Create a luxurious sitting room to relax in by teaming deep, complex hues of purple with sumptuous, soft furnishings for a classically inspired use of colour.

EASipanel’s Raised & Fielded panelling in our picture, is the perfect blank canvas for creating a richly traditional look.

Simply attach the panels to existing walls and choose a sophisticated paint tone to enhance the naturalistic wood grain effect.

EASipanel’s Marketing Director, Daryn Forster said: “The key to creating a sitting room with a lavish feel, is to mix different tactile finishes and materials. Striking patterns and dark soft furnishings are an instant way to create this popular look.

Painted panelling from EASipanel is a simple and inexpensive way to form the basis of this boutique-chic style.”

EASipanel’s Raised & Fielded design features an inset frame detail:

• Standard 3ft (512mm x 915mm) is priced at £8.99, and 5ft (264mm x 1,525mm) at £10.99.
• One length of dado moulding covers the width of approximately two panels and costs around £3.55.

Also available is EASipanel Tongue & Groove design, which comes in:

• A 3ft dado height size (516mm x 915mm) at £7.99 per panel, and a taller 5ft size (516mm x 1,522mm) at £10.99.
• One length of dado moulding (1,032mm x 60mm x 15mm) covers the width of approximately two panels and costs around £3.55.

EASipanel is available from Homebase stores nationwide and independent retailers.

To view EASipanel’s striking panel projects gallery, covering every room in the home, visit the website.
Tel: (0113) 2718311.

If dusty feet and dirty paws have taken their toll on your carpets this summer, don’t despair as help is at hand. New from the floorcare experts at Vax, the Rapide Ultra carpet washer makes it quicker and easier than ever before to keep your carpets looking spotless.

The Ultra is the latest in Vax’s popular Rapide range of upright carpet washers, which are as simple to use as a regular dry vacuum cleaner.

This new edition combines the Rapide’s trademark ease of use and manoeuvrability, with the very latest deep cleaning, quick drying technologies, giving you Vax’s best ever carpet cleaning performance - so that you can achieve professional results yourself.

Washing removes the embedded, oily dirt that gets trapped in carpet fibres and is left behind by your dry vacuum cleaner.
It brightens the colour and lifts the pile, so carpets look and feel like new again. Think it’s too much hassle? It’s as easy as 1,2,3…

• 1. Fill it up: Dry vacuum your carpets thoroughly, then fill the Rapide Ultra’s solution tank with water and the supplied Ultra+ cleaning solution – Vax’s toughest solution yet.
• 2. Get washing: Press the trigger to apply solution as you push the machine forward and powered jets will pump solution deep into the carpet pile, while rotating brushes lift out embedded dirt, allergens and odours. Simply release the trigger as you pull backwards and the powerful suction removes the dirt and water. New Dual V technology ensures your carpets dry really quickly.
• 3. Empty it out: Pour away the dirty water, then stand back and admire your fresh, clean carpets! They’ll be touch dry and ready to walk on again in just an hour or so.
• The Rapide Ultra isn’t just for carpets either - its flexible hose and wash tool make it easy to clean stairs, soft furnishings and even valet your car seats.
  If your carpets have particularly stubborn spots and high traffic areas, choose the Rapide Ultra 2 – this comes with a fantastic pre-treatment kit to break down dirt and stains before you wash. Simply use the wand to apply the pre-treatment solution to the affected areas, leave for around 15 minutes and wash as normal.

The W90-RU-B Rapide Ultra (RRP £229.99) and W90-RU-P Rapide Ultra 2 (RRP £279.99) are available from major retailers, or direct from Vax online.

For more information on the ultimate carpet washer visit the Vax website.

Tel: (0844) 412 8455.

September 2010 sees the introduction of the new Dremel 8200, the company’s best-ever cordless multi-tool.

The 8200 is compatible with all Dremel accessories and attachments, making it a highly versatile tool, offering the power and freedom to tackle any detailed indoor or outdoor project. It can be used to grind, polish, carve, cut, sharpen and sand a wide variety of materials:

• The Dremel 8200 outperforms all other cordless rotary tools on the market, and even many corded ones, with its advanced motor technology and powerful 10.8V Lithium-ion battery - setting a new standard in cordless multi-tools.
• The Li-ion battery is 25% smaller and 15% lighter than on previous models and has Electronic Cell Protection for maximum performance and lifespan. It charges in just one hour and holds its charge for up to two years.
• The Dremel 8200 also comes with a major safety feature: a motor brake which ensures the accessory stops spinning the second the tool is switched off.

