All guides
26 guides
Bedroom
Explainer How bright should a bedside lamp be? Dim it and see A bedside lamp has to let you read, then get out of the way of sleep. Drag the lamp, change the brightness and the warmth, and see how much… 4 min Lighting
Tool How many lumens does a room need? Light it and see Watts used to tell you how bright a bulb was; with LEDs, the number to read is the lumen. A room needs a total, and a handy way to find it… 5 min 3 picks Plants & Balcony
Explainer How far from the window can a plant sit? Slide it and see A plant on a sunny sill and the same plant three steps back live in two different climates. Light drops quickly away from the glass, and… 5 min Small Spaces
Explainer Do legs make a small room feel bigger? Lift the furniture and see Furniture on legs lets you see the floor continue underneath, and designers often use that to make a small room feel lighter. It changes… 4 min 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 Lighting
Explainer How many lamps does a living room need? Switch them on one by one and see One ceiling light makes a room bright but flat. Cosy rooms use layers: a dimmed ambient light, a task light where you read, and a soft… 6 min 3 picks Colour & Walls
Explainer What does LRV on a paint tin mean? Slide the wall and see The number on a paint tin called LRV tells you how much light a colour bounces back, from 0 (absorbs everything) to 100 (reflects… 4 min Lighting
Explainer Which bulb cap fits your lamp? Match the socket and see A bulb can be the right brightness and the right colour and still be useless, because it will not fit the lamp. The part that decides is… 4 min 3 picks Small Spaces
Tool Which shelf height is easy to reach? Drag the shelf and see Not every shelf is equally easy to reach. The golden zone between your waist and shoulders is best for things you use every day, heavy… 5 min Lighting
Guide How big should a table lamp be? Resize it and see A lamp can be lovely and still look wrong on your table. Usually the problem is proportion: a shade too wide for its base, too wide for the… 5 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
Explainer How bright should a bedside lamp be? Dim it and see A bedside lamp has to let you read, then get out of the way of sleep. Drag the lamp, change the brightness and the warmth, and see how much… 4 min Lighting
Tool How many lumens does a room need? Light it and see Watts used to tell you how bright a bulb was; with LEDs, the number to read is the lumen. A room needs a total, and a handy way to find it… 5 min 3 picks Plants & Balcony
Explainer How far from the window can a plant sit? Slide it and see A plant on a sunny sill and the same plant three steps back live in two different climates. Light drops quickly away from the glass, and… 5 min Small Spaces
Explainer Do legs make a small room feel bigger? Lift the furniture and see Furniture on legs lets you see the floor continue underneath, and designers often use that to make a small room feel lighter. It changes… 4 min 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 Lighting
Explainer How many lamps does a living room need? Switch them on one by one and see One ceiling light makes a room bright but flat. Cosy rooms use layers: a dimmed ambient light, a task light where you read, and a soft… 6 min 3 picks Colour & Walls
Explainer What does LRV on a paint tin mean? Slide the wall and see The number on a paint tin called LRV tells you how much light a colour bounces back, from 0 (absorbs everything) to 100 (reflects… 4 min Lighting
Explainer Which bulb cap fits your lamp? Match the socket and see A bulb can be the right brightness and the right colour and still be useless, because it will not fit the lamp. The part that decides is… 4 min 3 picks Small Spaces
Tool Which shelf height is easy to reach? Drag the shelf and see Not every shelf is equally easy to reach. The golden zone between your waist and shoulders is best for things you use every day, heavy… 5 min Lighting
Guide How big should a table lamp be? Resize it and see A lamp can be lovely and still look wrong on your table. Usually the problem is proportion: a shade too wide for its base, too wide for the… 5 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