Home and Style | Life & Style

Championing flora of the desert

Megan Backhouse There is one property in Narre Warren North that has 10,000 plants - comprising about 1000 species.

DIY: Pallet coffee table

Livia Gamble Immerse yourself in this DIY project by The Merrythought this weekend. You'll feel a real sense of achievement every time you put your feet up on your new coffee table.

Scratched: Ikea discontinues its vinyl record shelf Expedit

LIVIA GAMBLE Ikea has upset some of its customers by discontinuing its Expedit shelf range - designed for storing LP records.

Back to basics

How to downsize your home

LAKSHMI SINGH Once considered a habit of “empty nesters”, home downsizing is increasingly being observed among young families.

From vacant to verdant

Megan Backhouse Kate Dundas describes how she - a one-time 'party animal' - turned into a gardener in Yorkshire.

Tips from the style experts

Hot homeware trends 2014

LARISSA HAM What will some of Australia's most stylish homes look like this year? We ask two experts for their homeware predictions.

10 things to make

10 DIY valentines to make your true love

Andrea Romano Why waste your hard-earned cash on flowers and candy when you can give something that truly comes from the heart?

Home style

Up-cycling revival turns trash into treasure

CATHERINE RODIE You take something old and worn, give it some TLC – a bit of sanding here, a coat of paint there – and you end up with something new and desirable. Our grandparents called it "make do and mend" and it was born in a time of shortage and hardship. Today, the same practice is known as up-cycling and it is enjoying something of a revival.

Property for sale

Gangster Al Capone's mansion on the market

Zachary Fagenson The sprawling, waterfront compound where notorious Chicago gangster Al Capone died after being released from Alcatraz is for sale.

Sunflowers seeding a change of art

Megan Backhouse A vacant city block hosts a vast swath of sunflowers in an industrial pocket of inner-city Melbourne.

Home style

DIY: Canvas wall art

Spruce up that bare wall with this easy canvas wall-art project from Creative Juices Decor.

Bacteria hot-spots

Germs lurk in surprising places

Livia Gamble Despite our best efforts to live a germ-free existence, bacteria continue to lurk in some surprising places.

E-decorating service

Gwyneth Paltrow thinks inside the box for interior design

NEDAHL STELIO What would we do without Gwyneth Paltrow? First she tells us how she manages her busy day, what with dropping two kids off at school and a singing lesson. Now she shares this gem of a lifestyle idea - the Room in a Box .

Beach beauty at Mollymook

As part of Relax's ongoing series with Australian Institute of Architects, Rodney Moss and his wife Christina reveal The Mook, their clever beach retreat in Mollymook on the south coast.

Passion project: The Block judge Darren Palmer

LARISSA HAM He's now a sought-after interior designer and a judge on The Block, but Darren Palmer jokes that he can hardly credit his childhood in 1980s country Queensland with his taste.

Tips 'n' tricks

How to make small bedrooms look bigger

LIVIA GAMBLE The next time your bedroom feels cramped and claustrophobic, have comfort in knowing that although you can't change its size, you can trick your eyes into seeing it as the spacious boudoir you've been dreaming of.

Stylish succulents

DIY: Light bulb vase

LIVIA GAMBLE This little gem is subtle, stylish and screams creativity. Go wild and experiment with different succulents, air plants and flowers.

Mini gardens

How to make your own terrarium

Terrariums - miniature gardens in glass bottles - have stormed the design and blog world with gusto.

Capturing models' interior lives

Rachel Clun Cybele Malinowski's project Model Maison is an intimate portrayal of the lives of models at home.

Good design

Home office designs that work

Cassy Small Whether it's for part-time or full-time use, creating a dedicated home office space is essential.

Inside peek

Inside peek: Kourtney Kardashian's home

LIVIA GAMBLE Posting photos on instagram, Kourtney Kardashian has unofficially invited us all to take a peek inside her redecorated home.

Rooftop gardens

Creative garden ideas those with little space

Rachel Clun It turns out you don't need a backyard to have a garden. With a bit of creative thinking you can turn any outdoor space into a garden – even your roof.