1001, the magic number for carpet and upholstery cleaning, has joined forces with Katherine Dewhurst, ex-Buckingham Palace housekeeper, to provide top tips on how to keep your carpets and soft furnishings fit for a Queen.

Follow Katherine’s hints and tips below, to make sure your home remains your castle, regardless of whether it’s a baronial pile or a suburban semi:

A technique employed in some of the most regal of residences is to use a stiff, clean outdoor brush and sweep the carpet in the opposite direction of the grain so the pile stands up straight, making it look as good as new and ready to welcome the grandest of guests.

Never rub or brush spot stains as this can push the stain deeper into the fabric and make it harder to remove; soak the stain with a remover, such as 1001 Troubleshooter Ultra then, using a paper towel or cloth blot the remover, working from the outside of the stained area into the centre.

Don’t despair if the mark or stain is an old one, you can still tackle it using a stain remover; it may not totally disappear, but it’s often possible to shift the worst of it.

Hot drinks are amongst the most common stains and can be hard to remove; the key is to act quickly as coffee is a natural dye and may stain permanently; tackle it by first removing any excess liquid with a paper towel and then apply 1001 Troubleshooter Ultra over the area and gently wipe the stain, from the outside to the centre without rubbing hard.

On finding an unknown stain, use a stain remover that contains a low amount of water, such as 1001 Mousse; unless you know what you are dealing with, it’s best not to add excess liquid, which might make it soak deeper into the fabric making it harder to shift.

When entertaining, it is crucial to make sure all your sofas and soft furnishings remain clean, fresh and fit to welcome your VIPs; prepare for their arrival by revitalising your upholstery with 1001 Shampoo - a wide area carpet and upholstery cleaner.

By working its magic deep into the fibres, 1001 Shampoo will not only leave treated areas clean, fresh and revitalised, its unique Fibreshield Polymer ingredient, will also defend against future stains, leaving you free to relax and enjoy yourself.

For more dedicated advice, tips and solutions for carpet care visit:

Web: http://www.1001carpetcare.co.uk.

Find a present for a special person or occasion, with a striking piece of pottery from Emma Bridgewater, for friends or relations to treasure.

There are lots of really attractive pieces on offer at Emma Bridgewater stockists or online, for birthdays, baby showers, anniversaries, house warming and weddings.

Pictured here is Men at Work, a fine hand painted clock from Emma Bridgewater; also available is Dancing Mice to add an element of fun to a child’s bedroom; or in a classic Black Toast design and pretty Polka Dots.

All clocks are priced at £39.95.

Web: http://www.emmabridgewater.co.uk
Tel: (020) 7371 5489

The rich artistic tradition of the Islamic world, is the design inspiration behind the launch collection of Moresque, a new on-line retailer specialising in contemporary home decorating accessories, tabletop, bed linen and soft furnishings.

Tas Rahman, founder of Moresque, has combined traditional Moorish designs from Turkey, Egypt, Morocco and beyond, with a modern-day approach to decorating the home; the collection offers unique, hand-crafted decorative products, with broad appeal and can be purchased on-line.

The eye catching Ever-Lasting Candles featured here, are hand-made in Morocco, from wax with inset arabesque motifs, in copper or thuya wood, and are inspired by traditional Islamic art and architecture.

The translucent wax doesn’t melt, whilst the replaceable tea light creates a subtle, flickering glow.

Variations: Cube or Tower from 12 to 29 cms in height and six colours- red, mauve, black, orange, blue, ivory and four motifs.
Retail prices range from £15.00 to £45.00.

The celebrated Egyptian designer Karim Rashid, designed the stylish Bud Vase, inspired by Arabic calligraphy.

The three stem vase is made from porcelain, in a choice of white, metallic silver and satin gold and measures 33 x 23 x 4.5 cms. Priced at £110.00.

The three Kilim cushion cover designs, feature hand-made, authentic Persian and Turkoman kilims, inset into richly coloured silk/cotton borders.

The covers measure 45 x 45 cms, have zip fastening opening and plain reverse and come in three designs/colour-ways:
Turkoman (maroon), Persian Awal (rust brown) and Persian Sani (mauve).

