Alix Earle is TikTok's newest it girl, and we adore her modern-day Serena van der Woodsen vibe. She's been rapidly gaining popularity for her candid personality and honest GWRM videos where she spills the details about her nights out. If you're hoping to emulate her fun, carefree look in your home decor, you're in luck.

She recently celebrated her 22nd birthday and dropped an adorable photo set on Instagram taken in her home in Miami, showcasing her sparkly outfit for the night. But what really caught our attention was the extra-fluffy throw blanket featured front and center.

Earle is renowned for her amazing Amazon recommendations, so it comes as no surprise that this exact throw blanket is available on Amazon. What we are surprised about is the price tag: It's less than $20, so you can get this luxurious-looking cozy piece at an absolute bargain.

Where to get Alix Earle's fluffy blanket 

If you're as obsessed as we are, it's not worth saving this pick for later — Earle's favorite items are always selling out. We've linked her exact throw below, plus a couple of alternatives just in case.

Unlike a decade ago when our photos would be developed by a professional and carefully stored away in boxes, memories these days are usually relegated to Instagram and Facebook, barely looked at once they are pushed below the fold.

While there are plenty of online photo services, products like the Kodak Step Mini Printer aim to save you the time and money of getting someone else to develop your snaps. Simply load the paper, download an app, and you've got physical versions of your photos within seconds.

We tested the Kodak Step to see if it could deliver on the promise of near-instant photos. Keep reading to see what we thought, and head on over to our guide to the best small printers for more comparison.

Kodak Step Mini Printer: key specs

• Type: Photo
• Technology: Zink
• Print size: 2 x 3in
• Print resolution: 313x400 DPI
• Dimensions: 4.5 x 2.9 x 0.8in
• Weight: 0.41lbs

Kodak Step Mini Printer: set-up

The quick start guide provided with the printer is extremely minimal. A diagram pointing to the different buttons and lights and a QR code to download the app are all you get, but that's a testament to how simple the Kodak Step is to use.

Controls on the device are limited to 'reset' and 'power' buttons, while there are indicator lights for charging and status and a micro USB port on the back. To insert the paper, simply slide the top off as indicated by the small grey arrow. Then you just need to download the Kodak Step Prints app. 

You can create an account in the app or bypass this if you want to go back to it later, and the service will bring up your phone's photo library. Then it's just a case of scrolling through until you find that perfect snap. Be selective, though. A replacement pack of printer paper for the Kodak step will set you back between $50–$60 for 100 sheets (and in the UK approximately £25 for 50) on the company's website, which is a significant chunk if you plan to use the printer frequently.

Kodak Step Mini Printer: performance

Once we had selected the photos we wanted to print, we had a huge array of customization options to choose from. The first is filters, which range from the subtle to the more artistic. Think old-school Instagram.

Frames and stickers allow you to adorn your pictures with fun borders and images, and you can also add text. Then there are ways to adjust the image's size, brightness, temperature, and sharpness. Basically, Kodak offers all of the basics plus some more whimsical options to personalize your printout.

It takes a few seconds for the printout to materialize, and it's essentially a miniature version of the normal 4x6" photo size rather than a Polaroid-style one. The photo has a slightly faded appearance, making it look lower quality than with other mini printers we've tried.

This is down to the technology used by the Kodak Step. Zink printing doesn't use ink (hence the name – zero ink) but rather creates the image by heating various existing layers in the paper. The benefits of this are that the pictures can be handled immediately, and a fun sticky back can be used for scrapbooking or just pinning it to the edge of a mirror.

The drawbacks are that color reproduction isn't as good. Still, the pictures look fine if you aren't too hung up on getting top quality results.

Kodak Step Mini Printer: design

The Kodak Step is a palm-sized little device that can easily be slipped into a handbag or side pocket, and weighing just 0.4lbs, you'll probably forget it's even there (in a good way!). The white case on our sample is simple but classy, with small black and yellow lines on the front and back for branding.

If you want something a little more exciting, the printer also comes in black, pink, and blue varieties – with the latter two bright and fun enough to please a younger teenager who wants a gadget to help immortalize those memories.

Though designed to be portable, you should be aware that the Kodak Step is neither water nor drop-proof, and there are warnings in the quick start guide letting you know that getting the printer wet or being too rough with it can lead to a broken device. It also doesn't respond well to dust or humidity, apparently.

Kodak Step vs Canon Selphy Square QX10

Mini photo printers have become popular as we fall back in love with physical photos, but there are still only a select few to choose from. We also recently tested the Canon SELPHY Square QX10 and found it to be a fun way to get high-quality Polaroid-style prints. However, we had some reservations about its cost per use and slight temperamentality. 

The QX10 is about twice as heavy as the Kodak Step, though still light enough to carry around easily, and it requires both replacement paper and ink. On the other hand, Kodak's Zink printer only needs paper. The overall quality of the prints from the Selphy Square QX10 was better, but we had trouble with an ink jam. The Step, meanwhile, operated smoothly throughout the testing process.

Kodak Step Mini Printer: our verdict

The Kodak Step Mini Printer would be a good pick for anyone who wants a portable way to print photos at home, with sticky-backed paper allowing you to go straight from your Instagram feed to a scrapbook. It's also available at a good price for this kind of device, but unfortunately, the quality of its Zinc prints isn't quite up to the standard of some competitors.

About this review

The Kodak Step Mini Printer was tested in the writer's home for a period of several weeks to ensure our opinions could be backed up by as much hands-on experience as possible. We used the iOS app to access our photo reel and choose photos to print. The Kodak Step was kindly provided for review purposes. For more on how we review products, read our guide on how we test.

Ever been frustrated by the lack of physical photos in your home? In the days before Instagram and Facebook, it seemed we all had a case of old snaps we could pour over with friends and family from time to time, but, in the digital age, these have become a thing of the past. However, companies like Canon are heroically trying to bring back the physical print with devices like the Canon SELPHY Square QX10.

The Canon QX10 could be described as a less well-known competitor to HP's Sprocket range, which offers the same pocket-sized aesthetic and photo-focused printing. However, the QX10 is slightly different in producing those pics, using dye sublimation technology instead of thermal printing. It's a little more advanced method that should make for better quality photos in the long run. 

We tried out the QX10 on our own snaps to see if it could really get us to put evidence of our treasured memories somewhere other than Instagram (or the back of our phone's photo app). You can read our thoughts on its pros and cons below, and to see how it measures up against other models, head over to our guide to the best small printers.

Canon SELPHY Square QX10: Key specs

• Type: Photo printer
• Printing speed: 43 seconds/photo
• Resolution: 287 x 287dpi
• Photo size: 2.7 x 2.7in
• Tray capacity: 10 pages
• Printer dimensions: H5.6 x W4in
• Weight: 1lbs

Canon SELPHY Square QX10: Set-up

Included in the box for the Canon SELPHY Square QX10 are the printer, paper cassette, user manual, and USB charging cable. Our sample came with the ink cartridge already installed, but you can easily do this yourself via a slot on the side. Paper is loaded from the top of the device.

The first thing you will want to do is charge your printer, and this is very easy with the USB cable provided. Once this is done, you can print photos at your leisure from wherever you want. There are two lights – 'charge' and status' – on the front of the device beside the power button that will let you know when you can disconnect and go about your business.