Responding to consumer demand, the Dremel 8200 includes a trumpet nosepiece for better pencil grip, easy to use controls that do not interfere with the grip, a narrow barrel design and enhanced comfort during extended use. An LED gauge shows the battery status and the slide switch allows full variable speed control between 5,000 and 30,000 RPM.

There will be two different kits:

The Dremel 8200-1/35 contains the new tool, a one-hour charger, a Detailer’s Grip attachment and 35 high quality accessories (including the fast-change SpeedClic)

The Dremel 8200-2/45 comes with 45 accessories plus a Line & Circle cutter attachment and a Shaping Platform attachment.

The Dremel 8200-1/35 will be available at B&Q from 1st September priced at £99.99 (SSP), and also online at http://www.dremel-direct.com and http://www.amazon.co.uk

The Dremel 8200-2/45 will also be available online priced at £119.99.

For more information about the Dremel range of tools, visit the website.

For those homeowners looking for some fresh ideas and inspiration, as to how to rejuvenate a tired looking staircase, or want to cost effectively add some character to the heart of their home, then the Carpetrunners new online shopping website www.carpetrunners.co.uk is worth a visit.

Easy to use, packed full of great images of other people’s homes and useful blow-ups of the products featured, the website offers a wide selection of quality stair rods for runners and fitted carpets, door cover plates, rug and runner bindings and other innovative flooring accessories.

It also invites customers to send in pictures of their own homes, for other shoppers to appreciate, once they have installed their sparkling new stair rods and other flooring accessories.

For DIY enthusiasts, there are also practical design tips, which are regularly updated, and instructions on how to fit their own stair rods and door thresholds, or make their own carpet runners and rugs.

For a stylish choice of stair rods, rug and runner bindings visit the Carpetrunners website.

Tel: (01926) 885523.

Summer is the perfect time for taking on those bigger home improvement projects including that long awaited loft conversion.

Loft conversions are one of the most cost effective ways to gain extra space in the home - whether it’s that guest bedroom you’ve always wanted, making room for your family to grow, or simply creating a relaxing haven to get away from it all.

Home offices are also becoming a prominent domestic feature and transforming the loft, means your work won’t spill out on to your dining room table or interfere with family life.

So, if you are planning a loft conversion this year, Easy Heat’s Managing Director, David Garrity, explains how its unique range of electric water filled radiators, will enable you to make maximum use of your new living space, while keeping those all important installation and running costs to a minimum:

• Installing a new heating system in a room can be an expensive, messy and time consuming job. That’s why our unique range of electric water filled radiators is designed to be quick and simple to fit, enabling homeowners to install the system themselves in minutes without hiring a plumber or an electrician.

• Although each radiator looks like one found in a conventional central heating system, it contains its own internal mini boiler, water and pump, thereby eliminating the need to install pipework to attach it to an existing boiler. Simply fix the brackets supplied to the wall, hang the radiator on them and plug it into any standard 13amp socket for instant heat at the flick of a switch!

• As the radiators can be fitted anywhere there is access to a plug socket, you have complete flexibility in terms of room layout.

• You can also decorate the room prior to fitting a radiator thus eliminating the tricky task of painting behind it. If you decide to re-decorate in the years to come simply unhook the radiator from its brackets to remove it.

• Each radiator offers precision heating control for the room in which it is installed:

• If used as a guest room, visitors can adjust the temperature to suit their particular needs, without affecting the heating in the rest of the home.

• If used as a home office, you can choose to heat that room alone – as opposed to a standard heating system, when all the radiators in a property would have to come on.

• Finally, if used as a nursery, you can rest assured that the room is at the perfect temperature for a baby or small child.

• The system can also be turned off when not in use, or during the warmer months without causing harm or damage. It also requires no annual service or maintenance thereby reducing running costs still further.

Easy Heat radiators are available in 14 different sizes with prices starting at £389 per radiator.

Visit the Easy Heat website for further information.

Tel: (01422) 231943

The creative potential of good lighting cannot be overestimated, particularly in the darker winter months.

Effective, efficient lighting has the power to transform your home, defining and improving perception of space, highlighting design schemes and creating atmosphere and interest.

“Always use a good mixture of ambient, task and accent lighting and if possible consider your scheme at planning stages to maximise opportunities” comments Peter Bowles, founder and designer, Original BTC.

Use wall rather than table lights in small bedrooms to avoid cluttered surfaces

Hang pendants low over dining tables or sofas to create dramatic or intimate seating ‘zones’.