View the complete Moresque Collection at:

Web: http:// www.moresque.co.uk
Tel: (020) 8274 2403

The new service VMES from Herend, brings the magic of the sea right to the table; once you set the table, you can almost smell the salty sea and feel the sand.

Prepared specifically for the 2008 Frankfurt Fair, this Herend decoration successfully captures a romantic moment of feeling free by the sea.

This is an opportunity to marvel at the magnificence of starfish, crabs, turtles or various snails, all beautifully hand painted by skilled craftsmen.

Most of the decorations are exceptional aspects of the fantastic fish and fauna found in the Bermuda Islands:

The service has been designed with three different line patterns along the edges, all symbolising the waves - the colours selected are those of the sea.

They mix and match beautifully together, creating a table that can be changed over and over again and always look completely different.

Prices are as follows:

A dinner plate retails at: Gold rim £56.80 Solid edge £78.10 Patterned Edge. £142.00.

Web: http://www.herend.com

Tel: (020) 7384 9722

For the first time ever in the UK, aspiring interior designers, or those already working in the industry, can study for a degree in interior design from home via distance learning.

The National Design Academy, in partnership with Staffordshire University, is offering the UK’s only flexible distance learning Interior Design Foundation Degree course, which leads to a Bachelor of Arts Degree (BA) / BA (Hons).

The degree is a practical, practice-based interior design course, taught by specialist interior design practitioners through Virtual Learning Studios. The VLS is easy to use, like clicking onto a website and tutors are always available to speak to.

This unique degree is perfect for those that want a career in interior design and would like a professional qualification, but aren’t able, or don’t want, to attend a University or College full-time.

The course allows students to study whilst still working, or looking after a family; the course can be completed at a pace that suits each individual student.
A distance learning degree lets you earn while you learn.

In addition to this, there are part-time student grants available from most Local Education Authorities, which are means tested and can help to cover the cost of the course fees, books and equipment.

The National Design Academy, which is based in Nottingham, has been providing training in interior design and related courses for many years. They have a reputation, for providing students with excellent tuition and support.

Web: http://www.nda.ac.uk
Tel: (01159) 123 412

It isn’t often that a brand reaches a landmark as significant as 100 years, which is why Royal Albert, known for its quintessentially English floral style, has chosen to mark ten decades of the company, with a very special collection of fine bone china tea ware.

Royal Albert 100 Years features ten charming designs , which have either been taken directly from, or been inspired by, past Royal Albert collections.

Encapsulating each decade from the 1900s to the 1990s, the ten sets of teacup, saucer and side plate illustrate significant English and world events through distinctive pattern and design.

For example, the decadent post-First World War era, can be seen in the lively florals of Spring Meadow (1920s), whilst the accession of Queen Elizabeth II to the throne is wonderfully celebrated in Festival (1950s) and flower power is never far away in Poppy (1970s).

Beautifully packaged in Royal Albert pink hat-boxes, the collection is available to purchase in two sets of five teacups and saucers (1900 to 1940 and 1950 to 1990, priced at £90 each), or as individual three-piece sets (£30).

Royal Albert has also produced a teapot, covered sugar bowl and cream jug set in the 1940’s English Chintz design, to accompany the collection (Priced at £120). (featured)
All items in-store from Spring 2008.

Choose your favourite and start collecting now.

Royal Albert 100 Years collection:

1900:  Regency Blue; 1910: Duchess; 1920: Spring Meadow; 1930: Polka Rose; 1940: English Chintz; 1950: Festival; 1960: Golden Roses; 1970: Poppy; 1980: Holyrood; 1990: Hartington Lane.

Web: http://www.royaldoulton.com

LG Electronics has launched a stylish all-in-one oven that integrates both microwave and grill functions; the SolarCUBE oven can cook nutritious meals, up to four times faster than a conventional oven.

This is good news for families and professionals, enabling them to spend less time in the kitchen, providing healthy meals, using half the energy in half the time.

The SolarCUBE oven is unique as it uses a combination of four heat sources including a halogen light, which ensures that the outside is crispy whilst keeping the inside moist and tender, sealing in all the flavours and nutrients:

This stylish new appliance has an oven like cavity, in which even the oddest shaped dishes can be placed.

