Latest Homes magazine

Hamptons International’s exclusive open evening brings the country to the city

Hamptons International, one of the UK’s premier international residential agents has announced it is bringing the country to London in a unique property ‘Open Evening’ from 5pm-8pm, on Thursday 24 April at its headquarters in Grosvenor Square. A selection of country properties will be showcased to London buyers, investors and tenants.

Recent research has revealed growing numbers of London based buyers are looking to move to the country, with over 35 per cent of applicants from the capital looking for country properties, a significant rise since 2004, when only 9.3 per cent of all those registering their interest in the country house market were resident in London.

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Is your beach hut the toast of the coast?

The humble beach hut has become the ultimate des res, selling for thousands of pounds, with interiors to match. Pearly Bay wine, in association with interior specialist Linda Barker has launched a competition to find ‘The Toast of the Coast’ – the most stylish hut in the country – and wants to hear from owners who think their hut is the ultimate beachside hideaway.

Whether you have a pad on the pebbles or a shack on the sand, we want to hear from you and to get you on your way, celebrity interior designer Linda Barker has come up with top ten tips on how to transform even the most humble beach hut into a style statement. Linda will also be on the judging panel for the competition.

To enter ‘The Toast of the Coast’, win a summer’s supply of Pearly Bay wine plus £250 worth of Really Linda Barker accessories, simply send in three photos to pearlybay@lawton.co.uk, telling us where it is and a little about you.

Closing date is 31 May 2008

Andrew Kay ponders the irrational overanalysed world of Human Resources

What times we live in, our world full of people telling us how to do what we do, how to sue, how to claim, how to protect ourselves… And for the most part I sense that the people who are doing the telling, have few qualifications for doing so.

When did it all start to go wrong? When did everything that we do become dictated by teams of professional managers, the battalions of industry pros who don’t actually do anything but make a living telling us what to do. I hesitate to use the term but I think they gather under the banner ‘Human Resources‘. Human resources? Name them!

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Molly wants to enjoy her child, but not at 6am

A lot of my friends don’t have children yet. I’m looking forward to them saying, “I don’t know how you coped.” Neither do I! Do people really enjoy parenting? When? The odd shared bath or tickling session when they giggle uncontrollably (even though technically you are forcing them by prodding their armpits). Who truly, day in, day out, loves parenting?

“There’s no waking up slowly with a toddler: it’s go go go from the minute they wake”

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The Paul O’Grady Show’s Marc Abraham gets a buzz from the ‘big six’

With this winter’s milder weather encouraging animals to start planning their year weeks earlier than usual, it’s impossible not to feel the mounting anticipation of spring.

With daylight on the increase, and temperatures steadily rising too, our thoughts automatically turn to spending more time outdoors, going for walks, or just sitting in the garden. It is about this time that we first start to hear the deep droning sound that heralds the arrival of the bumblebee.

“Over the past few years conservationists have been concerned over the decline of bumblebees”

Did you know we have 15 species of bees in the UK?

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What’s coming up in the garden this week with Louisa Bell of City and Country Gardens

Design and construction

Dressing your outside room
The most important spot in your garden is the place where you sit. Even if your garden is small, you can create a dining table and chairs and another space elsewhere to just sit and relax.

Garden furniture still needs to come a long way to match the scale and scope of choice that we have indoors. It’s very easy to create a ‘look’ in the garden with very little in the way of additional staging. A few cushions, some pots arranged on the table, pretty crockery. You’ll soon have it looking like the cover of Country Living magazine.

Keep the dining furniture on a hard landscaped area. You can’t keep moving tables and chairs every time you cut the grass. It’s not so important with sun loungers – especially if they’ve got wheels. If your garden is completely paved, we like to build a little overhead structure, or enclose you in some way, to make it feel like a separate area of the garden. This need not be a heavy or fenced in area. Even some square picture frames around you can make all the difference. If you have a hot and sunny garden, it’s nice to grow scented climbers to provide shade and a heavenly place to sit.

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Facing Cairo alone – symbolic actions of a woman scorned

It’s a week down the line since I discovered The Ex Boyfriend has been cheating on me. Although I initially evaded his numerous, guiltridden texts and calls, I did go and see him regarding the money he owes me for our trip to Cairo, which he is being very evasive about handing over. Beyond that small matter, I don’t have anything to say to him that I didn’t say the last, horrible time I spoke to him and I certainly don’t want to make him feel better. I have even thrown his toothbrush away, which is a pretty resolute and symbolic action as far as I’m concerned.

“Even if I was looking for a New Boyfriend, I am unlikely to find one in time for the trip to Cairo”

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Andrew Kay don’t do sport, he don’t do sums and he don’t do motors

Regrets, I’ve had a few, but then again, too few to mention. Well except for wishing that I, 1: had paid attention in maths lessons, 2: had gotten a thirst for fitness and 3: knew something useful about cars.

How much easier life would be if I had developed my mathematical skills. I can do a bit – some basic things like adding up in my head and working out surface areas and proportions. I can even do percentages if I am pushed but they give me a headache.

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Latest Interiors takes a look at the ways of increasing space in your home if you don’t want to move

If space is short but you’re reluctant to make a move, that extra bedroom or office could still be yours. How? Latest Interiors considers the options for moving on up…

Lofty heights

Loft conversions are one of the most popular home improvements. And it’s not surprising: A good conversion can add an average of 200-300 sq ft of living space to a property without incurring moving costs, increasing its value by upwards of 15 per cent. In Brighton and Hove, where family-sized properties are at a premium, it could be even more.

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Contemporary living with modern values at The Gallery in the heart of Hove

Few cities have as many opportunities to live in the heart of things as Brighton and Hove does. This has always been a desirable place to live and the high number of beautiful domestic buildings in the city centre is evidence of this. In recent years, demand for private homes has grown even stronger, with more and more people moving to the city, choosing the exciting coastal lifestyle above other, perhaps more urban, alternatives. It is certainly true that the city offers some of the most sophisticated living to be found in the UK, with excellent shopping, entertainment and nightlife, plus of course the sea, the beach and miles of surrounding downland.

That is why a new development will always attract masses of attention, and why the creators of it will need to make sure that as a development, it offers the very best standards across the board. The Gallery certainly ticks all the boxes.

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