Staying in, is the new going out, now that the credit crunch is biting.

You can dine in style at home, with a beautifully laid table by Ochre & Ocre; the Ochre colours lend themselves perfectly to Autumn dining and when layered, the different Ochre shades create a warm, harmonious look:

Use a larger cloth as your base and put a smaller cloth in a different Ochre shade over the top, then add the Paris placemats in one of the complementary colours.

Alternate each place setting with a plain and Porto-border napkin, for an effortless eclectic but stylish look.

Make the most of Nature’s free bounty, to decorate your table, by placing ivy, oak leaves, conkers, and gold-sprayed pine cones in the centre.

Add an Ochre & Ocre beeswax pillar candle, on a bed of peppercorns, in a large storm lantern and you will experience a beautiful honey and pepper aroma that compliments rather than overpowers your food.

The Ochre & Ocre range perfectly compliments the natural look; all the products are made in Europe, and the textiles are 100% organic and certified to Oeko-tex 100 standards.

The Sienne Calcinee tablecloth in our picture:

•  Is 100% Organic Cotton with a subtle slub effect in the weave.
• Available in five sizes and five gorgeous colours, with a deep 7 cm hem, finished neatly with mitred corners.
• Made with 100% Organic Cotton, This natural fabric drapes beautifully and washes and irons with ease.
  Priced from £39 to £79.

The range is affordable and eco chic; prices start from, £16 for a pack of 4 organic cotton napkins, to £39 for an organic cotton tablecloth

Web: http://www.ochreandocre.com
Tel: (0845) 3311277

After many years of research and development Bio Fires has launched a new range of high quality and stylish flue-less bio-fireplaces.

Bio Fires are an innovative green solution for the 21st century that doesn’t use our rapidly diminishing fossil fuels, or damage our environment:

These environmentally friendly fires do not require a chimney or any complex installation.

They are now fuelled by a pure plant derivative called “Bio-Fuel” (denatured ethanol), which is odourless and smokeless, producing absolutely no residue or harmful emissions.

The new bio-ethanol fireplaces, provide up to six hours burning time and are now more effective and economically efficient than the original gel fires.

The flames can also be regulated with a newly patented combustion chamber, which makes these fireplaces almost indistinguishable from gas fires and gives off the same amount of heat as electric fires.

This exclusive range of stylish bio fireplaces and bio fire baskets, made in contemporary stainless steel modes and more traditional pieces, create an instant focal point and ambience in any room.

The Platinum Flame model featured, is a novel and avant-garde grey powder coated fireplace, with a see-through flame window.

This sculptured geometric piece, makes an ideal focal point, even when unlit; push it against the wall (with the protective back plate), or locate it as an island in the middle of the room, or use it to create a cosy corner.

Dimensions: 115Hx60Wx17D cm.
Retail price: £625.

These luxurious and pioneering new fires will be essential for heating the eco-friendly houses of the future!

Web: http://www.biofires.com

Tel: (020) 724 1919

It’s Halloween at the end of the month and Rococo Chocolates has got some devilishly tasty tricks up its sleeve, with chocolate pumpkins, witches’ cats and ghoulish wafers; that‘s not all, there are spiders, ghosts and pumpkins all wrapped in foil – ideal for trick and treat.

Here are just a few tasty temptations:

Pumpkin painted (dark & white chocolate) boxed - £13.50, without the box - £9.50.
Spooky wafers (4 types 2 dark 2 milk) - £2.50 each.
Black cat in Rococo box with clear lid - £12.50.
Spiders, ghosts and pumpkin foils, all - 70p.
Confite pumpkins packed in bags of 100g, retail at - £4.50.

All you need to make your Halloween the sweetest and the scariest!

Available in all three shops and online at:

Web: http://www.rococochocolates.com

Tel: (020) 7352 5857

For both business and private use. The images, which are recorded via IP cameras, can be watched online all over the world, not only on a laptop, but also a mobile telephone or PDA.

It provides a feeling of safety and peace of mind and in case of any mishap, the images can easily be re-played.

With the introduction of the Marmitek IP RoboCam series, this can now be realised effortlessly.

Use - Whether it is your car on your driveway, your garage, gazebo, store, warehouse, cash register, holiday home abroad, your children in the play room or the baby in the cradle, the Marmitek IP RoboCam is keeping an eye out for you, so you can now watch everything on any computer with network or Internet access!

Of course it is up to you who’s allowed to watch these images - for your eyes only, or the public at large.