The most significant part of the set-up is downloading the SELPHY app, where you will choose and customize your photos. Get this, register, and select the QX10 from the menu to add your printer to the account.

Canon SELPHY Square QX10: Performance

As mentioned, the SELPHY Square QX10 is a dye sublimation printer, which works by heating ink and transferring it to the page. For those who haven't seen this type of printer in action, it might be slightly disconcerting when your images first come out bright yellow – this is just the first of three stages, adding yellow, red, and blue in sequence to eventually create a full-color photo.

Before this, however, there were seemingly endless ways to customize your snaps, whether adding virtual stickers, frames, or text. It makes the whole thing a fun, creative activity rather than just a way to immortalize your Instagram feed.

We had fun choosing which pictures in our photo reel would get the SELPHY treatment, and the results were great quality prints. The paper also has a sticky underside if you want to use your pictures for scrapbooking or something similar.

On a subsequent printout, however, the Canon SELPHY Square QX10 jammed, forcing us to abandon the ink cartridge included in the package. This would have meant that we would need a replacement very early on, which would have set us back in the range of $15 (they are £15.99 in the UK) for a replacement pack of paper and ink. It was a slightly disappointing end to our testing process.

Canon SELPHY Square QX10: design

The Canon SELPHY Square QX10 looks pretty functional but still smart. It's also available in four colors – black (which we tested), white, pink, and minty green. Unfortunately, there's no display to see how your prints are doing, so you'll need to rely entirely on the app on your phone screen. For a mobile printer, that's not really a big drawback. 

It's really a very simple device that will serve as a relief for those who don't want a million features to contend with. The QX10 has been designed with casual users in mind, which is appropriate.

Canon SELPHY Square QX10: cost & sustainability

While the Canon SELPHY Square QX10 is reasonably priced for a mini portable model, keeping the printer running is another matter. As previously mentioned, the replacement package of paper and ink (we could not find them being sold separately) costs around $15 and includes enough for just 20 prints. That works out to 75c per photo, so you better choose carefully. 

Canon SELPHY Square QX10: our verdict

The Canon SELPHY Square QX10 is a great device for those who want to be able to print out their photos, but don't want to compromise on the technology used to do so. It's fun to use and saves a trip to the printers but might end up costing a pretty penny once you factor in replacement ink and paper. This is something to consider if you have already embraced the photo printing apps that do your prints for free and only demand postage.

It won't be any good for those who want full-size prints or something other than images, but if you like the small size and stickable paper, it's ideal. We can see it being great fun for hosting a photo booth at a wedding or baby shower.

About this review, and the reviewer

Caroline is the smart home editor for Real Homes, spending her days trying and writing about anything from the latest smart speaker to home office essentials like small printers. Operating from home herself, she has a pretty good handle on what remote workers want and need from their technology and applies that first-hand experience to her reviews. A sample of the Canon SELPHY Square QX10 was kindly provided for testing purposes. For more on our testing process, you can take a look at our guide to how we review.

If you are finding it hard to let go of stuff and get organized, we have a great motivational tip and it comes from our favorite interior inspo source (aside from Real Homes of course) – social media.

Anyone who needs to find the best ways to declutter, take note. The trick to finally clearing that drawer, organizing that closet or spare room has probably been right in front of your eyes, several times a day. Three words. Tap. To. Tidy.

If you don't know what that means, the TikTok and Instagram phenomenon involves taking a before and after image and either piecing together in a video or on stories (so that you tap to see the tidy 'after' image). 

One of our favorite decluttering gurus Stacey Solomon titled her book on organization – Tap to Tidy – after it, as the trend sparked such strong responses from her followers.

In fact, 'cleanfluencers' do it all the time to create engaging content for their fans, but many find it is a great tool for their own tidying motivation, whether they share to the 'Gram, or just keep for their own sense of achievement. 

How can 'Tap to Tidy' motivate you to declutter

This simple trick is something our style editor – and self-professed decluttering obsessive Anna Morley – has been doing for years.

Anna says, 'Take a before and after picture. Make sure you document how the space looks before you touch anything.'

It is something most of us wouldn't think to do as the very reason we are tidying is that the subject matter is not that aesthetically pleasing, but as Anna continues: 'This will serve as extra incentive to make big improvements and once cleaning has finished it will feel like a huge win when you compare the two images and see your accomplishments.'

Many then go on to share their achievements online, motivated by the likes of doing so, but we think the biggest reward is seeing your own hard work. It encourages you to repeat the experience because you can see the benefits and how far you have come.

And it is something Anna finds very effective, as her own garage storage overhaul (above) on the weekend goes to show.

'Seeing how far I've come gives me a huge sense of satisfaction. I send my family the photos to, whether they like it or not,' Anna remarks. 

We think the before serves as a good reminder not to let it get that way again, too. So next time you have a declutter, don't forget to tap to tidy.

Joanna Gaines recently shared a very cute reel on Instagram, in which her little boy goes around and wishes his plants goodnight. Most would say this was going above and beyond when it comes to caring for houseplants – but with studies showing that talking to them can help them to grow, is it time we took a leaf out of 3-year-old Crew's book? 

Joanna Gaines' video that's got us talking to plants

In the video, which you can watch on Instagram, Joanna Gaines' youngest pays an evening visit to his favorite plants in a sunny greenhouse. 'Before the sun sets, he tells his little plants good night and to not let the (bed) bugs bite!' Joanna writes in the caption.

He checks on a large tray of seedlings, a pineapple plant, and some other houseplants, gently placing his hands around terracotta pots. 'This is the sweetest, cutest thing ever!!!! He's so gentle with his little plants,' one of Joanna's followers gushed. 

'No wonder they're so beautiful,' commented another. They have a point! Checking on plants each day, particularly when growing plants from seeds, gives them a better chance to grow healthily, and means you'll know when it's time to plant them out into individual pots.

An old study by the Royal Horticultural Society showed a connection between the human voice and plant growth (ideally women's voices), so striking up a conversation with your fiddle leaf fig isn't a totally bonkers idea. Reading to plants could make them sit up and listen, and there are even poetry podcasts for your houseplants if you'd rather let someone else do the talking.

Houseplant expert Anna from Plant Pet Club is skeptical and suggests that taking time out of our day to observe our plants makes it feel like they grow faster because we actually notice daily changes in their growth. 'What is undisputed is the benefits of houseplants on our mental and physical wellbeing that we get connecting with plants and nature! 

'So take time and talk to your plants! But remember that if you hear an answer, then that's a red flag,' she says.

We've been known to talk to our houseplants – I'm often apologizing for knocking into my large monstera plant or disturbing my rubber plants when vacuuming the living room. Whether you actually speak to them or not, by taking time to give our plants some tender loving care we also look after ourselves.

Kitchen open shelving has been very à la mode for several years now, and it's an interiors trend we think will hang around. They're wonderful if you like your kitchen ideas to look laid-back and lived in and relatively cheap to install, but styling them? Harder than it looks.

Susanna Hawkins is a Scandinavian interiors stylist and blogger who shares photos of her stunning, light-filled home in Bath on her Instagram, @shnordic. Her cozy Nordic style is a homely blend of old and new pieces with lots of warm pinks, soft textures and impeccably styled open shelving.

According to Susanna, if you want beautiful open shelving, you need pick one or two key colors and the rest will take care of itself.

