Why premium toys for adults are the key to Lego’s astonishingly profitable year
Nostalgia is a key ingredient. While the first plastic bricks were moulded in 1958, Lego sets were quite rudimentary until 20 years later, when themes still recognisable…
I still send Christmas cards to people I’ll never see again – should I cull my list?
To firmly establish a new personal algorithm for send-outs, and in the name of research, I get in touch with a friend I haven’t seen or spoken…
Ruthless mafioso or the most generous man in showbiz: who is the real Simon Cowell?
‘Simon was a single man with a past who’d lived a full and colourful life, so he turned to Max for protection and advice,’ says one person…
The 6 best beauty products every woman over 50 needs in their skincare routine
I used to think it was just my bathroom cabinet that was out of control. Recently though, a friend, despairing about her ever-expanding beauty routine, showed me…
Home interior design ideas to make the most of your living room in winter 2021
Think about the different things you want to do in your room, and arrange furniture accordingly. For example, a TV area with a sofa; a reading or…
Everything you need to know about how to declutter your home, and keep it permanently tidy
In the coming days, many of us will find ourselves rummaging through boxes in a bid to track down our Christmas decorations – if you haven’t done…
How to create a luxury kitchen on a budget
The kitchen is, in most cases, the most expensive room in the house: the general rule of thumb is that a kitchen remodel costs between 5 per…
How to make the most of small spaces
A small living room needn’t stop you from having plenty of seating, as this one by interior designer Sarah Peake demonstrates. The choice of furniture is particularly…
How to declutter your home and keep it permanently tidy
When life feels like it’s spinning out of control, one way to impose order is to organise your home. ‘Decluttering is my therapy,’ says Vicky Silverthorn, a…
How the pandemic changed our children’s lives – for better or for worse
‘Before she was ill, Mum cycled 13 miles a day on her commute. Now she uses a wheelchair’ One morning, in mid-March 2020, we’d put our school…
How to get a better smile: Teeth tweakments that will make you look instantly younger
Teeth whitening Even skin tone is considered a measure of youth, and the same is true of teeth. ‘As we age,’ warns Dr Marques, ‘teeth can get…
‘I discovered my mother had been lying to me my whole life’
When her grandchildren were born, Helen says her mother was dismissive and uninterested. She denounced Blossom, at one, as ‘a little madam’, Bailey as a ‘bad-mannered boy’….
What does it really take to run a family farm shop (if you’re not Jeremy Clarkson)?
Despite the sign on their kitchen door – ‘Do you want to speak to the man in charge or the woman who knows what’s going on?’ –…
My husband wants a hair transplant – is he having a midlife crisis?
Listen, Rattled, here’s the rub: you journey through life together for 28 years and suddenly your partner develops new preoccupations. Are these changes symptoms of a deeper…