Hi Tom. There is so much to choose from: natural - including marble (needs a little more maintenance) and granite and non-natural materials, such as quartz or Corian. It is down to what kind of look you are wanting to achieve and whether you wish the floor to match the worktop or to compliment it. If you are looking for something maintenance free and with a modern look, then I guess man-made quartz is your best bet. Man-made quartz is Man-made quartz is achieved by mixing crushed quartz with poly-structural resin, and vacuum pressed. The result is a non-porous material with outstanding characteristics, which is suitable for many interior applications, including kitchen worktops. But this is only an option. I will be happy to investigate options for you. In the meantime, feel free to check the website for inspiration: www.paolointeriors.co.uk I hope this helps. Paolo

Bearing in mind that you have young children, the focus of the garden in my opinion should be on them. A small patio/dining/relaxing area for adults near the house, and perhaps also at the end of the garden would be lovely. I would also have most of the garden redone in grass (real grass!) with room to play. And I would keep the fence... its the most practical having children near a river, even if they're not babies anymore. I would probably break up the unusual shape of the garden with a few pots, planters and borders 'sticking' out into the garden so the eye is drawn away from the sharp, narrow end. I agree with what was said above though about just living with the space for a bit and seeing how you use it.

I laid my own last year. Like others, I also put sub-base down first (on top of levelled ground), compacted it (hired a machine), ensured it was level, laid sand over the top, then a good weed-proof membrane on top of that. I used one large section (to save gluing), tagged edges into the ground (around perimeter of the grass), then 'dressed' it with sharp/fine sand (many neglect this but it helps prevent flattening of the grass) -- do this when dry of course. The kids love it and, they don't get muddy! The only maintenance I've had to do so far is sweep leaves up. The garden's just about getting there (had to show pics as quite proud of the transformation!). Addition of sub-base (MOT type 1) below: Levelled, compacted, then sand laid level (and, again, compacted) on top of MOT1: Once that was done, laid weed-proof membrane on top: Grass went on top of the membrane (retained around the perimeter). 'Dressed' the grass with sharp/fine sand after that (when dry!). (Will finish adding plants when spring's properly here!)

With much excitement the Dulux panel, after reviewing all the creative entries for the Colour Picker competition, have selected their winner! ‘Summer in Cornwall’ is a beautiful and calming collection of muted blues. The use of tonal colour is very on trend and also features Denim Drift- The Dulux colour of the year! The title of the collection, ‘Summer in Cornwall’, the styling of the selected room set and the combination of the restful blue colour palette, echoes the recurring theme of our 2017 Colour Futures trends, about yearning for real experiences, the importance of treasuring simple and genuine things in life and re-connects us with mother nature’s very own colour palette.