Susanna Hawkins' open shelving styling secret

'I’m a fan of curated clutter!' says Susanna. 'My best tip would be to keep the color palette limited, that way the shelves won’t end up looking too busy.

'I also like including different textures as that adds depth and makes the shelves more interesting,' she tell us. Her own kitchen shelving ideas (see below) include seasonal blooms and plenty of white and cream kitchenware with accent colors.

She incorporates some lovely metallic pieces, as well as natural materials like wood and wicker which keep things neutral. We love the blue tones in Susanna's fourth #shelfie below, which give the whole display a sense of cohesion.

Susanna's open shelving styling secret encourages us to show a lot of restraint, sticking to a select few colors. Limit what you display on there to things you really love and that mean something to you. The rest can be stored away in cabinets.

Susanna mixes petite decorative pieces with a heavy wooden tray and lasagne dishes, creating a relaxed and visually interesting display. Planning your future open plan kitchen design? Open shelving is one way to make your kitchen feel a little less kitchen-y, and the gives you the chance to rearrange things when you fancy a change.

Susanna Hawkins is working with the first machine-washable rug brand, Ruggable. Take a look at her edit on the Ruggable website, which features subtle designs with simple shapes and a few wildcards.

Kailyn Lowry is in the process of renovating her Delaware home and, this week, she shared an update on how her office is shaping up. The TV personality and podcaster has clearly adopted a 'go big or go home' approach for her home office storage, opting for two black bookshelf units that are nine feet tall.

They are huge – check them out on her Instagram. It's no wonder they got a lot of attention, with Pinterest trends showing that demand for “styling bookshelves” has risen by over 47% this year.

Kailyn Lowry's home office storage

Earlier this week, Kailyn Lowry posted two photos of her stunning black book cases on Instagram. 'I still cannot get over these beauties,' she writes. 

'@hillbuilditcreations really nailed it and executed the vision. Custom 9’ for my home office,' Kailyn adds in the caption. 

The two gigantic book cases tower over her in the photos, and offer SO much room for styling and experimenting with fun book storage ideas. Some followers asked if she had a ladder for reaching the top shelves, and we think the book case is crying out for a cute library-style ladder.

The curatorial black tone gives the shelves a really modern look, and will help books, home decor and houseplants to stand out. The lower cabinets are handy for storing away less aesthetically pleasing office supplies, finished off with sleek gold hardware.

Rustic furniture and decor company Hillbuildit customized the size, layout, design, shelving, and color to create a unique feature for Kailyn's office. Molding pieces will be added to the top so they fit perfectly into the wall when installed.

If you love the look but are decorating on a tight budget, Malcolm from @designsixtyninecreated his stunning bookcase using the IKEA Billy bookshelves. The shelves create a dramatic focal wall as well as providing plenty of storage space.

Elsewhere in her home, the Teen Mom 2 star has chosen bold design statements – we previously wrote about Kailyn's choice of a statement kitchen worktop trend.

We can't wait to see how Kailyn styles these shelves.

Chrissy Teigen recently gave fans a peek inside her home, revealing a stunning family gallery wall – and Instagram is loving it. The model and TV personality's gallery wall ideas have been executed with prowess, and the result is a fabulous focal wall that catches the eye and celebrates her family.

It's achieved through consistent spacing, uniform frames and a loose color scheme with pinky hues.

Chrissy Teigen's family gallery wall

Chrissy Teigen's family gallery wall, which you can check out on her Instagram, is a mixture of pictures of her and husband John Legend, their children, and their pets. Uniformly framed in natural wood and carefully spaced, the prints and photographs are a combination of lovely black and white photographs, colorful shots and fun, arty portraits of their pets.

Chrissy and John have clearly taken the process of how to display pictures and photos very seriously because it looks impeccable. The pictures cover the wall as you go up the stairs, making a unique feature of what can sometimes become a bit of a neglected space.

In the Instagram post, Chrissy poses at the bottom of the stairway in a sequin dress. 'You’re just gonna zoom in on all the pics aren’t you,' she writes in the caption. Yes, yes we are.

'IT'S THE FIRST THING I DID WITHOUT READING THE CAPTION,' one fan commented. 'I zoomed in your dress!! It’s stunning!' said another.

Displaying family photos is a wonderful way to make your home tell your story. Which is no doubt why Chrissy's gallery wall had so many admirers – it's unique to her family and feels like an intimate snapshot into their family life and values.

IKEA picture ledges are a great shout if you're not sure how to arrange your prints and can easily be rejigged as and when you fancy a refresh. But you definitely don't need to be a pro interior designer to make a family gallery wall you love.

'Usually, we would recommend spacing the frame 5-10cm (2-4 inches) apart,' says Desenio. 'A good rule is to place the centre of your gallery wall around 145cm (4ft 9inches) above the floor. 

'If you’re hanging above a bed or sofa, frames should hang at least 15cm (6 inches) above the furniture,' Desenio adds. Good luck!

Love it or loathe it, 'cluttercore' isn't going anywhere. This divisive, more-is-more home decor trend championing a maximalist approach has almost 20,000 Instagram posts tagged to its name.

Plus IKEA's spring/summer collection features a range of furniture specifically designed to help people display their 'curated clutter' at home. But does filling our homes and bedrooms with all this stuff bode well for us when it comes to getting a good night's sleep?

Suzanne Roynon is an expert Interiors Therapist and author of Welcome Home, how stuff makes or breaks your relationship, available at Amazon. She believes that clutter will impact sleep quality 'at the most basic level.' 

However, she also says that the key is to distinguish between indisputable clutter you need to get rid of and items that genuinely promote happiness. 'It’s well known that a cluttered space can represent a cluttered mind and a cluttered body,' Suzanne says. 

'Mental health experts recognize that too much stuff in the home can cause anxiety, confusion, and pressure to the point of overwhelm. If the clutter is in the bedroom it can lead to insomnia and depression,' she shares. 

In a similar vein, a 2021 study by cpap.com revealed self-confessed messy people got more sleep than tidy people, but that tidier people enjoyed a higher quality of sleep. Clean people were twice as likely to report being happy with their sleep.

Dr Alex Dimitriusleep expert and founder of Menlo Park Psychiatry & Sleep Medicine adds that there is 'some evidence that clutter (as well as the procrastination that can lead to clutter) leads to elevated stress hormones, and reduced overall life satisfaction. 

'Neither the annoyance with clutter, nor the elevated stress hormones it can cause, are good for sleep,' Dr Dimitriu says. But cluttercore-inspired interior design ideas and just being messy and disorganized are two very, very separate things. 

Shelves brimming with well-thumbed books, carefully tended houseplants teetering on window ledges, and walls covered in meaningful artwork will all make for an empowering space. They just belong in hallways, living rooms, kitchens... anywhere but the bedroom. 

Even die-hard maximalists will recognize that our bedrooms need to be more subdued. A bedroom full of decor pieces and mementos will simply be overstimulating. 

'When you find a balance and get the energy right in your bedroom it’s easy to relax and love being there,' Suzanne adds. 'Sleep, mood, and wellbeing automatically improve. 

'The challenge I foresee with cluttercore is the constant stimulation and distraction of a crammed and highly individual bedroom space will make that hard to achieve,' says Suzanne. Even if you're a maximalist, cluttercore obsessive, don't underestimate the power of pared-back and simple bedroom ideas if you can't get to sleep at night. 

