Your Home Magazine – April 2013

Summer’s finally knocking on our door and the longer, warmer days are the perfect excuse for spending more time outdoors. Here at the Your Home office we were totally inspired by our columnist George Clarke’s recent TV series ‘Amazing Spaces’ and we’ve all been dreaming of having a little hideyhole at the end of the garden or in our own little patch of the country to escape to. If you share this dream, then you’ll love our small space retreats feature on page 106. From a revamped Seventies caravan to a bucolic shepherd’s hut or a magical treehouse, you’ll find plenty of ideas to inspire you to create your very own hideaway. Now the weather is better, it’s time to get your garden looking gorgeous. On page 114 we’ve got some smart solutions for creating pretty paths that will make your outside space more interesting. While on page 66 our DIY diva Becky Clarke offers some quick fix solutions for giving your home’s exterior a quick facelift. May brings the luxury of two bank holidays, which is the ideal excuse to give your rooms a fresh new look for summer. In this issue we take a look at the latest pretty pastel colour schemes. No longer sweet and sickly, today’s modern pastels pack a punch and on page 36 we show you how
to use them to create gorgeous, modern looks you’ll love. Meanwhile on page 20, our design expert Richard Randall shows how to bring the outdoors into your home with the latest potting shed-inspired decorating trend. Finally, with holidays on the horizon, you may be watching your waistline, so make sure you turn to page 100 to see food writer Amber Rose’s recipes for indulgent cakes with a healthier twist. We really like the amazing rosewater, pistachio and strawberry pavlova, but we’d love to hear your favourite. If you bake any of the recipes do tweet us a photo! Enjoy!