Livingetc.

We've all seen the tv show and wondered how easy it would be to try out some of the things they do - well now you can try it for yourself with the Changing Room magazines. We've just moved into a new house, and to be honest when we moved in it was absolutely mank! The magazine gave us loads of ideas on different decorating techniques that we probably never would have tried before. We've now decorated the living room by colour washing the walls, and the house looks totally different now. You also get a free gift with each issue - normally a stencil, but somethings different stamps or paint effects. The great thing is that it gives you ...  Read the complete review

About 6 months ago I decided it was time to spread my wings and get out there on my own two feet and buy my own flat. Seeing as London has the most ridiculous property prices in the country this was to be a 1 bed flat. Anyway, 6 months later I had trekked round about 50 flats, seen numerous mortgage advisors and generally driven myself insane with it all. I never thought it would be so stressful, if I had I might have thought twice about the whole idea. My effort was not in vane as I found my dream flat and made an offer and it all seems to be going through as I write. What surprised me most is the DIY bug that I have caught in the meantime. I ...  Read the complete review

Free gifts you can use! What a novelty! It's true, though - I have actually found a use for couple of the free gifts from this magazine. This is unusual as most freebies end up as offerings to the local charity shop. The items and homes featured are eminently usable and adaptable to the abodes of lesser mortals like me, who do not possess sweeping staircases, extensive grounds, and, oh yes, a couple of million in the bank. It's got a nice little feature every month whereby an item of furniture is shown in its various guises, e.g. 20 coffee table, from a £10 version through to a £999 version. Fans of the magazine beware ...  Read the complete review

I have, for the past four months, been in the process of buying a lovely little one bedroom flat all of my own. The thought of having my own flat to decorate and furnish exactly as I wanted is too exciting. When the offer was first accepted, I bought loads and loads of home magazines. Most of them were full of completely unobtainable expensive furniture, kitchens and bathrooms that I could never even dram of affording. That is why Living Etc. magazine is a god send. It does not follow exact decorating and furnishing trends, it allows you to snoop around real homes, and does not bombard you with overpriced designer furniture which you would never really buy, ...  Read the complete review

I get LivingEtc virtually every month and love it. I find it really interesting looking at how other people have decorated their places. The only criticism I may say about it is that it isn't very accessible to a wide audience. I find it very 'London' orientated and 'trendy'. I understand that their target audience is probably young couples, DINKY's etc but even to these people there is a certain unobtainable aspiration involved. I know - I'm one of them! It is very much a lifestyle magazine (as it says on the cover) and something to look at but a lot of the stuff they feature is just TOO expensive. Such as a hand towel for over £10, ...  Read the complete review