Lights that can be moved, adjusted or angled can effectively control direction or spread of light.

Clip-on lamps are an immediate solution to help illuminate favourite areas or supplement natural light.

Consider materials and function –bone china gives a gentle, ambient glow, prismatic glass exaggerates and intensifies light, while aluminium or other metals bring a more industrial flavour and greater visual impact.

Whether you’re working or reading, a good desk light is essential to help prevent eye strain.
Flexible arms are key for effective positioning, but aesthetics also play a huge part; make sure you choose something you really love as it will encourage you to stay at your desk longer!

Featured here is The Stanley Range:

• Hand-spun in Birmingham, the Stanley pendant is offered in solid brass, solid copper or solid brass nickel plated.

• Available in a hammered or smooth, reflective finish; group together for dramatic effect or mix metals for a laid-back, eclectic look.

Established in 1990, Original BTC manufactures relaxed, familiar lighting for traditional and contemporary homes.
Hand-assembled in Oxford from the finest aluminium, chrome and bone china, this essential collection of table, floor, wall and pendant lights is instantly comfortable, unassumingly elegant and accessibly priced.

For further home lighting inspiration visit the Original BTC website.
Tel: (01993) 882251

If that tired old shed at the bottom of the garden is more eyesore than eye-catching, then it’s time to take action, with a makeover that will restore it to its former glory.

And, no matter what the transformation you have in mind – be it from shed to home office, to den for the kids, or simply a retreat away from the hustle and bustle of the daily grind – Sadolin has a woodstain just perfect for the job.

Shed to Hideout – It’s Child’s Play with Sadolin
Give the kids a treat by creating their very own ‘club house’.  Available in a choice of 45 shades from soft pastels through to more vivid hues, Sadolin Superdec (RSP: £14.99/ 1 litre can) gives a stylish opaque, paint-like finish and is a great way to breathe new life back into your old shed.

Easy to apply and maintain, it also helps get the job done quicker, while offering tough weather protection and a resistance to blistering and flaking that means it’ll stay looking good for longer.

Brighter shades such as ‘Lapis Lazuli’In our picture are particularly child-friendly.
Alternatively something a little more subtle, such as ‘ Pea green can be just as playtime-perfect, especially when accessorised with some colourful blinds and toys, but will be a better complement to a more traditional garden.

A Grown-Up Retreat
Ever dreamed of your very own escape at the bottom of the garden?  Then a lick of Sadolin Superdec could be all that’s required to transform your run-down shed into the ideal bolt-hole.

Choose a pastel shade such as ‘Monaco’, accessorise with pretty gingham blinds, scatter a few cushions, train some luscious honeysuckle over the roof and pot up a rose by your door and you’ve got the dream summer hideaway.

A Practical Space
And of course sometimes your humble shed really is just a humble shed, the place you store the lawnmower and other garden knick knacks and do your potting.  But just because it’s a practical space doesn’t mean it can’t look good too.

Sadolin Classic (RSP: £29.99/ 2.5 litre can) is a versatile woodstain that provides long-lasting protection against the elements.  The choice of the professionals, it is easy to apply and comes in 13 wood tones and 48 tinted choices.

For further information and inspiration, visit the Sadolin website.

Or call the Sadolin Advice Centre on (0844) 7708 998.

B&Q has re-launched its One Planet Home pages on diy.com, which will display hundreds of products alongside a wealth of hints and tips, interactive tools and links to useful sites, for those wishing to go green at home.

They have also opened the first ever eco shops in B&Q’s flagship stores
in New Malden and Sutton. The eco shops will enable homeowners to get everything they need all in one place, to live a more sustainable home life and save money whilst doing it.

As part of the company’s bid to help people eco-vate their homes, B&Q is introducing two new roles - Eco Advisors and Eco Experts.

B&Q’s Eco Advisor qualification – an eco NVQ - is a UK first and will see staff qualified to City & Guilds Level 2 Diploma in Retail Skills standard, enabling them to advise and help customers on eco products for their homes.

The first eco Advisors will be on hand at B&Q’s Sutton and New Malden eco shops.

The eco advisor job will then be rolled out across the country with 1800 qualified advisers available by September.

The second role to be introduced is the B&Q Eco Expert, who will be qualified to offer in store and at home consultations and provide homeowners with an Energy Performance Certificate, enabling them to understand how energy efficient their home is.

Initially the Eco Experts will work from the New Malden and Sutton stores and will be able to back up their audit findings with recommendations to make energy saving improvements and offer a full range of eco installations.

