calming and elegant spaces. So the inclusion of a £40 leopard print bolster cushion in her M&S range did come as a bit of a surprise from the ‘Queen of Taupe’.

However, leopard can absolutely be an elegant and modern home decor trend when handled by the queen of neutrals herself. She has turned the trending print into one of this year’s must-have buys from M&S, and even added a follow-up £30 square cushion in the same pattern to the collection. But sometimes you just can’t beat the original.

A large part of the success of the leopard print bolster cushion is down to its shape. It’s a glamorous, designer-style shape we’ve seen growing in popularity over the last year. At 90cm long and 28 cm wide, it’s long enough to dress a double bed or run along the back of the best sofa in lieu of a mountain of cushions. In an Instagram video shared by M&S, Kelly Hoppen says it’s ‘the perfect size’.

‘It’s narrow, it’s long, and it’s exactly what you need on a sofa. It’s modern, and leopard is just one of those designs you can just add with anything,’ Kelly says. ‘It’s got this incredible feel to it; so it’s not flat, it’s not a printed pattern, it’s this real woven, beautiful piece. You’ve got this tiny little stitching, so it feels authentic and fabulous.’

You can’t ignore how gorgeous the pattern is. There’s a lot of dud leopard print homeware on the market at the moment, things that look more Kat Slater than Elizabeth Taylor. This cushion bucks the trend. As Kelly Hoppen says, the M&S x Kelly Hoppen cushion has a gorgeous, rich caramel colourway, but it’s the rich textured finish that takes it to the next level.

This cushion has already sold out twice, so I have a feeling it won’t be sticking around for long if you have had it on your wishlist.

If you’ve not been persuaded by the leopard print, here are a few other pieces in the Kelly Hoppen range which are quickly becoming icons in their own right.

The William Morris brand is no stranger to homeware collaborations, lending its iconic prints to home decor, kitchenware, and even cleaning products. But I recently spotted the William Morris Strawberry Thief Ironing Board Cover (£24.99 at Lakeland), and I can’t say I’ve ever seen anything like it before.

Typically, the best ironing boards focus on the practical, rather than the pretty. They’re designed to get the job done and work in tandem with your iron for crease-free clothes and bedding (and your socks, if you’re anything like my nan). But this often results in ugly eyesores that you want to stash away as soon as you’ve finished ironing.

This new William Morris ironing board cover gives you the chance to cover your grey, bland ironing board with the brand’s most popular print – Strawberry Thief. And as someone who doesn’t have proper storage space for an ironing board at home, I can safely say I’d be proud to keep this one on show.

This 100% cotton William Morris ironing board cover slips over your current ironing board setup, adding a stunning, whimsical design plus an extra 2mm of foam and 270gsm polyester felt backing to help prevent ironing mistakes.

After all, this extra padding should not only protect the board underneath, but also protect your wrists from strain and your clothes from damage by aiding heat and steam distribution.

Just be warned that it is designed to fit standard full-size ironing boards, so if you have a more compact model like the Joseph Joseph Pocket Ironing Board (£100 at Amazon) or the Beldray Small Tabletop Ironing Board (£12.99 at Amazon), it won’t fit.

But if you do have a standard-size ironing board and generally don’t enjoy ironing (guilty), the Strawberry Thief design will offer something exciting to look at.

It’s widely accepted as the brand’s most-loved print thanks to the colourful strawberries, birds and flowers, and is also adorned on the William Morris x Purdy & Figg Collector’s Bottle and within many of the high street homeware collections.

So, if you wanted to, you could fill every inch of your home with William Morris’s luxe designs, trailing all the way down from your bedroom to your laundry room. And with so many ironing board storage options out there, you could leave it to make a statement in your utility room or tuck it away in a cupboard.

Whatever you choose to do, I think the William Morris Ironing Board Cover is a great way to upgrade one of the many ugly home additions without having to pay a fortune to do so – especially if your current ironing board has seen better days and you don’t want to shell out for a brand new one.

Plus, who doesn’t love William Morris?

Alternative ironing board covers to buy

I wonder what household chore the William Morris team will be eyeing up next?

The RSPB has changed its bird feeding advice to include nuts and seeds from now until April, in line with safe feeding practices to help curb the spread of trichomonosis.

You may remember earlier this year the RSPB asked us to stop feeding birds seeds and peanuts due to the increased risk of the deadly trichomonosis disease during spring and summer. However, recent guidance from the charity states it is safe to feed nuts and seeds between 1 November and 30 April.

If you love attracting birds to your garden, here’s everything you need to know to do it safely this winter, in line with the RSPB’s advice.

RSPB November bird feeding guidence

If you have a wildlife garden, I’m sure leaving food out for birds is part of your routine. However, the 2026 Big Garden Birdwatch found that species such as Greenfinches saw a 67% decline in average numbers recorded since the Big Garden Birdwatch began in 1979, and this was largely due to disease.

‘Earlier this year we asked the public to join us in pausing the provision of seeds and peanuts for birds between May 1 and October 31. This is due to a disease called trichomonosis which is causing declines in finch species, especially the Greenfinch,’ explains RSPB Wildlife Expert Charlotte Ambrose.

‘Greenfinches’ preferred food is seeds, but they will also divert to peanuts, and we also know that the risk of disease spreading is higher during the warmer months of the year.

‘Over the colder months, there is a lower risk of the disease surviving and spreading. This is also when natural food sources are more scarce and birds can really benefit from the full range of supplementary food we can put out in our outdoor spaces.’

What is trichomonosis and what are the risks?

‘Trichomonosis is a disease caused by a tiny parasite which attacks a bird’s throat and upper digestive tract. It causes lesions that make swallowing incredibly difficult, so infected birds struggle to eat and drink and, sadly, it can even be fatal,’ explains James Ewens, bird expert at Green Feathers.

‘It spreads mainly through saliva – sick birds often bring back up food they can’t swallow, and healthy birds then pick up that contaminated food from feeders, trays and the ground below. The parasite can also survive in water, so bird baths need just as much attention as feeders.’

Alongside the RSPB’s feeding advice, it’s also important to clean your bird feeder and bird bath weekly to help reduce the risk of spreading disease here. It’s a little extra effort, but it’s important when it comes to the welfare of local birds. And while there is a reduced risk in winter, you still need to be cautious.

‘Whilst the risk of trichomonosis is lower, there is still a risk. Therefore, it remains important to continue to ‘feed safely’ year-round to reduce the spread of the disease. Good hygiene is important – if you are putting feeders out, feed in moderation, only providing enough food that is eaten within a day or two (excluding suet that generally takes longer to consume). The disease thrives well on damp food, so well-ventilated feeders which also limit rainwater getting in are preferable,’ explains Charlotte.

‘Feeders should be emptied, taken apart and thoroughly cleaned at least once a week with soapy water and disinfectant. If you can, rotate your feeders between different spots in your outside space after cleaning, and take care to clear away any uneaten food from the ground.

‘Trichomonosis can also survive in water, so if you’re providing a bird bath this should be emptied and refilled daily with fresh water and cleaned (with warm soapy water and disinfectant) once a week.

‘Our research has also shown that disease is more likely to spread on flat feeding surfaces, so we recommend retiring your bird tables, window feeders and any trays beneath hanging feeders.’

Feed birds safely

To conclude, from now until April it is safe to leave out seeds and nuts for birds. Just remember to only give a little at a time and maintain a good standard of hygiene.