Who doesn't love a good scroll on TikTok, the gram and the like for hot tips on cleaning hacks, DIY projects and perhaps the odd makeup tutorial or two? It's a healthy bit of research in our eyes but we're also starting to realize that there's a time and a place to do it...

Because we're all guilty of scrolling for a little too long, and often it's when we're sat in bed supposedly trying to wind down. Then some eight or less hours later we wake up feeling groggy and unrested, what are the odds huh? 

The stats

A recent study delved into the ways the top social media platforms are impacting our sleep, and it might come as no surprise that TikTok scored pretty highly when it came to keeping us up at night. Oops.

The app, used by a billion people each month, is a go-to for all kinds of wonderful inspo in the interiors world but as we all know, you can start a casual scroll and before you know it, it's 2 am...

Revenge sleep procrastination

According to the data by Sleep Junkie, scrolling instead of letting yourself chill without screens and doze off a little more naturally can impact how much restorative REM sleep we get. It's been dubbed as 'revenge sleep procrastination,' which basically means sacrificing sleep for scrolling. 

The sleep experts surveyed 2,012 Americans and over three quarters (78%) said they use their phones up until they go to sleep. And yes, TikTok-induced insomnia is a thing.

Compared to users of Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat, and Instagram, TikTok lovers who took part in the study got the least REM (rapid eye movement) sleep. They also spent the longest, on average, trying to get to sleep (one restless hour, seven minutes). 

Here's how the different platforms impacted REM sleep, bearing in mind we'd ideally spend between 20% and 25% of our sleep cycle in REM:

• TikTok: 14% of sleep cycle spent in REM 
• Instagram: 15.5% of sleep cycle spent in REM
• Snapchat: 16% of sleep cycle spent in REM
• Twitter: 18% of sleep cycle spent in REM
• Facebook: 19.5% of sleep cycle spent in REM

How to still scroll and sleep

We're all guilty of scrolling on our phones when we know we should be sleeping. A symptom of our busy lives or a bad work/life balance, time spent absorbing stimulating blue light and dopamine hits could be what's making you feel sluggish. 

The great news is, you don't have to stop scrolling altogether, be that on Real Homes TikTok, Instagram or Facebook. Sticking to a chilled-out bedtime routine, limiting caffeine, and investing in the best mattress are some of the many things you can do to get more shut-eye. So still scroll for all your kitchen cleaning hacks but we'd recommend doing it earlier on in the day and trying to switch off from apps in general a couple of hours before bed.

If you've yet to see The Home Edit's Christmas tree, you need to head to their Instagram ASAP. It's basically their iconic rainbow bookshelves in twinkling Christmas tree form, and they have used some very special Christmas lights to achieve the look.

Not only are the baubles arranged in a perfect ROYGBIV gradient, but the lights go through all the colors of the rainbow, too. Clea has taken her organisational skills to the next level by investing in the best smart Christmas lights. Tt's so, so neat that any Home Edit fan would know just who was behind it.

The home edit rainbow christmas tree lights

When Clea shared a time-lapse of her and her family assembling the multi-colored masterpiece on Instagram, she said that the tree is in the kids' playroom of her home. 

'Which means I will be hanging out in the playroom a lot over the next two months!' she writes.

The queens of organization have created similar trees in the past, but, this year, they opted for a white artificial tree as the backdrop to the rainbow creation. Our roundup of the best artificial Christmas trees includes a lovely white option if you're planning a technicolor tree.

The specific lights on the tree are special LED lights from a brand called Twinkly. In her Instagram stories Clea demonstrates how she has been able to customize each strand of lights to be the perfect color via the Twinkly app.

The free app allows you to map out each individual bulb on your tree - a neat freak's dream. From hearts to stripes, it gives you plenty of control in creating a design or pattern unique to your home.

The Twinkly lights have already proven incredibly popular, when we first looked the versions that Clea used were already sold out on Amazon. However, the good news is they are now back in stock and you can buy the rainbow Twinkly lights on Amazon. However, if you do miss them again, they are also available from Walmart.

'We are honoured to see that The Home Edit have used Twinkly lights to dress their Christmas tree,' says Alessio Mancarella, Head of Marketing for Twinkly. 'The rainbow tree is a perfect example of a customized Christmas look and shows just how easy it is to create bespoke lighting designs in your home with Twinkly.'

Have you been inspired by The Home Edit rainbow Christmas tree or will you be going more traditional?

A DIY enthusiast has given her formerly dark and dingy kitchen a textural kitchen makeover. 

The whole room was a real compromise on the house she and her husband bought.  What was once an uninspiring space is now perfectly in keeping with the rest of her bright and modern home. It's full of stunning and homely kitchen ideas with plenty of natural textures, which give the space a calming vibe – and plenty of space for her coffee machine!

Before the textural kitchen makeover

'I had always hated our kitchen!' admits Mariah, who shares her DIY projects on Instagram account @rusticrosehomestead. 'When we first walked through the house as a showing, my first thought was, "if we buy this house, the kitchen HAS to be updated."

'We ended up buying the house, and guess what? We lived in it for a little over two years before I finally buckled down and renovated it,' she tells us. 

Mariah knew she wanted this to be a very budget-friendly renovation, so she decided to do everything herself and to source inexpensive materials.

After – the textural kitchen makeover

After watching lots of YouTube videos, she taught herself how to tile a wall, install a new sink, cut granite countertops, and much more. She saved thousands by learning how to do these things herself. 

'Another way we saved money was by painting our countertops instead of replacing them,' she tells us. 'I painted them and sealed them with epoxy and achieved the look of marble without the cost.

'In just eight weeks, I went from hating my kitchen to loving it,' she says. We're loving the warm oatmeal tone to the kitchen cabinets and the blend of natural materials - from the wooden hood above the stove to the DIY marble countertops.

A kitchen rug, as above, is always a great option for introducing some color, texture and visual interest into a space that can feel a little sterile and functional. 

Feeling inspired by this impressive transformation? Mariah has saved all the tutorials for her textural kitchen makeover on her Instagram page and blog. 

It just goes to show what some thrifty DIYing and a fresh lick of paint can do!

There’s something dreamy about a feed full of expertly curated sitting rooms and bedroom ideas; aside from leisurely browsing Zillow for vision board-worthy listings, getting a peek inside curated homes on Instagram comes as a great form of escapism and inspiration for our own homes. 

That being said, while we love heading to social media for home decor inspiration or savvy DIY hacks, there are certain home trends that we could probably do without—and as it turns out, many design professionals agree that social media has created trends that might do better being better shelved than going viral.

Below, we reached out to a handful of top interior designers and home decorating experts in our network to get their insights on the Instagram decor trends that have simply gone too far. From the dreaded “live laugh love” signage to more nuanced social media trends, here are the top Instagram decor trends that make interior designs cringe when they spot them in their feed.

Signs or decals with words or mottos

People either love them or hate them but Beth Halpern Brown, Interior Designer and Home Design Expert in Atlanta, strongly believes they retract from a space and diminish from smart home decor and design.

“One of the wonderful things about art and home décor is that it speaks for itself,” she explains. “If you have to write it out on a wall, it's probably not creating the aesthetic and providing the purpose you think it is.”

Painted “shabby chic” frames

“While I understand the design intention here, these never seem to come out the way you think about them in your head,” says Brown. “The mix of new paint with distressed features just doesn't visually translate in this context.” You can find these even being sold by huge retailers, but homemade always comes to mind with these frames given its lackluster finish and appeal.