• The IP RoboCam series; cameras with an eye for detail:
• The IP RoboCam 10, 11 and 21 are Pan&Tilt IP cameras with high photo -sensitivity, for perfect images even in poor lighting conditions.
• You can operate them from all over the world: panning, tilting, zooming and adapting the resolution and more.
• You can have a picture taken at regular intervals (for instance every 10 minutes) and also when movement is detected in the image.
• A movement detector, magnet contact, or lighting can be connected to the general purpose input/output, in order to record an action, like the cash register or a door being opened, or switching the lights on.
• You can watch the images of 1 camera via any every web browser, or if you have multiple (up to 16) cameras, you wish to watch and operate simultaneously, this can be done simply with the software provided.

Web: http://www.marmitek.com:80/en/index_consumer.php?subgroep=71

For more information please refer to the editorial below:

Continued from editorial above - today’s date.

The IP RoboCam21 boasts some extra special features compared to the IP RoboCam 10 and IP RoboCam11:

• High quality MPEG4 compression for efficient network traffic and storage.
• Sends MJPEG, MPEG4 and 3GPP images simultaneously, each with their own settings.
• 3GPP for live viewing of the images on your mobile telephone or PDA.
• Built in speaker connection and microphone for 2-way communication.
• IR LEDs for use in total darkness.
• USB connection for autonomous recording feature – e.g. hard disk or USB memory stick.
• In combination with the optional all-weather casing, you can also mount IP RoboCams outside.

So, for every use there is a suitable solution.

Prices:
Pan&Tilt IP Cameras
The IP RoboCam10 £139 (JPEG, wired).
The IP RoboCam11 costs £159 (JPEG, usable wireless and wired).
The IP RoboCam21 costs £209 (MPEG4, usable wireless and wired).

All weather casing To mount your IP Camera outside, you need an all weather casing like the RoboDome10, which has a fan and heating; Priced at £199.

If Pan&Tilt functionality is not required, Marmitek introduced four fixed (statically) IP Cameras earlier this year:

The IP Eye Anywhere10 costs £79 (JPEG, wired).
The IP Eye Anywhere11 costs £109 (JPEG, usable wireless and wired).
The IP Eye Anywhere20 costs £129 (MPEG4, wired).
The IP Eye Anywhere21 costs £159 (MPEG4, usable wireless and wired).

Web: http://www.marmitek.com:80/en/index_consumer.php?subgroep=71

Marmitek cameras can be purchased online at:

http://www.reallycleverhomes.co.uk or

http://www.simplyautomate.co.uk

The extraordinary Potton Lighthouse range offers contemporary house designs, which with a blend of green technologies, mean self builders can build a net zero carbon home with running costs of as little as £30 per year!

Lighthouse pushes the boundaries for modern house design and is the most advanced house produced for the self build market and the construction industry .

Its levels of efficiency in terms of construction method, energy use, CO2 emissions and carbon footprint, also mean that it is the first to achieve the government’s Code for Sustainable Homes Level 6, the standard to which all new homes will be designed and constructed from 2016.

Designed in line with Lifetime Homes and Scheme Development, every building material and component used for this show home, has been specified for its ability to optimise it’s overall sustainability credentials.

Heat loss has been reduced by around two-thirds compared to a standard new house, including effective solar control, together with integrated building services based around renewable and sustainable technologies.

These include water efficiency techniques, such as low volume, sanitary ware and appliances, rainwater harvesting and greywater recycling, as well as renewable energy technologies, including a biomass boiler and a solar-thermal array.

Mechanical ventilation with heat system and a roof-mounted wind catcher, provides secure night-time ventilation for passive cooling and thermal mass boards built into the ceilings provide additional cooling.

Building services in Lighthouse have been integrated with smart metering and monitoring, which records energy consumption and enables occupants to identify any energy wastage.

You can visit the Potton Lighthouse at BRE – Watford, Hertfordshire by appointment on 3rd October & 5th December 2008.

Web: http://www.lighthousebypotton.co.uk
Tel: (01767) 676 400

Menu, the innovative Danish design company, has launched two beautiful candle-holders, which will fit into any type of décor, be it traditional, modern or classic.

Menu’s elegant new double candle-holder in mirror finish steel, is obviously inspired by dance and movement; the straight, robust bodies and the curved slim arms, appear both masculine and feminine at the same time.

When you place the candle-holders closely together, they seem to unite in a dancing embracement and the harmonious balance between masculinity and femininity makes this double candle holder the ideal wedding gift!

