‘An Englishman’s home is his castle’ or so the saying goes

Compared to people who live on the continent owning your home is far more popular than renting. Individuals, couples and families strive to get on the housing ladder. This inbuilt pride in our homes usually manifests itself in the amount of effort and time we invest in each room.

It’s nothing to be ashamed of, why shouldn’t we indulge ourselves and have a little bit of pride and passion in where we choose to live. With this in mind is there any wonder 'W.H. Smith' sell millions of home interest magazines every month for people who would like a home makeover of one sort or another. People who want ideas and inspiration for bedrooms for example will of course be looking at wallpaper and carpets but most of all they’ll look at beds – do they choose a four poster bed, an iron bed an antique bed or a divan bed? Oh, and don’t forget mattresses. Memory foam or pocket sprung? And where can anyone find out about waterbeds?

Take a magazine like '25 Beautiful Homes' for instance, it’s a relatively new publication that features fly on the wall articles in the homes of 25 people every month. It’s an incredibly popular magazine because it tells real stories.

Other magazines have a different approach, for instance 'Homes and Antiques' focuses on peoples interest in antiques and how they like to integrate antiques into there living rooms and bedrooms, this magazine is closely linked to the BBC’s 'Antique Road Show'.

'Ideal Homes' has a vast readership appeal focusing more on the DIY and home makeover market. It’s also a sponsor of the Daily Mail 'Ideal Home Show' which brings top furniture brands as diverse as 'Sharpes Bedrooms' and 'Hulsta Furniture (UK)' and celebrity makeover experts under one roof in an exhibition for the general public.

Traditional glossies like 'Homes and Gardens', 'Country Living', 'Country Homes and Interiors' and 'Period Ideas' are as there titles suggest – aspirational publications that tend to open up a world only a few of us are privy to. It’s a world of luxury bedrooms, four poster beds, and antique bedroom furniture. These types of magazines have been around for many years which underlines there enduring popularity.

With all this in mind its little wonder the massive impact home furnishing and home makeover magazines have on the way we furnish and decorate our homes.

Healthbeds - the WHICH report puts them top of the mattress pile!

Convincing someone that the mattress they are about to buy is the right one for them and will last for as many years can be quite tricky over the phone. This report appeared in the magazine 'WHICH' and places Healthbeds memory med and memory flex mattresses at the top of the Mattress pile. Here is a copy of the report that more than underlines the quality and value for money these mattresses provide.

What Lawrence says . . .

Lawrence Llewelyn-Bowen has a column in the 'Sunday Express magazine' called 'STYLE CLINIC' and this was his reply to readers enquiring about bigger beds.

Q - My wife and I would love a four poster bed but we are both quite tall so we need one that’s bigger than average. Any ideas where we could find one?

A - Lawrence says our forefathers were not a terribly lofty lot so antique beds are often aesthetically pleasing but hopelessly tiny. Luckily, Revival Beds (RPM) make traditional four – posters and other period beds to suit today’s taller sleepers.

Makeover your bedroom

Which report winner . . .

Laurence recommends Revival beds