Macrame everywhere

Macramé has become popular among Instagram bloggers and home décor enthusiasts for its relative affordable price tag and ease of use—but according to Lisa Queen, Founder and Principal Designer at Lisa Queen Design, it’s gone too far. “I'm so over macramé and am ready to see some creative new materials used for wall coverings and other accessories!” she says.

All gold finishes

The eighties called—and they want their brass finishes back! While gold and brass hardware may be quickly overtaking silver and chrome, according to Queen, going all the way with gold is a very easy way to ensure your home decor will look dated in the near future. “Mix it up; we love seeing mixed finishes even if it's subtle! I think the all gold look is going to fatigue fast,” she shares.

Barn doors

“You see barn doors all over Instagram, but in reality, they’re a terrible idea,” explains Andra DelMonico,Lead Interior Designer for Trendey. “You lose the ability to decorate the wall the door covers. It also won’t create a solid seal between the two rooms, so light, sounds, and smells will easily flow from one room to the next.”

While barn doors might work in a cabin or particularly small space, DelMonico believes that they really don’t make sense in the majority of homes—which makes them look inauthentic and out of place.

Furniture made from pallets

According to DelMonico, the majority of pallet wood is terrible for building with. Think about it: it’s dirty and most likely covered in some food or other liquid product. Choose the wrong pallet, and the wood will have been treated with dangerous chemicals that will leech out into your home’s air. What’s more, the wood isn’t finished, so you’ll need to do a ton of prep work before you start building anything. “Do yourself a favor and buy new wood or the furniture already made,” she suggests.

All white everything

“Pure white is blindingly bright and sterile-looking,” says DelMonico. “It’s also insanely hard to keep clean, making it impractical for anyone that actually lives in their home.”

According to DelMonico, it’s high time to say goodbye to the boring all-white rooms and start incorporating a variety of neutral shades and textures. “This will add warmth to the room and make it more comfortable to be in. It’ll also be much easier to keep clean,” she says.

Confusing clutter with maximalism

“There’s nothing worse than a mess confused with maximalist design,” says Leni Calas, CEO,  Ward 5 Design. “When I see posts on Instagram highlighting sloppy looking ‘maximalist interiors’ it makes me want to wash my eyes out with bleach! Maximalism should never be confused with a mess.”

Lazy DIY projects

Instagram and TikTok are full of valid life hacks and DIY projects, but, according to Bre Hance, Principal Designer and Owner of InHance Interiors, there’s a very significant difference between savvy DIY and, well, putting a bandage over a much bigger design issue.

“Some IG reels make DIY work look like tiling over tile or putting up wall paneling,” explains Hance. “They give it this sense of ease and low cost, but it’s not and it’s probably not done the right way.”

Netflix's Dream Home Makeover host and Instagram star Shea McGee is full of interior design inspiration (#goals). But turns out, her tips and ideas go beyond just making your home look good -- she's all about hacks to help your create a neat and tidy space, too.  She recently shared a top tip for keeping your kitchen area clutter-free, and we are all ears.

Shea recently published an interview with Neat Method on her website, which included the useful hack. It simply involves using a storage basket to house pantry supplies you buy for different meals each week. Anything that isn't going in the fridge should be dropped into the basket when you get home from the store to make meal-prepping easy, and help maximize pantry storage.

When Shea asked Neat Method about the best way to store food that doesn't need to go in the fridge, they said, 'If it's produce for meals to be made throughout the week, place it in a woven basket, for air circulation, and add it to your pantry.'

'We frequently create 'Dinner Prep' baskets for client pantries. All the shelf-stable ingredients for the week's dinners go directly from the grocery bag to that basket,' they explained.

See also: Shea McGee's top tips for decorating on a budget

This seems like a great way to avoid overflowing cabinets and will mean we're less likely to forget about some of the groceries we've bought. Having your Trader Joe's haul in a basket might also highlight the things we're repeatedly not getting through or buying duplicated of, helping us reduce our food waste. And hey, if we can use it as an excuse to buy a beautiful storage basket, then we're certainly not complaining.

If you're looking for other ways to keep your kitchen organized, a kitchen cart can be a great way to add a little more storage if you have the space. You can find some really stylish versions at places like Wayfair and as they can be wheeled around they're useful for when hosting.

Alternatively, try clear food jars, so, as with the storage basket, you can always see your cupboard supplies easily. We love tiered shelves that make the most of a deeper cupboard, and lazy Susans are great for stowing away spices and sauces.

See also: Shea McGee's go-to paint color

Shea and her with her husband Syd founded homeware and furniture brand Studio McGee in 2014 and share updates on their Utah home on their Instagram account with their 2.4 million followers. 

Watch Dream Home Makeover on Netflix to see their breath-taking designs brought to life in people's homes.

Social media has revolutionised the way we do cleaning. From Mrs Hinch's impeccable house cleaning that has made her into a star to weird and wonderful cleaning hacks that proliferate on Instagram, the Internet is awash with tips and tricks for cleaning every room and object imaginable. 

And the 'cleaning hacks' niche is fast becoming the most popular segment of the online cleaning community, with people sharing shortcuts to difficult cleaning jobs and cheap alternatives to unnecessarily expensive commercial cleaning products.

But do these hacks always work, and which ones are worth trying at home? While it's impossible to verify the efficacy of all of them, Affordable Cleaning Services give their expert opinion on whether three trending social media cleaning hacks stand up to the hype. 

1. Kitchen tongs for your window blinds

One area of the house we always seem to neglect is our blinds. With how much dust they pick up, it’s always worth keeping on top of wiping them down. One hack from Instagram offered users an alternative to a typical blind cleaner – by using kitchen tongs wrapped in wet wipes to get rid of any dust build-up.

But is that really an effective way to clean your blinds? It turns out that 'If you don’t own a blind cleaner, this method may be useful to tide you over until you do, but it’s much more advisable to invest in one – as you’ll be getting through a lot of wet wipes otherwise.' Not very eco-friendly, and you are likely to end up with streaks of dirt. If you don't feel like spending money on a dedicated blind cleaner, see if your steam cleaner will do the job instead. 

2. Baking soda and vinegar for your shower door tracks

Those tracks that run along the bottom of your shower cubicle are liable to a lot of dirt and mould build-up, as the warm and wet environment can consistently leave some nasty substances behind. A hack from social media suggested that a solution of vinegar and baking soda (along with a good brush) would not only clean any mould but have the tracks looking like new.

Does it work? Yes, you're unto a winner here. As ACS explain, 'the combination will have your shower tracks looking and smelling spotless, meaning you can rest easy about any build-up that could result in damage. This solution is great for your oven, too.'

Actually, we can hardly think of a bathroom or kitchen surface a combination of vinegar and baking soda won't improve – these two ingredients should be in every household cleaning arsenal.

3. Post-It notes for your keyboard

Sound dodgy? It is, a little. Our keyboards are a real haven for dirt, dust and dead skin (sorry, but it's true), and we almost never clean them (also true, admit it). One social media hack suggested using the sticky nature or post-It notes to working between the cracks and pick up any larger bits that may be lurking beneath.

