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If you’re thinking of buying a second home in the country but can’t afford the prices, look up Soutra Timber Frame. A Devon-based company ,  it specialises in timber frames, offering an inexpensive, quick  way  to build an eco-friendly alternative to modern day housing. A two-bedroom house costs from just £44k, and Soutra can also build garages, barns and mansions. An ideal solution for those overwhelmed by soaring land prices. Call 01404 841 130 or visit Soutra Timber Frame. 

Cool in summer, practical all year round and fabulous looking - it's tough to beat the benefits of good quality, professionally installed tiles, and tougher yet to beat the range on offer at M.A.S Tiling. Its unique range of designs includes porcelain, slate, limestone, terracotta, ceramic, marble and stone as well as mosaic for both indoors and outdoors. M.A.S can cover anything from flooring and walls to Victorian paths and steps, patio areas - its under-floor heating for conservatories is a particular speciality. Prices start from £25 per hour for the installation of mosaics; and M.A.S is currently in the running for the 'UK's Best Tiler' Award at this year's Tile and Stone Show (1st, 2nd, 3rd July). Visit M.A.S Tiling; 07932 196002.

Packing your bags is the least of your worries when you’re moving home, and few city professionals have time for all the associated admin. Helping to preserve your time and sanity during the move though is One Swift Move. Managing all aspects of the relocation, One Swift Move will supervise the packing and unpack at the other end, liaise with the removal company, and take care of jobs like connecting your appliances to little details like filling your fridge or calling the cleaners in. One Swift Move charges £500 per day; it can also charge by the hour, or offer tailored packages for individual needs - worth every penny for a stress free move. Call Frankie (07986 034 909) or Elizabeth (07968 020 879); or visit One Swift Move for more information.

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Whilst your average parasol is often difficult to assemble, and provides limited shelter from the sun (or rain!) round the lunch table, an Appeal awning can be extended or retracted via remote control in a matter of seconds, and will offer ample protection from all the elements. Better yet, when you’re not at home, the awnings are fitted with sensors, which allow them to extend automatically when it’s sunny and retract in high wind conditions – assurance that your awning is safe – even when you’re not at home. Appeal awnings come with lighting and heating for entertaining in the evenings enabling you to achieve continuous al fresco living.  Prices start at £2,000 but, if that’s a bit pricey whilst you’re saving for the summer hols, Appeal offers a buy now, pay 12 months later scheme – plenty of time to save up for a summer enjoyed outdoors. Just mention this offer when calling 0800 018 4499.

Too hot? If you hate the humming of air conditioning units and are worried about their environmental impact, a good quality ceiling fan can provide a quieter and more aesthetic alternative; it also uses about the same electricity as a 100 watt light bulb, compared to the 2,000 to 3,000 watts required for air con. Offering over 28 models and 25 different blade finishes, The American Fan Company is offering one lucky reader the chance to win its Carera ceiling fan in brushed nickel (worth £510). To enter the draw, just send your contact details to sales@americanfan.co.uk before 20 July 2007. The winner will be picked at random and contacted by phone and letter by 31 July 2007.  (0870 803 4025)

For a classic collection of first class leather sofas and chairs, handmade to the highest possible standards, there’s no place better than Ixia.

Both handsome additions to a study or sitting room, its Art Deco and Tub chair come in rich chocolate brown, red, black, cream or tan leather options and, with their sturdy stitch design, are sure to last a lifetime. These chairs just get better with age; the key being the quality of hide, which ages well and gets comfier with the passing years.

As a special offer to Really Useful readers, Ixia has reduced both chairs from £599 to £299, and the matching sofas from £998 to £499. And, if you buy one, you also get a matching footstool thrown in for free – an excuse to put your feet up if ever there was one. Just mention this offer when calling before 27 July 2007. Ixia, 67 Gap Rd Wimbledon London SW19, call 08700 433786 or 020 8286 9448; Islington, 02076890013; and Greenwich 07921 538 293/ 02082934361.

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The long-awaited Daily Telegraph/House & Garden Fair (27th – 30th June) starts today at the Olympia Exhibition Centre (tube: Kensington Olympia) offering a showcase of the UK’s finest contemporary interior and garden designs. There’s masses to see but it’s well worth keeping an eye out for Amy Kent and her bespoke hand-knotted rugs. Rugs such as this Clematis design are usually priced at £277 per square metre, but Amy is offering a 20 per cent discount to all readers who place an order by phone before 31st July, or on her stand at the show. Just mention the Really Useful Blog. Tickets on the door cost £16 (adult) and £6 (children). House and Garden Fair, 0870 121 2525.

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If you love that turquoise coloured dress, and think it would work on your walls, this new MatchStik from Crown Trade Paints can help you find the perfect match. A hand-held electronic device, it allows you to take inspiration from the world around you - be it a car, flower or an item of clothing - and have that colour reproduced exactly at your local paint store. A whole new world of interiors at your disposal. The MatchStik is available on loan from Colourzone stockist paint shops, call 0870 241 6457 for details.

If the summer sun is showing your laminate floors to be lacking lustre, it’s well worth snapping up a bottle of International Paint’s 2in1 Laminate Floor Reviver and Restorer. Working like a conditioner (and us girls well know the importance of that), this brings a new sheen to old laminate by adding gloss and smoothness to the surface. And it only takes half an hour to dry. Priced from £6.99 for a 500ml bottle. Call 01480 484 285 to find your nearest stockist, or visit International Paints for more information.

When it comes to sofas, I’ve always been sceptical about buying online – unlike occasional furniture and accessories, the proof is in the pudding, or more accurately, in the sitting. Offering a wide range of sofa designs and colours at up to half the price of the high street, the handily-named Sofa.com affords Londoners the luxury of being able to try before they buy in its showroom in Chelsea Wharf. With a fair range of sofas and fabric samples on display, customers can make an informed decision without paying any more for the privilege. The Jackson 2-seater in Oyster is a handsome example and, priced at just £755, represents a solid investment. Sofa.com, Unit 10 Chelsea Wharf, 15 Lots Road, London, SW10. Call 0845 400 2222.

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If Kate Moss is wearing it and interior designers are using it, monochrome must be in. Keeping in line with trend, Hyder International has launched a range of black and white accessories. This florally inspired triple fold screen is a fabulous addition to the bedroom or lounge, updating the traditionally utilitarian accessory of pre-war Britain into a distinctly modern and decorative accessory. But before you baulk at the thought of boutique prices, take heart – the screen costs from just £49. Available for all good furniture and accessories shops. For stockist information, call 01484 531 000, or visit Hyder.