Menu’s Quarter candle-holder featured here, consists of slightly curved joints that can be assembled with discreet magnets.

It is so versatile that you can use it for any occasion: a romantic dinner for two, or on a long party table for fifty; you can place the Quarter candle-holders all around the table, or put them together as a symmetric whole.

Or why not create an elegant advent candle-holder, by putting four Quarter joints together as a circle? A set consists of four joints with magnets and would be perfect for that purpose!

The Quarter candle-holder offers infinite combination options, as it can be extended with more and more sets. The Quarter retails at £99.00.

The elegant Double candle-holder retails at £89.00.

Web: http://www.menu.as
Tel: +45 48 40 61 00

A combination of the rising cost of living and today’s hectic lifestyles mean that people are increasingly looking for fast, convenient and energy efficient kitchen appliances that will also provide great results.

Whirlpool has the solution in the form of its new JetChef 6th Sense and new Family Chef microwaves, which combine innovative design and technology, to provide ovens that are quick and easy to use.

Intelligent Thinking -  The new JetChef JT 369 combination microwave, features a series of functions designed to help control and monitor the cooking process for you, in order to ensure optimum performance and results:

The 6th Sense Steam technology will satisfy the health conscious, with its intelligent humidity sensor that measures conditions in the oven and adjusts the power and temperature accordingly, to provide perfect steamed vegetables or fish.

The exclusive CRISP system and CRISP plate provide oven-style browning and crisping to the top and bottom of dishes, making it ideal for baking pastries, pizza and cakes, as well as roasting and grilling meat and fish.

It’s A Family Affair  - The new Family Chef FT 339 featured here, is the perfect choice for busy families with its 27 litre capacity and unique Magic Clean coating that takes the elbow grease out of cleaning; simple yet stylish, it offers three modes of cooking, so that every taste is catered for:

The AutoSteam function offers a quick and healthy cooking option.

The Jet Menu features a range of pre-programmed cooking options by food type that control the cooking process for you, ensuring perfect results every time.
Family Jet Chef is priced at £184.

Web: http://www.whirlpool.co.uk
Tel: (0870) 600 8989

The average number of transactions per surveyor (over the last three months) is now at 12.7, according to the RICS survey published last week; the lowest figure since the survey began.

However, help is at hand for the housing market, with the launch of HomeSwapper4Sale.co.uk.

A UK first for the private market, HomeSwapper4Sale.co.uk is a service that matches people looking to sell their homes, with those who want what they have to offer and vice-versa. Launched in August 2008 the website already has millions of pounds of property registered and matches for members are sent out daily.

A core benefit of swapping is that there are only two parties in the exchange, so it’s possible to avoid lengthy chains, which are all the more treacherous in today’s uncertain market.

The speed of the transaction is increased and the sale of the two swapped houses, stands a greater chance of reaching completion; what’s more, it can potentially save money for both parties.

HomeSwapper4Sale.co.uk covers all house types, values and locations; users can find matches to trade up, trade down, swap like for like, move down the street or across the country – it’s that flexible.

Plus, HomeSwapper4Sale.co.uk finds the matches automatically and alerts each member by email or text message, to make sure they don’t miss the opportunity of finding their next home.

For more information visit:
Web: http://HomeSwapper4Sale.co.uk

Land of Leather’s newly launched Autumn / Winter Collection offers the ultimate in comfort, style and durability; the design team has been hard at work, creating a collection that will satisfy all budgets and tastes for the coming season.

Here are a few of Land of Leather’s Autumn / Winter highlights:

If it’s a shock of colour you’re after, the crimson red Rossetti in our picture, offers cutting edge contemporary design with its angular metal feet and low flat arms.

The rich brown Penfold offers the maximum in luxury and relaxation with electric recliner actions.

Perfect for a contemporary style home, the sumptuous black Templeton will look striking in a minimalist environment.

Snow white, sleek and elegant, the Stratus makes a bold statement in any lounge.

Practical and stylish, the King Sofa Bed is a spacious sofa, which can also be transformed into a bed without compromising on style.

Prices start at £549 for a 3-seater sofa, £499 for a 2-seater sofa and £399 for a chair.

Land of Leather’s supreme leather focus, provides customers with the best styles at the best prices; the collection includes over sixty ranges of leather sofas at any one time, with a huge choice of colours.

For details of their entire collection, See Land of Leather’s website:

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