House & Home

22nd May 2021

Vases

There’s no easier way to make a statement in your home than to introduce an interesting vase. Vases have the ability to update your look in an instant. Whether you choose an unusual shape, a collection of vases of different sizes or a bold pattern or colour; the right vase will instantly transform your space.  There are vintage vases, collectable vases, vases so sculptural they should be in an art gallery, any of which will bring texture, form and a focal point throughout the year with or without flowers and stems. They’re the perfect addition to any ledge, whether it’s a fireplace mantel, a corner of your hearth, an empty tabletop or shelf or the surface of a cabinet or sideboard.  Your entrance hall is the perfect place to start. An eye-catching design will provide a talking point as soon..

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19th Mar 2021

Keep the home fires burning

Fireplaces are adored by many of us, mainly for the relaxing ambiance they create, the physical warmth they bring to a room and the mesmerising beauty of dancing flames. Historically they were used for heating water for laundry and bathing, and for cooking; how lucky we are then that the passing of time enables us to admire their beauty without the need to be pressing clothes through a mangle or drying off a shivering child, fresh out of a metal tub. The period and style of your house should heavily influence your chosen design. An original fireplace is something to be treasured and you should think very carefully before deciding to remove it as it could negatively affect the value of your house. If the original fireplace has already been removed then research styles sympathetic to the period and investigate the costs..

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18th Mar 2021

Lighten Up Your Life

After months of staying at home priorities have changed and people are placing more importance on their living space and how to improve it. Lighting is one of the most important aspects of your home and is an essential decorating element. It can set the right ambience and give your rooms a unique look. But have you given thought to the shades on your lamps? They can make just as much of a difference in the appearance in a room. The choice offered by many high street retailers is limited, they cannot take a chance on fashion colours and patterns or extra-large shades so they tend to offer plain neutral-coloured lampshades in standard shapes and sizes.  This is no longer a problem thanks to Dannells “Professional Lampshade Making Kits”. Dannells are experts in the lampshade making industry with over 40 years’ experience of supplying materials and components to manufacturers around..

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23rd Feb 2021

intu Milton Keynes confirms reopening for non-essential retail

Following yesterday’s government announcement, intu Milton Keynes plans to open for non-essential retail from Monday 12 April 2021. Currently open for essential retail and Click & Collect, including Barclays Bank, HSBC, Santander, Zara and Hugo Boss, the welcome news will see the majority of the centre’s retailers and leisure facilities open. “We are delighted by the recent government announcement and, under official safety guidance, we look forward to welcoming people back to the centre to support our retailers,” said Shelley Peppard, general manager at intu Milton Keynes. Under the proposed reopening measures, visitors to the centre will be required to wear a face covering at all times, maintain social distancing and use the hand sanitiser provided. The number of visitors in the centre will be monitored and restrictions will be put in place to safely manage the flow of people. Shelley adds: “We want to reassure people that we are..

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22nd Feb 2021

Family pulls together to build business

After 20 years of servicing Northamptonshire homes First4Blinds are now expanding into Milton Keynes.   After 20 years of servicing only Northamptonshire homes with their quality installations of blinds, curtains, and shutters, First4Blinds are now premiering their services across the county border and expanding into Milton Keynes. The close-knit team built of family and friends has grown from strength to strength in the last 12 months despite the pandemic, and the year ahead is going to be no different.   During the intermittent lockdown periods, First4Blinds made sure to rally their strength as a team together and ensured to keep business going as safely and efficiently as possible for their customers and team. Even when the Kingsley showroom had to take periods of closure to the public and appointments, video calling saved the day providing a great solution to consult with customers over Zoom. With the exciting venture of a..

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25th Jan 2021

Don’t move, improve...