The three-level rack system also enables consumers to cook several dishes at once.

So simple to operate - the attractive, intelligent controls compliment its sleek exterior, whilst easily guiding consumers through the many cooking options.

LG’s new SolarCUBE is available in black and stainless steel, from Comet stores and other leading independent electrical retailers nationwide.

Web: http;// www.lge.com.

CANTIFIX the award winning specialists in glass structures, now offer a superb range of products, along with comprehensive advice, and a help guide, from it’s easy to navigate on-line shop.

Whether you are looking for folding doors, sliding doors, hinged doors, windows, glass roofs or glass floors, a visit to their new website will both inspire and inform you.

The featured glass floor has been engineered to allow people to walk and stand on it.
These floors are both practical and stylish and permit light to be transferred between floors in your home, without restricting the floor space.
The glass floor is available in either clear, sandblasted or low iron glass.

In a world where we are now conscious of the effects we all have on the environment, CANTIFIX promise to offset the carbon emissions from the conversion of the raw materials that are used to produce your order.

On placement of the order online, CANTIFIX then estimates the CO2 emissions involved and make a payment on the purchaser’s behalf, to the Climate Care charity.

Web: http://www.cantifixonline.com

Building on its success as the market leader in Germany, MyHammer means to revolutionise the UK trade services market and has now launched its interactive website, which aims to take the hassle out of home improvement, for consumers.

From putting up shelves to fitting a whole new kitchen, MyHammer offers a one-stop-shop for any home improvement job.

Through its approval process, users are assured in the knowledge that all tradesmen’s qualifications are verified, and the customer feedback mechanism provides further reassurance, when selecting the right tradesman for the job.

Since the new portal encourages full transparency within the sector, it can lead to savings of up to 30%, compared to traditional methods of appointing tradesmen.

The free, easy to use portal puts consumers in touch with a broader range of tradesmen and grows the quantity of work available to tradesmen for tender.

Once the job is posted on MyHammer, consumers can sit back, relax and wait for the quotes to come to them. They can get on with their busy lives, receiving handy alerts with each quote.

Free from geographical constraints, tradesmen can bid for the jobs they want to work on, leaving consumers to choose the best tradesman for the job, whether that choice is based on price, qualifications, customer feedback rating, or how quickly they can get the job done.

In addition, skilled tradesmen no longer have to rely on localised recommendation, as their MyHammer customer rating provides effective endorsement on a national scale.

Tradesmen also benefit from greater control over their inventory and workflow - depending how busy they are, they may choose to boost their level of work by travelling further or reduce quotes to increase volume of work.

Web: http://www.myhammer.co.uk

Evo-Stik has put the seal on bathroom and kitchen cleanliness with Anti-Germ, the first antibacterial tile adhesive, grout and sealant range.

Even though you clean your kitchen and bathroom surfaces rigorously, it’s impossible to get to the grime that lurks in the gaps and cracks between your tiles – unless you replace it regularly, or do a deep steam-clean - who does that?

Even worse, that pure white surface sealant you used to finish the job
becomes a breeding ground for ugly black mould and home to bacteria within days of application.

However Evo-Stik’s new Anti Germ range of white and translucent sealants for kitchen and bathrooms, and all-purpose tile adhesive and grout, offers a solution; the first products of their kind that kill germs — and go on killing them.

Anti-Germ destroys MRSA, E.Coli, Salmonella and other bacteria that can cause serious diseases, especially in the young and the elderly.

Even better, these long-lasting products perform as well as other products on the market in every respect, but cost no more.

Evo-Stik’s Neil Morrell said: “Customers are getting increasingly worried
about the germs that infest the surfaces in their home and while they use
household products that kill surface germs, they can’t get into the grout
or sealant, so germs still have a breeding ground.”

“Anti-Germ puts the seal on any job by continuing the antibacterial properties deep into the gaps and cracks between tiles.”

Follow this link to test how clean your kitchen and bathroom is:

http://www.anti-germ.co.uk/game.html