Does it work? Maybe for a quick, 'surface-level job', but if you want your keyboard to be truly clean, you'll need more than a post-it note. Start by wiping the keyboard with a damp cloth that you've lightly sprayed with a disinfectant spray. Then, go into the spaces between the keys with a cotton bud, also sprayed with a cleaning spray. ACS also advise to 'invest in a can of air and use it to get into the nooks and crannies you’ll miss otherwise.' 

This year it's more important than ever to get a good pic of your Christmas tree for Instagram right? Since no one is actually going to see IRL how much effort you went to to get the lights perfectly spread out, the colour scheme spot on and the kid's homemade decs carefully hidden in the depths of the branches so they still think you love their playdough creations, you need to get the perfect picture!

And for anyone who has already tried, you will know it's not as simple as it sounds. All those fairy lights and glittery baubles just mess with your camera and nothing seems to focus. So we turns to the pros and asked Victoria Erdelevskaya, interior photography specialist at Heal’s for her top tips for taking the best photo of your Christmas tree. 

If you are yet to decorate yours, head over to our Christmas tree decor ideas for plenty of inspiration. 

1. Turn off the flash

A super easy one, turn off the flash. The bright light will cancel out all the warm and cosy lights. However, you will have to make sure the space is bright though, especially if you are shooting at night – just add in a couple of desk lamps out of shot for this. 

You can also underexpose your image to make the fairy lights dimmer. Underexpose your image by placing your finger on a brighter part of the frame before hitting the shutter button. 

2. Focus on individual ornaments

An alternative way to capture your tree is to focus on individual ornaments. Victoria recommends that 'When capturing close-up imagery in low ambient light, it’s important to keep your camera as still as possible. Set up the shot and use a timer and tripod if you have one to reduce the risk of a shaky image. Alternatively, make your body as steady as possible. Brace your arm and tuck your elbow in as close to your body as possible.'

3. Create a balanced picture 

The rule of thirds is photography 101 and most cameras, even most phones will have a grid to make it easier. You want to place the most important thing in your picture (in this case the tree) on either the left or right side, around a third of the way down the frame. Victoria says: 'Cropping your image can completely change the look and feel, so try shooting vertically and tightly crop the image to see what looks the most interesting. Crop outside of the tree to keep the focus on your Christmassy centrepoint. This technique reduces the visual background noise within the image. Try to avoid cramming too many elements into one photo as this can make your image (and your Instagram grid) look too busy.'

4. Test out different angles 

If you want to upload a few shots of your tree, maybe all in the same post or over the next few weeks, experiment with angles to get a different look. Try shooting from below for a more dramatic look, or from above (step ladder needed) if you want to get the presents in at the bottom. 

5. Capture people and pets too!

While they may not be the most cooperative, make sure you get in some pictures of your pets and family with your Christmas tree as those will be the images you cherish most. 

'It may sound counter-intuitive, but for the perfect Christmas tree portrait, position your subject as far away from the tree as possible - aim for around five feet. Then, frame your shot and ensure you are focusing on the subject rather than the tree itself. To get the best portrait, try and encourage your subject to turn to face the best and brighter light source in the room (you might have to bribe them with treats or toys).  You’ll be left with a gorgeous portrait with your Christmas decorations providing a soft, festive backdrop.' says Victoria. 

Monty Don has told gardeners they have to prioritise the climate, and that means avoiding compost made from peat and plants grown in it, the gardening expert says. He’s also advised gardeners to ‘consume less’.

We love to follow Monty’s beautiful garden ideas and advice. He always has wisdom to share when it comes to the jobs we should be doing in the garden right now, and the broadcaster and author’s Instagram feed is a must for inspiration for our own plots. But the column by our favourite gardening guru in BBC Gardeners’ World magazine has created a storm of controversy and garden retailers have criticised his stance.

Monty wrote that not to care about climate change is ‘sticking your head in the sand, not least because it will affect the quality of life for your children and grandchildren’. He had strong words for garden centres, writing that selling compost made from peat and peat-grown plants is ‘actively choosing to do harm’. 

Peat is made from plant remains that are incompletely decomposed. It accumulates under conditions of waterlogging and the exclusion of oxygen. Its characteristics make it an ideal growing medium, which is why it’s prized. But peat is important to the climate because it is a carbon store, a habitat for wildlife, and contributes to water management.

In 2010, the government called for the use of peat to be phased out with a long-term goal to eliminate peat use by all gardeners, growers and procurers by 2030 at the latest. Then natural environment minister Richard Benyon said, ‘The horticultural industry has made real progress in reducing peat use, but I want to see peat eliminated from the amateur gardener market by 2020.’

However, figures show that peat use is little changed. The Growing Media Monitor report, published on 28 October 2020, shows that between 2015 and 2019 the amount of peat contained in growing media – the material that plants grow in – only reduced from almost 53 per cent to 41.5 per cent in the consumer sector, says Friends of the Earth.

If you want to follow Monty’s lead and avoid peat, look out for compost that’s labelled as peat-free. You can make your own compost and leaf mould, too. When it comes to choosing potted plants, check labels or ask before you buy.

We have always loved Instagram as a source of the top kitchen trends. While we love flicking through a magazine or scrolling through Pinterest, we always find that Instagram is where the real stuff is. The budget makeovers, the quick revamps, the easy hacks, and that is was we are all about: simple and stylish ideas.

But what has been the most popular kitchen style on Instagram this year? Well to answer this burning question, kitchen specialists, Tap Warehouse, have analysed over 2.5 million Instagram photos to reveal the most Instagrammable kitchen ideas. Before we uncover them - which do you think is the least popular? You might be surprised...

1. The farmhouse kitchen 

So at No.1 we have #farmhousekitchen with 615,000 IG posts using this hashtag and it takes 37% of the photos analysed. And the pull is regional heritage, natural wood floors and a farm style table. To recreate a farmhouse kitchen  in your current space look out for these features mentioned, you can source trad style furniture from antique shops but add your own style by teaming it with one-off finds like these pendant lights. Don’t forget the star of the show - every farmhouse kitchen needs an Aga or range cooker right? 

2. The modern kitchen 

Coming in at No.2 is the #modernkitchen hashtag with a total of 436,132 IG posts using this hashtag. Form and structure where key components with concrete and steel mentioned as the favourite materials. Modern kitchens have strong visual lines and a less cluttered feel and this is where the appeal lies. Concrete and steel are a winning combo for a streamlined kitchen, but make sure you warm up the look with wooden elements, you want your kitchen to feel welcoming rather than clinical. 

If you love contemporary kitchens we have a whole gallery of modern kitchen ideas for you to browse.

3. The country kitchen 

With just under 250,000 IG posts using the #countrykitchen hashtag, the good old country kitchen rolls in at No.3. Now, you don’t need to get all oldie worldie to have a country kitchen, this beautiful image shows you how to create a stunning kitchen that retains the natural beauty of original features whilst having a contemporary touch. The sleek base units are truly gorgeous when teamed with the beams and pretty pale pink plaster walls. Team with hand-crafted ceramics for authenticity. 

Find plenty more country kitchen ideas in our gallery.

4. The rustic kitchen 

#rustickitchens sits at No.4 with 95,895 IG posts using the hashtag and it’s a lovely mix of old wooden beams, unique freestanding pieces and beautiful textures. This is the mix and match style kitchen which makes for a wonderful space full of character – source that dresser top and hang it on the wall, sand the floorboards and paint tongue and groove in a classic shade. 

