All guides
20 guides
Textiles
Tool How wide and high should a curtain rod be? Move the rod and see A curtain rod hung right on the window frame makes the window look smaller and leaves curtains sitting over the glass even when they are… 4 min 3 picks Bedroom
Tool Why do blackout curtains still leak light? Slide the curtain and see Blackout curtains block light through the fabric, so when a bright line still shows, it is coming round the edges. The fix is mostly about… 4 min 3 picks Colour & Walls
Explainer Why does paint look different at 8am and 8pm? Slide the day and see The same paint can look grey at breakfast and yellow by supper, and the paint tin is not to blame. A colour is the pigment and the light on… 4 min Textiles
Explainer Where should curtains end? Drag the hem and see A curtain's hem is where the eye stops, and a few centimetres in the wrong place makes a whole wall look off. Drag the hem up and down a… 5 min Small Spaces
Tool How wide should a walkway be? Drag the furniture and see A room can have plenty of floor and still feel cramped when one gap, between the sofa and the wall, say, is too narrow to walk through… 4 min Bedroom
Explainer What makes a good bedside lamp for winding down? Move one and see A bedside lamp is really a dimmer switch for your evening. In a study of 116 volunteers, ordinary room light before bed delayed melatonin… 5 min 3 picks Plants & Balcony
Explainer Which houseplants suit your window? Slide a plant across the room Most houseplant problems are really light problems, and light fades fast: a plant a metre from the window can get about a fifth of what it… 5 min Bedroom
Tool How to size blackout curtains so no light sneaks in: a planner Blackout curtains only work if they reach past the window. A thick curtain that stops at the frame still lets a glowing outline of light in… 5 min 3 picks
Tool How wide and high should a curtain rod be? Move the rod and see A curtain rod hung right on the window frame makes the window look smaller and leaves curtains sitting over the glass even when they are… 4 min 3 picks Bedroom
Tool Why do blackout curtains still leak light? Slide the curtain and see Blackout curtains block light through the fabric, so when a bright line still shows, it is coming round the edges. The fix is mostly about… 4 min 3 picks Colour & Walls
Explainer Why does paint look different at 8am and 8pm? Slide the day and see The same paint can look grey at breakfast and yellow by supper, and the paint tin is not to blame. A colour is the pigment and the light on… 4 min Textiles
Explainer Where should curtains end? Drag the hem and see A curtain's hem is where the eye stops, and a few centimetres in the wrong place makes a whole wall look off. Drag the hem up and down a… 5 min Small Spaces
Tool How wide should a walkway be? Drag the furniture and see A room can have plenty of floor and still feel cramped when one gap, between the sofa and the wall, say, is too narrow to walk through… 4 min Bedroom
Explainer What makes a good bedside lamp for winding down? Move one and see A bedside lamp is really a dimmer switch for your evening. In a study of 116 volunteers, ordinary room light before bed delayed melatonin… 5 min 3 picks Plants & Balcony
Explainer Which houseplants suit your window? Slide a plant across the room Most houseplant problems are really light problems, and light fades fast: a plant a metre from the window can get about a fifth of what it… 5 min Bedroom
Tool How to size blackout curtains so no light sneaks in: a planner Blackout curtains only work if they reach past the window. A thick curtain that stops at the frame still lets a glowing outline of light in… 5 min 3 picks