It is inevitable that soon British homeowners will be facing the challenge from the Government, to reduce their homes’ environmental impact, and with Government targets set at a 30 per cent carbon emissions reduction by 2020, the process can seem quite daunting.

However you can now B&Q it through these new customer initiatives, specifically designed to make greening up homes easy and affordable.

For further information visit the new One Planet Home website.

They say first impressions count, and that goes for property as well as people. A well presented home is not only more visually appealing, it’s more welcoming too.

So, spare a thought for the outside of your home, as in many ways, its exterior says more about you than the interior, because it’s there for all to see.

Follow the top three tips from Dulux for a quick and easy spring spruce up:

Welcome home.
Some believe the colour of your front door reflects aspects of your personality, with traditionalists choosing black or blue, extraverts opting for red and minimalists going for white.

Whatever shade suits you, it’s the condition of your paintwork that really matters. Flaking, peeling paint screams neglect and so reach for a can of:

Dulux Weathershield Exterior Gloss.

• This attractive high gloss paint can be used on both exterior wood and metal surfaces, so is ideal for front doors and its weatherproof film contains a crack and mould resistant additive, to keep your handiwork looking better for longer.

• To apply, simply sand down the door until you have a sound surface and then brush on.

• Dulux Weathershield Exterior Gloss is available in 10 colours plus Pure Brilliant White and has a RRP of £12.99 for 750ml.

• The more contemporary subtle-sheen finish, Dulux Weathershield Exterior Satin is also available in 10 colours.

Top Tip - newly painted doors should not be closed fully until paint is completely dry, so make sure you choose a mild day to do the job!

Finishing touches - give any metal door furniture a good polish, so that it shines just as brightly as your paintwork.

Wonder Walls
Painted masonry can look very smart, but once it starts to weather the thought of climbing up and down ladders laden with paint trays can be enough to deter even the most ardent DIY’er - unless you’ve heard about the revolutionary:

Dulux Weathershield Backpack Roller System.

• Up to twice as fast as a brush, this system dispenses paint from specially designed packs, directly onto a roller at the push of a button for mess-free, fast and easy painting.

• The system fits neatly inside a handy, ergonomically-designed rucksack that’s worn on the back, leaving hands free of paint tins and trays.

• Use with specially formulated BackPack Roller System Smooth Masonry Paint, for splatter-free application and a long-lasting finish.

• Formulated with a unique high performance acrylic resin that provides Total Protection against all types of extreme weather conditions, the paint finish is guaranteed for up to 15 years.

• The Weathershield BackPack Roller has a RRP of £49.99.

Dulux Weathershield BackPack Roller System Smooth Masonry Paint is available in five colours with a RRP of £24.99 for 5ltrs.

For further help and advice, please visit the Dulux website.

Homebase has launched a new value range - a collection of budget DIY essentials to help keep the costs down.

This collection of over 300 everyday essentials, including 150 for under £5, offers exceptional prices on the products.

From decorating and DIY, to home furnishings and finishing touches, the Value Range has everything you need for a home makeover:

“For the DIY enthusiast” Affordable hand tools including a 3m tape measure (99p), a 16oz hammer (£3.99), 6in junior hacksaw (£1.99) and a slotted screwdriver (99p).

“For keen decorators” Choose from a range of decorating essentials, including plain white wall tiles (£4.49 for a pack of 44), white matt paint (£5.99 for five litres) and lining paper (£2.24, to cover 5.6sq/m).

There is a choice of accessories including, a 500-watt floodlight (£4.99) basic roller kit (£2.49), step stool (£11.99) and paintbrushes from 49p

Other finishing touches for the home include beech laminate flooring (£10.61 for 2.66sq/m), polished brass internal door pack (£8.99) and a silver spotlight – pictured here. (£6.99).

“The new homeowner” Decorate in style for less with home essentials including a paper light shade (£2.49), beech bookcase (£12.99), toilet seat (£8.99) and a coir doormat (£3.99). You can even pick up a double duvet for £7.99 for the first night in your new bed.

“The kitchen connoisseur” With a great range of cookshop products on offer, there’s no excuse to keep out of the kitchen. Pick up a a 16-piece cutlery set (£2.99 and a 12-piece white porcelain dinner set (£5.99).

“The gardening guru” Get into your garden this summer with a range of gardening products including seeds (from 39p), terracotta pots (from 49p) and plants (from 99p).

Homebase is the UK’s second largest home improvement retailer and is recognised for choice, style and customer service.

Visit the Homebase website to view the whole Value range.