With the challenges faced last year, our homes have never been more important. And the great news is, you don’t have to move to improve your home. Here, Steve Rawding, Sales and Marketing Director at leading South East home improvement company SEH BAC, discusses why updating your windows can improve your homes look – and lower your energy bills. Many people will think of windows as ‘just windows’ but that is really not the case. Every part of your home makes a statement and windows are no different. Making up substantial amounts of your home’s exterior, your windows are important to your home’s aesthetics and play a big part in keeping you warm during the winter months. Updating your windows is the perfect way to give your home that bit of TLC it needs but it’s important to get the perfect style that suits your home and area. When it..

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22nd Jan 2021

Kitchen Goals...

Though the idea of open plan living may have temporarily fallen out of favour due to lockdown and the requirement for many to share the same house and potentially, for most of the time, the same room, the concept of a living kitchen is still one that homeowners increasingly aspire to.  Whether your kitchen is large or small, having an ergonomic layout that maximises space, combined with hi tech appliances and beautiful cabinetry and not least, a comfy place to sit, will ensure your kitchen can be a multi-functional space in which to welcome everyone as soon as we’re allowed.  The benefits of extending your house are many and a living kitchen is the ideal choice to fill your new area. An open plan, living kitchen facilitates combining cooking with eating, socialising, helping older children with homework and overseeing younger children’s..

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14th Dec 2020

So much more than Napkins…...

Tablescaping is the latest lockdown phenomenon, and at no time will it be more pertinent than over the coming festive month! It’s the idea that you dress your table as if it’s an artwork to be admired, by visiting guests or insta-hungry image hunters. Whether you have chosen to use a grand flower arrangement or second-hand mis-matched crockery, the way you’ve styled your table is more important than ever. The hashtag ‘Tablescape’ has 1.2 million posts on Instagram. This trend has been driven by a year of social distancing and unlimited screen time. Whilst we’ve been forced to work from home, our focus on our interiors has never been greater, as people have sought to prettify their immediate surroundings to make them cosier and more restful, creating a sanctuary from the madness we find ourselves experiencing in the outside world.  Tablescaping is so much more than napkins, plates of foods..

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22nd Nov 2019

Christmas tree supplier to the stars offers Black Fir-day deals ahead of busiest sales weekend

As its busiest weekend for Christmas tree sales approaches, festive fir suppliers Pines and Needles is offering big online discounts on its popular pines this Black Friday. The company, which has been kitting out Christmas for more than 20 years and are Harry and Meghan’s go-to tree supplier, is offering a 15% discount on its website on November 29. This is a tree-mendous opportunity for people to decorate their homes with Christmas class, taking real trees from the company's two plantations in Scotland which are left to mature for 10 years. Pines and Needles was founded by brothers Sam and Josh Lyle as teenagers and the company now sells a whopping 60,000 Christmas trees a year. “We want as many people to get the Pines and Needles experience this Christmas,” said Sam. “The last weekend in November has become our busiest selling weekend with more and more people wanting to..

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19th Nov 2019

Hanslope show home opens its doors to the public

Visitors have taken the first look inside one of the homes at a new development in Hanslope which is bringing an investment of more than £2.2 million to the local area. Davidsons Homes held the grand opening of its new show home at The Wheatfields, a development of 141 homes, on Saturday 19th October. The Wheatfields, which is located off Long Street Road, includes a range of three, four and five-bedroom homes. Around 40 people attended Saturday’s grand opening, which featured a drinks reception and entertainment from saxophonist Robert Charles. It was the first opportunity for visitors to take a tour of the brand new five-bedroom detached show home at the development. The three-storey Newstead house type features a spacious, double aspect living area, an open plan kitchen and dining room, a study and a detached garage. As part of the planning agreement for The Wheatfields, Davidsons Homes is providing..

