There was a time when the British garden contained: a lawn, a slightly wonky shed, two plastic chairs, and a barbecue that was brought out three times every summer and then quietly allowed to rust behind the garage. Things have changed. Modern gardens have become proper living spaces, complete with outdoor sofas, dining furniture, pergolas,…

Flooring is one of those purchases that starts innocently enough. You think: “We just need something nice for the living room.” Then suddenly you’re comparing engineered wood with solid wood, laminate with luxury vinyl, straight planks with herringbone, and wondering why you now have strong opinions about oak undertones. Welcome to home renovation. Fortunately, specialist…

Choosing a new floor sounds straightforward. Until you actually try it. Suddenly you’re comparing LVT with laminate, engineered wood with solid wood, twist carpet with loop carpet, and wondering why something called a “wear layer” has become an important part of your evening. Then there are colours. Oak. Natural oak. Smoked oak. Grey oak. Washed…

There comes a point in adult life when your kitchen cupboard starts acquiring surprisingly serious-looking bottles. Magnesium. Vitamin D. Collagen. Probiotics. Something containing turmeric. And, before long, you appear to have opened a tiny nutrition shop beside the cereal. If supplements are already part of your routine—or you’re currently researching them—Evolution Slimming is one UK…

Britain has many wonderful qualities. Historic cities. Beautiful countryside. Excellent tea. Weather that can apparently cycle through sunshine, drizzle, sideways rain and something vaguely resembling winter before lunchtime. Which is probably why we have developed such a close relationship with the humble welly. Evercreatures takes that practical British footwear staple and gives it considerably more…

Buying a bra should, in theory, be fairly straightforward. You choose your size. Pick a colour. Buy it. Done. Except anyone who has actually shopped for bras knows things rarely work quite like that. There are underwired bras, non-wired bras, sports bras, fuller-cup bras, nursing bras, post-surgery bras and approximately 47 different ways for something…

Bathrooms are deceptive. At first, renovating one sounds simple. You need a shower. A mirror. Maybe a radiator. Possibly a new basin. Then, before you know it, you’re comparing 8mm glass with 10mm glass, wondering whether your shower door should slide or pivot and discovering that mirrors can now contain demisters, lights, shaver sockets and…

There are two ways to transform a tired wall or patio. The first involves ripping things out, buying new materials, hiring somebody with an alarming collection of power tools and wondering how your “quick weekend makeover” somehow became a minor building project. The second involves paint and a stencil. Much less dramatic. And potentially considerably…

There are two kinds of car owners. The first sees a perfectly functional vehicle and thinks: “Excellent. That will do nicely.” The second looks at exactly the same car and thinks: “Yes… but imagine it with a carbon steering wheel, better exhaust, black badges, upgraded suspension and something involving LEDs.” If you belong to the…

Buying technology can be expensive. Very expensive. You begin by thinking: “I just need a laptop for emails and browsing.” Then somehow you’re looking at machines with sixteen processor cores, enormous graphics cards and enough power to calculate the trajectory of a satellite. Your bank balance would like a word. That is where DealBuyer becomes…

Some exercise equipment makes a very impressive first impression. It has twelve screens. Seventeen buttons. Bluetooth. An app. Possibly a cup holder. CoolBoard takes a rather different approach. At first glance, it looks remarkably simple: a beautifully made wooden board combined with either a balance disc or a specially developed ball. Then you stand on…

Some gifts are easy. Chocolate. Flowers. A bottle of wine. And then there are gifts that make somebody open the box and immediately think: “Right. Tonight has just become considerably more interesting.” That is very much the territory of Cocktail Crates. Cocktail Crates is a specialist UK online shop selling cocktail gift boxes designed to…