5. The cottage kitchen 

Rolling in at No.5 is #cottagekitchens with just under 67K of IG posts using the hashtag, and quite frankly, who wouldn’t love a cottage kitchen? Cosy low ceilings, flagstone flooring, the odd beam or more and maybe even a stable door? Yes please! We love the mix of bare wood and painted units and the splash of green paint on the far wall, the metal and wood bar stools are a great addition too, mix up your materials to create an interesting and characterful scheme. 

We think we can all admit we spend A LOT of time goggling at interiors on Instagram, scrolling through post after post of lovely kitchens and perfect bathrooms. But how on earth are what feels like everyone and their mums, making their homes look this good?! Well, we asked the expert – Victoria Erdelevskaya, interior photography specialist at Heal’s for her top tips on how to take pictures for Instagram.

Keep scrolling to get inspired to get your own home on the grid, and start sharing all your hard work. Don't miss all the exciting stuff going on over on our Instagram page too and don't forget to use the #sorealhomes so we can see all your stylish spaces. 

1. Always try to use the natural light 

Light from household light bulbs can cast a blue or yellow hue which can dampen the true colours and stop them from shining through your image, but if you colour balance your image you can avoid this altogether. 

Victoria’s Top Tip
Keep an eye on your room throughout the day. Every room faces the sun at a different time of the day, so make a note of when your room is bright, but not flooded with direct light. A bright but cloudy day is the holy grail for an interior photographer. The clouds act as a natural filter, providing a soft light throughout your space. 

2. Experiment with taking pics on your phone

You don’t need a professional DSLR to take magazine-worthy shots of your home. Modern smartphones come loaded with useful tools to help level-up your photography. 

Victoria’s Top Tip
My favourite trick for making photos look lighter and brighter is to slightly up the exposure setting. For a darker space, drop the exposure for a moody, dramatic feel. 

3. Don't over style your space

For an unforced and authentic look, don’t overthink the styling. Instead, opt for the lived-in look.

Victoria’s Top Tip
Instead of shooting a perfectly made bed, why not take a shot of the crumpled linens or for a sofa shot, sit down and use the space as you would normally. The texture this natural movement adds will be picked up in the shot, making the overall look feel genuine. 

Check out our bedroom ideas feature for more ways to style (but not overly style) your space. 

4. Allow for empty spaces in your pictures

Give your images room to breathe by incorporating negative space. Shooting a whole room at once can sometimes look like a commercial or estate agent photoshoot. Try and focus on one one element, such as a perfectly styled fireplace, or a sideboard.  

Victoria’s Top Tip
If you’re taking a picture of a shelf or any other styled, flat surface try pulling all of your items closer to the front edge, rather than having them pushed back against the wall, as this will draw the eye into the frame. 

For more tips on how to style shelves for an Instagram worthy set up head to our shelving ideas gallery. 

5. But be sure to add depth too 

Use layers of accessories to add depth and texture to your picture. Try adding a throw to the end of the bed, a plant on the floor close to the camera, a cushion on a small stool to give the eye plenty to take in. 

6. Shoot from the hip 

Test out some different angles when shooting your picture. The lower the camera the more dramatic the image will appear, which can totally change the end result. 

Victoria’s Top Tip
The angle you select for your shot will vary depending on the room you are shooting. For a kitchen, you don’t want to be low enough so that you capture the bottom of your kitchen cabinets, but you do want to give the feeling of height. So play around with holding the camera lower to find an angle that works for you. 

Take cues from the height of your furniture. In a living room the furniture is going to be lower than in the kitchen, dropping your camera lower than eye level will make the sofa seem more plush. If the focal point of your image is lower down, then mimic this with your camera. 

7. Add life to your Instagram pictures 

They say never work with children or animals, but the opposite is true when it comes to your Instagram; don’t be afraid to include your kids or your pets for a more energetic and spirited shot. 

Victoria’s Top Tip
Instead of making children or pets pose for a photo, encourage them to play in the space you want to snap. People want to feel like they have stepped through the screen and into your home, so letting them be natural will only add to this. 

Read more:

• 39 kitchen ideas – stunning pictures, designs and expert makeover tips
• Modern bathroom ideas: 20 looks for a gorgeous contemporary design
• 39 hallway ideas: stylish spaces, top design tips and easy looks to copy

Like most people, we love a good Ikea hack. We love having a scroll through Instagram checking out all the amazing projects you guys have been getting on with, and we thought we would get sharing them!  Our kind of Ikea hacks are always easy and always quick so you know they aren't going to take you too long or be too complicated. 

This project comes from Lily Sawyer at  @layered.home, and is such an easy and effect way to update your old furniture. Keep scrolling to find out how you can get the look. 

You will need:

• Paint
• Wallpaper
• Wallpaper paste
• Pasting brush 
• Ruler
• Pencil 
• Scissors 
• Spray paint (or new handles)

Step one: clean your furniture and remove hardware

Give your piece of furniture a clean with warm water and a microfibre cloth, making sure it's totally dry before moving onto the next step. For this Ikea hack Lily used a set of Ikea drawers but it would work with any drawer with a flat front, you could go even bigger and upcycle a wardrobe too. Take of any handles or hardware before painting. 

Step two: paint your furniture 

Give your furniture a coat of paint in whatever colour you have chosen as your base coat. Lily used Frenchic's Black Jack but if you want more of the best furniture paint, head to our guide and for more of the best paint for furniture. If you want any tips on how to paint furniture and get the best results check out our step by step guide too. 

Step three: cut your wallpaper

Measure the areas you want to cover with wallpaper – here it's the drawer fronts and the sides – and use a ruler and a pencil to drawer those measurements onto the wallpaper, add a bit extra as you can fold them over the drawers for the neatest results. Cut out the shapes and check the fit on the drawer fronts.

Step four: paste the wallpaper onto the furniture 

Using a brush apply the paste to the back of the wallpaper, covering the whole piece with a thin coat. Place it on to the surface of your furniture and use your hands to gently smooth it over, checking there are no bubbles. Allow to dry. 

Step five: update your handles

This could mean spray painting the original handles a different colour or replacing them altogether. Whatever you choose to do, once the paper has dried use a screw to poke a hole into the paper where the handle was and then fix all the handles back on. 

If you after more DIY ideas, tips on using social media and creating content, and just gorgeous interiors make sure you check out Lily's website too. 

Read more:

• Living room ideas on a budget: 16 cheap ways to update your space
• Real home: this mid-century house has had a skillful DIY makeover
• How much does a new kitchen cost in 2020? Plus 16 tips to make it cheaper

Is anyone else surround by leftover paint from all the odd DIY jobs lockdown has let us do? Yep us too, but forget putting up shelves and painting skirting boards – we did all the boring jobs in week one – now we are looking for fun creative ways to update our rooms and kill an hour or two.

Lucky for us, Dulux can read our minds and have taken to Instagram to create some really nice, easy to follow paint projects using just leftover paint. It all started with Marianne Shillingford, the Creative Director of Dulux, creating very cute videos showing adults and kids how to paint rainbows to stick up their windows. Now they are uploading videos showing you how to use leftover paint to update your space really quickly.

Keep scrolling to find out what you need and watch the easy to follow videos, and for more DIY ideas head over to our hub page.  

