While autumn decor might conjure up images of pumpkin tableware, Halloween decorations, or just general spookiness, this doesn’t have to be the case. At its core, this season is all about embracing the longer nights with soft lighting, cosy blankets, and subtle nods to the rich colour schemes that characterise this season. This is the side of autumn that The White Company have tapped into in their new autumn range.
Each year, palettes of chocolate brown and deep red trend at Autumn time. And this year in particular is set to be characterised by home decor trends like dark mango wood, tactile textures of velvet and wool, and retro-style shapes and curves.
While The White Company’s autumn range doesn’t stray too far from the brand’s signature clean white palette, these trending darker accents are incorporated throughout to give a cosy feel. This, along with the recurring motifs of acorns and pinecones, allows us to embrace earthy accents and natural textures, gradually working the charm of autumn into our homes without venturing too far into Halloween decoration ideas.
One of the standout decorative accents that first caught my eye was this bronze Autumn leaf topper, priced at just £15 for a set of 12. If you thought that tablescaping was reserved for al fresco summer settings or all-out Christmas celebrations, prepare to be proven wrong. It’s true that, when hosting in the colder months, it can be hard to find table decor for the interim period, but this rustic, metal leaf is the perfect feature for a transitional tablescape when placed on top of napkins or hung as decorations.
Similarly, the Autumn pre lit pinecone wreath is another perfect piece if you want to nail Autumn decor. The White Company are known and loved for its Christmas wreaths, which sell out quickly every year. But what about Autumn wreaths? Priced at £70, I believe a feature piece like this will add effortless cohesion to your seasonal scheme when hanging above an inviting fireplace, or even on your front door.
There are so many pieces on offer that achieve a similar feel and help us effortlessly transition our homes into the new season. These are my top 6 buys.
The White Company UK
Autumn Pre Lit Pinecone Wreath
The combination of natural textures and warming lights in this wreath highlight the very best of cosy season. It offers a focal point in the home and sets the scene for your seasonal decor.
The White Company UK
Autumn Leaf Topper Decorations – Set of 12
Subtle but effective, this mini leaf gives a nod to the season while elevating your tablescaping ideas. At a bargain price for a set of 12, it’s a motif that can be easily reused every year.
The White Company UK
Glass Mini Acorn Decorations – Set of 6
These unique acorn lights capture the essence of autumn, giving off a warming glow that’s perfect for cosy season. Hang them off your mantlepiece or drape them in the centre of a table for easy visual interest.
The White Company UK
Ceramic Bud Vase
Fill this curved vase with seasonal buds to include a natural touch in your scheme. To really nail the look, consider offsetting the cream ceramic with a colourful berry stem.
The White Company UK
Felt Ghost and Bat Decorations – Set of 6
Calling all Halloween lovers, we’ve not forgotten about you! These hanging felt decorations make for a sweet nod to spooky season that doesn’t take away from the rest of your scheme. For just £15, you can’t go wrong.
The White Company UK
Marlow Marble Round Table Lamp
Ambience is key to nailing an autumnal look, and there’s no better way to achieve it than through a statement table lamp. The linen shade on this one gives off a diffused light, which is perfect for a cosy glow.
I’m sure you’ll agree that these items are perfect for settling into cosy season. Which piece will you add to basket?
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If your feed has been looking like an endless scroll of cozy, organized, and picture-perfect homes lately, these are the stars behind the scenes. Stylish, functional, and totally Insta-worthy, each of these under-$40 Amazon finds is giving major add-to-cart energy.
Not just a toothbrush holder—this sleek wall-mounted unit kills germs with UV light, organizes your electric brushes, and even dispenses toothpaste. The soft blue glow feels futuristic, while the clutter-free setup looks straight out of a minimalist bathroom mood board.
This tiered beauty is the ultimate kitchen counter showpiece. The gold stand and crisp white bowls make your fruits, veggies, and snacks look like an art display. Perfect for brunch spreads, holiday hosting, or just making everyday apples feel like a centerpiece.
Warning: once you serve on this board, you’ll be that host. The 30-inch acacia surface has carved sections for crackers, cheese, fruit, and spreads, plus a magnetic knife block that’s as gorgeous as it is practical. Perfect for parties or fun nights.
Small space? No problem. This genius outlet shelf gives your smart speakers, chargers, or bathroom gadgets a sturdy perch without eating up counter space. Bonus: it hides cords for a cleaner, photo-ready setup.
A kitchen island is often the marker of a truly stylish kitchen, but what happens if you don’t have one and a renovation isn’t on the horizon? While freestanding kitchen units were once a trait of farmhouse kitchens, there are more and more to choose from now to bring your dream island look to life.
If you don’t already have a kitchen island in your layout and a renovation isn’t on the horizon, then adding your own freestanding option is the perfect solution. Traditionally, freestanding kitchen islands were used in farmhouses for multi-functional meal preparation, where they could be moved around the space easily.
They’re now more of a mainstay in contemporary kitchens too, and while they tend to be built-in, there are stylish and design-forward options to buy – and I’ve found the best on La Redoute.
la Redoute
Tamula Kitchen Island
This curved freestanding island unit looks more decorative than functional, but has plenty of storage for kitchen essentials.
Whether you need an additional spot for casual dining or homework, a space to chop veg without getting in the way of anyone or even just another surface to socialise around, a kitchen island is particularly useful.
It’s also a useful design feature; opting for a stand-out style through colour or shape will add flair to a look without needing to update your main cabinetry or commit to a more statement look for your core cabinets.
I love the traditional prep table look, but it was this curved kitchen island from La Redoute that really caught my eye. Light oak kitchens have been a big deal this year, taking inspiration from Scandi interiors that subtly add warmth.