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30th Mar 2019

Milton Keynes’ full fibre rollout set for rapid acceleration in 2019

CityFibre puts gigabit-speed connectivity within reach of thousands of MK homes  Over 20,000 homes across Milton Keynes are now able to access full fibre broadband – one year on from the start of the city-wide expansion of the digital network. As part of CityFibre’s ‘fibre to the premises’ project, the network has doubled to over 350km since March 2018. Through a strategic partnership with Vodafone, CityFibre has built in Bancroft, Blue Bridge, Bradville, Great Linford, Willen, Bletchley and Fenny Stratford, and will be accelerating across the city to build to almost every home and business. CityFibre has made the build possible through a private investment of more than £40m. In addition to building the full fibre network – which is expected to complete by the end of 2020 – CityFibre has opened a new state-of-the-art office in Milton Keynes and intends to bring its Engineering Centre of Excellence to the..

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01st Jun 2017

Prestige Lawns within the community

We love our community here at MK Pulse, and always enjoy hearing about the relationships built between local businesses. A leading artificial grass installer in Milton Keynes, Prestige Lawns, has done just that, increasing their presence in the local community and becoming a highly regarded independent company within Milton Keynes and the surrounding areas. The team members at Prestige Lawns are highly experienced and have built themselves an outstanding reputation, giving local businesses no reason to doubt their paramount service. The portfolio of clients for Prestige Lawns has continued to expand, including large scale companies such as Ikea, and local community schools, including the Brookside primary school in Bicester. Prestige Lawns are big enough to cope, yet small enough to care, offering the ideal solution to all artificial grass requirements, whether it be practical outdoor flooring, eye-catching displays, or quirky interior designs. The transformation of Brookside school in Bicester was a..

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30th May 2017

Council urges MK to get Bucks buzzing! Sign up online for a free packet of seeds to help bees…...

MK Council has joined forces with other Bucks councils to encourage people to help pollinating insects in this area and raise awareness. Pollinators like bees and are in severe decline nationally yet they are vital to pollinate many different plants and crops across the world and in MK. 80% of all flowering plants are pollinated by insects. The Buckinghamshire and Milton Keynes Natural Environment Partnership (The "NEP") has launched its 2017 "Bucks Buzzing" project to do just that.  The NEP is encouraging everyone to do something for pollinators in Buckinghamshire to help get "Bucks Buzzing" again. Everyone can do something to help increase the number of bees and other pollinating insects including: Building a bug hotel Mowing less frequently Allow hedges to flower Leave a wild area in your garden Grow wildflowers that attracts insects Consider using less or no pesticides MK Council has changed the frequency and timing of..

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13th Jan 2017

Optima’s Top 10 tips for saving money and keeping warm in 2017

The rising cost of energy bills is putting a strain on household budgets, and wasting energy is bad news for the environment. Here are 10 tips that require no capital outlay: Switch your energy supplier Compare gas and electricity prices at www.uswitch.com and make sure you’re on the cheapest tariff for you. It only takes a few minutes and they’ll do all the paperwork. Ofgem estimate that the average household saving will be £300. Turn your thermostat down Keep your thermostat at 21oC max. If you’re still cold you should put on more clothes! For every 1 degree above 21oC it will cost you 10% more on your heating bill. Make sure your immersion heater is OFF Using on peak electricity to heat your hot water is 3 times more expensive than using your gas boiler. Make sure your kids haven’t accidentally left it on! Stick some tape over the..

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09th Jan 2017

600 New homes will destroy our countryside

Milton Keynes Council disclosed in December that it plans the building of 6,000 homes by developer Gallagher Estates in the rural area north of the city between the M1 and the West Coast rail line. This development will be part of its new Local Plan which allocates land for house building from 2018 to 2036. The 6,000 homes are expected by 2025/26. The new population of 15,000 to 20,000 would engulf Haversham and have a devastating impact on Castlethorpe, Hanslope, and Little Linford with most of  the countryside disappearing under concrete. New roads – including major dual carriageways – would be needed to feed into the existing MK Grid causing enormous increases in traffic severely affecting Wolverton, New Bradwell, Stantonbury, and Newport Pagnell. One of the dual carriageways would pass through the new Linear Park for Oakridge Park destroying their recreation facilities, Linford Lakes, and wetlands. The new main roads..

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