• Find where to buy paint online

How to paint a canvas 

We love this paint idea, it's easy, relaxing to do and creates a real feature in your bedroom. Get inspired by the colours in whichever room you plan to hang your canvas, and have a look at what leftover paint you have that would work with the space, then just follow Marianne's video...

You will need:

• Leftover paint
• Tape measure
• Chalk 
• Water
• Sponge or micro-fibre cloth

How to mix paints

If the leftover paint you have is all a bit of a strange mix and you're not sure how you could make it work in your home, Dulux have made a great video on 'Colour Cookery' (basically mixing paints). Marianne talks you through how to create shades you love from the paint you already have. 

How to colour block 

Colour blocking has been a big trend for a while now, and it's really easy to recreate at home. Here Dulux shows you how to create a very cool wall mural using different shapes, but if you are after more colour blocking ideas that you can create in just a few hours, check out our feature. To copy Marianne's fab creation you will need:

• Leftover paint
• Paintbrushes
• Paint rollers
• String
• Measuring tape
• Masking tape

More craft ideas:

• How to embroider: 5 easy steps to get your needlework spot on
• 10 craft ideas to try while in social isolation: knit, paint, bake and more...
• How to crochet: an easy skill to master in lockdown

Real Homes here, coming at you with more easy DIYs and hacks that you can be doing now you are spending more time at home. We've been scrolling through Instagram and Pinterest and found loads of inspiring ideas that are quick and easy, don't need lots of equipment and can really lift a room (and hopefully your mood).

Today we are showing you how to add a pop of colour to any room by painting your window frames. This has been a growing trend over the last few months and we reckon it might be the new feature wall. Keep scrolling to find out how to paint window frames and for loads of inspiring looks to copy. 

You will need:

• Interior wood paint (we think chalk paint for wooden furniture works best)
• Masking tape
• Small paintbrush 
• Sandpaper
• Cloth
• Goggles

Step one: sand and clean your window frames

Gently sand down your window frame to get rid of any raised or textured sections to give yourself a smooth surface to paint. Then brush away any dust and give the frame a clean with a damp micro-fibre cloth. 

Step two: mask of windows and walls

Use masking tape to mask off the inside of the window so no paint gets onto the glass. If you want to be extra cautious you could use newspaper or a plastic sheet to cover all of the glass. Mask off the wall that meets the window frame too. 

Step three: start painting

Use a small paintbrush and make sure to paint in the same direction as the grain of the wood. Depending on your colour choice, one coat might be enough but if it needs two, let your first coat dry and then go in with your second coat. 

Step four: remove masking tape

Once your paint has dried and you are happy with the coverage you can gently remove the masking tape from the window panes and the walls. And that's it! A cute pop of colour in just four easy steps. 

Read more:

• How to paint kitchen cabinets
• Kitchen paint ideas: 18 stylish ways to update your space quickly
• Bathroom paint colours: 17 ideas to spruce up your space in 2020

Anyone remember the Facebook thread 'Disney gave me unrealistic expectations about love'? Well, now it turns out that Instagram gives first-time property buyers unrealistic expectations about what homes they can afford. 

While as first-time buyers we should probably all be thinking about finding a mortgage and the affordability of the homes we're searching for, there is – understandably – an element of romantic daydreaming about that perfect home involved in every house search. 

But what if, for some of us, looking at beautiful pictures of other people's homes leads us to reject properties we can realistically afford in favour of chasing that elusive perfect home?

Recent research into the house hunting habits of 21to 30-year-olds* reveals that young property hunters reject on average 5.4 properties before they are satisfied (or before reality kicks in, perhaps). 

The vast majority (74 per cent) of the respondents agreed that they were very fussy when looking for a home, and 34 per cent admitted that some of that fussiness stemmed from hours spent looking at Instagram photos of beautiful homes and then being unable to visualise a similar effect in the properties they were viewing. 

Over half (53 per cent) were disappointed not to see a large kitchen with a kitchen island during property viewings, while 38 per cent had hoped for a working fireplace. Dreams of standalone bath tubs were dashed for 22 per cent, and 14 per cent had coveted a laundry room. It also seems that we're increasingly daydreaming about a very specific type of luxury home, one full of period features. 

These responses raise interesting questions about how our concept of the perfect home is evolving. While in the past, most people would have been unlikely to dream about luxurious properties because they'd never seen the inside of one (unless they bought a specialist magazine or knew someone who had one), the advent of the internet and Instagram has meant that seeing images of luxurious homes are part of many people's daily lives. 

*Poll of 2,200 Uk adults conducted by Hillarys

Everyone loves Primark Home. It's cheap, it's stylish and, well... those are the two most important things, no? So, we were scrolling through their gorgeous Instagram looking for inspiration (shhh that counts as work) and we found this really cool video showing you how you can style a small bedroom in different ways with pieces from Primark Home! Genius! Small space dweller life saver!

Keep scrolling to get inspired, and make sure you check out our deals hub page too for loads more affordable homeware. 

Verrry clever Primark Home. We like. We like a lot. We harp on so much about how something as simple as switching out your bedding or changing your throw cushions can really change the vibe of a small bedroom, and look here is the evidence! Primark bedding is also really affordable so you don't need to break the bank buying a few different sets to change your room's look.

We've gone on about the space changing abilities of house plants too and Primark have loads of really realistic faux ones in stock if your fingers are more plant-murderous than green. And we think Primark Home has also proven that even small storage solutions like baskets and magazine racks are perfect for reducing clutter in small bedrooms, plus they are super stylish.

Thanks for the inspiration Primark! More of this please. 

Read more:

• Yasss! The Primark Home chunky knit blanket is back!
• Bedroom storage ideas: 40 clever and stylish solutions
• 17 white bedroom design ideas

Are you swayed by what you've got on your Pinterest board when decorating your home? Do Instagram shots of people's homes inspire you to copy the ideas and buy the same products? If so, you are one of a growing number of people who are influenced by social media when designing their homes. 

A huge study conducted by Deloitte has looked into the changing habits of consumers, and has found 40 per cent of US adults are now influenced by social media when choosing their home furnishings. This number is even greater in the millennial age group, with 60 per cent of millennials finding inspiration for home decorating and home improvement online.

Inspiration is the key word here, however; while more and more people use social media at the planning and choosing stage of redesigning a room, most still prefer making their purchase in-store.

Choosing upholstery is a case in point: a Furniture/Today survey of 1,000 adults found that while 75 per cent of the respondents relied on online research in order to decide which upholstery to choose, 45 per cent were very clear about having no intention to actually buy it online.  

These figures support the idea that we are increasingly becoming 'omnishoppers', or people who use complex combinations of online research and advice, social media for inspiration, and physical shopping experiences when designing and improving our homes. 

This complexity may be partly to do with the simple fact that the world of home furnishings is ultimately a tactile world, where we want to touch and feel furniture and fabrics before finally committing to buying. 

There's no denying, however, that social media channels such as Instagram and Pinterest are becoming increasingly crucial to how we visualise what's possible and fashionable in home design. 

Recent analysis by Forbes points out that people increasingly think that what will look attractive in their home is what will eventually look great on Instagram, and this is especially true of 18-24-year-olds who, incidentally, are the prime target for smaller home brands whose only exposure is often via social media. 

The future of home decor, then, may well be with Gen Z.

• Talking of which... why not follow Real Homes on Instagram and Pinterest for inspo?