'This building gives me so many ideas': creatives on the spaces that inspire them

From a garage workshop filled with leather to a light-filled studio, these artists’ surroundings are part of their process

As with all the best things, Caroline Strecker’s one-woman leather bag business started by accident. Returning to the UK in 2015 after a nomadic few years travelling, and working and living in Los Angeles, she realised London was no longer home. Two chance conversations – one with her mother’s lodger, who offered to rent Strecker his cottage in Somerset, where she still lives; the other with someone who couldn’t find the right leather dog collar – led to her founding Rag of Colts (an old English collective noun for young male horses).

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from Property | The Guardian http://bit.ly/2IhLQJg
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Forced out of family home as equity release company makes a killing

Daughter is given one month to pack up and go after mother dies

When June died at the age of 98 a few weeks ago, it was a painful time for her bereaved daughter, Rosemary. She had moved in eight years earlier to care for her mother, and now had to arrange the funeral, as well as sort out all the paperwork such as the will and death certificates.

What she didn’t reckon on was a repossession demand from an equity release company to clear the house of everything and get out within four weeks. Much is written about the rise of equity release – sales are booming – but very little about what happens on death.

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from Property | The Guardian http://bit.ly/2GatgPD
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What should I use to make my lawn grow and kill moss?

I’ve heard of products such as Mo Bacter and Miracle Gro, but I’m not sure if they work

Every week a Guardian Money reader submits a question, and it’s up to you to help him or her out – a selection of the best answers will appear in next Saturday’s paper.

Our lawn looks awful as it has become more moss than grass and I’m wondering what to do about it. Products such as Mo Bacter and Miracle Gro promise to kill the moss and promote grass growth – but do they work? Is there a less expensive solution that will do the job?

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from Home And Garden | The Guardian http://bit.ly/2IveWnC
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What should I use to make my lawn grow and kill moss?

I’ve heard of products such as Mo Bacter and Miracle Gro, but I’m not sure if they work

Every week a Guardian Money reader submits a question, and it’s up to you to help him or her out – a selection of the best answers will appear in next Saturday’s paper.

Our lawn looks awful as it has become more moss than grass and I’m wondering what to do about it. Products such as Mo Bacter and Miracle Gro promise to kill the moss and promote grass growth – but do they work? Is there a less expensive solution that will do the job?

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from Property | The Guardian http://bit.ly/2IveWnC
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London housing approved in area with illegal pollution levels

Air quality assessment advises that occupants of Lewisham development should shut windows

lA south London housing development has been approved in an area where air pollution is so high that residents will be advised to keep their windows closed.

Nitrogen dioxide exceeds legal limits on the busy road where the development is planned, next to the A2 in Lewisham. An air quality assessment carried out on behalf of the developers found levels of 56.3 micrograms per cubic metre in the area – far above the legal limit of 40µg/m³.

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from Property | The Guardian http://bit.ly/2Iez7XD
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Homes for sale that were once a pub – in pictures

From a hilltop village in Devon to a stately home in Northumberland, here are some homes to raise a glass in

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from Property | The Guardian http://bit.ly/2X6cbNw
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The 20 best homes Instagram accounts

From kitchen cabinets to modernist houses, here are our top picks to follow

Best for kitchen hacks @reformcph
The Danish kitchen brand updates Ikea cabinets with simple, stylish cupboard fronts in sorbet shades.

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from Property | The Guardian http://bit.ly/2P2qPTe
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