'Be prepared to play'? a glorious converted semi in west London

Huge murals and humorous details work together to give this 1930s semi a bold and modern look

Pop art, industrial-inspired design, global handicrafts and antiques, 70s glamour and lots of colour: you could never say that Preston Schroeder was afraid of mixing it up. “I’ve always wanted to develop a house that reflects my personality,” says Schroeder, who lives here with his partner Marcus and their teenage daughter Dulcie. The couple had renovated and sold homes, but when they found this 1930s semi in southwest London, it was time to stay – and inject the individuality that had been missing.

“I initially discounted this house because it was on a busy road, but property was so scarce I ended up looking at it anyway,” says Schroeder. “It was rented out, and the tenant hadn’t looked after it. The garden was like a forest. But I knew that we could completely reinvent it. I remember standing on the first floor, looking out to the garden, with a smile on my face, thinking: ‘This is the one.’”

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How to ease a cold with herbs https://t.co/15f6y66FHm Solicitors & Estate Agents In One Just £899 + vat .. https://t.co/GmjoJxU3bM

How to ease a cold with herbs https://t.co/15f6y66FHm Solicitors & Estate Agents In One Just £899 + vat .. https://t.co/GmjoJxU3bM (via Twitter http://twitter.com/conveyandmove/status/1073899069632888837)

Deck the halls: 21st-century Christmas wreaths and table arrangements https://t.co/DJmlSH3dc9 Solicitors & Estate Agents In One Just £899 + vat .. https://t.co/GmjoJxU3bM

Deck the halls: 21st-century Christmas wreaths and table arrangements https://t.co/DJmlSH3dc9 Solicitors & Estate Agents In One Just £899 + vat .. https://t.co/GmjoJxU3bM (via Twitter http://twitter.com/conveyandmove/status/1073899068080971776)

Gardening tips: plant a lovely shrub for lemon-yellow blooms https://t.co/DQQfcacihK Solicitors & Estate Agents In One Just £899 + vat .. https://t.co/GmjoJxU3bM

Gardening tips: plant a lovely shrub for lemon-yellow blooms https://t.co/DQQfcacihK Solicitors & Estate Agents In One Just £899 + vat .. https://t.co/GmjoJxU3bM (via Twitter http://twitter.com/conveyandmove/status/1073899066264862720)

How to ease a cold with herbs

Our gardening export on how common culinary herbs can make brilliant medicines

There’s nothing like a long-distance flight to test your immune system – my neighbour spluttered while the row behind hacked and the other side sniffled. Once home, and with the day the right way up, I lost no time in gathering some herbs to keep those germs at bay. The common cold is a beast, I believe, that cannot be tamed – you just have to ride it out – but a choice handful of our common culinary herbs are brilliant medicine. And they are far kinder to you, the environment and your purse than many over-the-counter cold medicines.

Rosemary and sage are classic herbs for colds and sore throats. Both are known for their antimicrobial and antiviral properties. Rosemary is said to stimulate the circulatory system and thus is thought to encourage blood flow to the brain to relieve headaches. I find a steam inhalation of a handful of bruised stems and leaves works wonderfully for blocked sinuses.

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Deck the halls: 21st-century Christmas wreaths and table arrangements

Conjure your own winter creations from foraged foliage and florist’s stems. The key: anything goes

Dried chillies, lavender, feathers and palm fronds: these are not your usual Christmas wreath ingredients. But by combining more unexpected plants and flowers with seasonal staples – pine, conifer, eucalyptus, say – you can create displays that venture far beyond holly, ivy and mistletoe. Nik Southern, owner of London- and Essex-based florist Grace & Thorn, mixes fresh materials with dried foliage or flowers, forages for many ingredients and is liberal with the spray paint.

“Whether you’re going to your local woods or taking a walk down by the canal, keep your eyes open for things you could use, and later dry or spray for different effects,” she says. “Be careful with picking berries if you’re not sure what they are, though. And keep an eye out for great shapes and textures that you could layer together.”

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Gardening tips: plant a lovely shrub for lemon-yellow blooms

Plus, frostproof your pots and visit one of the UK’s wonderful arboretums

Plant this Prizes for the least catchy name ever go to Coronilla valentina subsp. glauca ‘Citrina’, but this relative of the humble pea makes a wonderful small shrub for a sheltered, sunny spot with sharp drainage. It’s covered in lemon-yellow blooms from winter to late spring. Height and spread: 80cm x80cm.

Raise this Plant pots may have spent all summer frazzled and dry, but waterlogging can easily kill plants now winter is here. Use pot feet or bricks to raise containers from the ground and stop water pooling around the base. If you’re not sure if pots are frostproof, wrapping with bubble wrap may prevent damage.

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