(Image credit: Laredoute)
Regardless of whether you have matching oak cabinetry around the periphery of your kitchen, a contrasting kitchen island will create just the right amount of interest.
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‘We’re seeing a real shift toward freestanding islands as an alternative to traditional kitchen islands which tend to look more solid with cabinets all the way to the floor,’ explains Richard Davonport, managing director at Davonport.
‘From a design perspective, they bring lightness to a space, allow for creative material contrasts, and can be styled to feel more like a piece of furniture than a built-in fixture,’ he adds.
The beauty of a freestanding kitchen island is that it can look purposefully different to the rest of your space. The curved sides of this island add softness to the look and will contrast hard edges found elsewhere in the kitchen, while the fluting adds texture.
Shop freestanding kitchen islands
La Redoute
Carlos Solid Pine Kitchen Island
The open bottom of this freestanding unit is perfect for adding some light back into the look, particularly if you have a lot of cabinetry.
La Redoute
Baudry Kitchen Island
Why not choose a contrasting colour for your island? This green freestanding unit will go with so many looks.
La Redoute
Theonie Wooden Kitchen Island
If you mainly want a freestanding island for extra seating then you can’t go wrong with this unit – it has a tiny amount of storage, too.
Amazon
Holtico Kitchen Island on Wheels
This kitchen island is conveniently on wheels, making it easy to push to the side depending on how you plan to use it.
Dunelm
Olney Compact Kitchen Island, Grey
Small kitchens can benefit from an island too – this style from Dunelm is more slimline, making it easier to slot in.
IKEA
Tornviken Kitchen Island – Off-White/oak 126×77 Cm
For a more traditional look, choose this cream freestanding unit from IKEA.
Does this curved La Redoute kitchen island take your fancy? Or do you prefer a traditional look?
M&S have launched a stunning new range of lamps for autumn, but it was the billowing Soft Pleat Fabric Table Lamp (£49.50) that caught my eye and had me questioning: Is this the start of a new trend?
This year’s lighting trends have seen high street designers get more creative with the materials and patterns used on table lamps. The wicker lamp trend that has blown up in 2025 is a great example of this. M&S’s latest offering is no different and got the whole Ideal Home desk talking about its unique look and use of fabric.
Using soft, billowy fabric to create large, drapey pleats, M&S Soft Pleat Table Lamps are a bold design choice. But could they be the start of a new fabric light trend?
M&S Collection
Soft Pleated Fabric Table Lamp
This classic neutral shade is a great fit for minimal homes as it adds plenty of texture,
M&S Collection
Soft Pleated Fabric Table Lamp
If you’re looking for a little drama, this dark green has a rich, moody look.
When I first spotted the soft pleat table lamps, I honestly couldn’t decide if I loved them or hated them. But the more I looked at them, the more I fell for their relaxed charm. With hoards of fabric to create a soft, drapey effect, these lamps are great for diffusing light and a warm glow in a room.
Plus available in cream and a soft khaki green, these lamps are an excellent choice for the transitioning season.
Since colour drenching took off as a staple paint trend, we’ve seen this style turn its attention to homeware. Dusk’s Lucia Striped Table Lamp (£35) is an excellent example of how the same pattern and material can have an impressive effect in lighting.
However, M&S’s soft pleat table lamps feel like a more elegant upgrade of this trend. The lamp’s sole purpose is to create a soft glow with all that fabric that is cosy, intimate and inviting.
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‘Pleated lampshades evoke a sense of heritage yet feel fresh when paired with contemporary silhouettes. You can find table lamps, ceiling lights and floor lamp designs, plus they can work for many interior styles. For example, a crisp linen pleat in a minimalist apartment or a gingham print in a country cottage,’ says Claire Roberts, homeware design lead at M&S.
‘As highlighted in Pinterest’s Autumn 2025 Trend Report, this season is all about elevating the everyday and making every corner of the home an inspiring escape. Lighting is one of the simplest ways to achieve that cosy, atmospheric feel as we move into autumn.
‘The M&S Collection pleated fabric table lamp combines soft pleating with natural wood accents. The result is a gently textured form that gently diffuses the light beautifully.’
(Image credit: M&S)
Pleats have had a wider surge in popularity within fashion and homeware as drapey materials have become more popular. Take the new John Lewis Pleat Sofa, which uses soft, on-trend chenille material to create beautiful pleats. The pleat trend is certainly a luxurious one, but this doesn’t mean it is difficult to style at home.
‘You want to create a soft glow in your room, placing these lamps close to upholstered chairs and soft furnishings, accenting these textiles and materials,’ says Jamie Moxey, a lighting specialist with Dusk Lighting.
‘You want to echo the plush furnishings around the room. The draped shade also works well within art deco-inspired design briefs, as it complements rich colour tones, brass, and dark wood.’
The draped pleated lamp trend is all about creating a cosy, yet elevated look. Would you be willing to introduce it to your home?
As Ideal Home’s Sleep Editor, I test a *lot* of bedding for work. There are far worse ways to spend your time, but one of the downsides of this is that my home is forever crammed with far more duvets, pillows, and bed linen than it can reasonably hold.
Despite regular donations to friends, family, neighbours, charity organisations – even the postman on occasion – as it turns out, there’s only so much partially-used bedding you can give away to a good home. And as you’ll know if you’ve ever been at a loss for what to do with an old duvet, repurposing old bedding is far easier said than done because most of these items, sadly, aren’t easily recyclable.
That’s why I was so overjoyed when Dunelm launched its Textile Takeback scheme. This fantastic initiative is available in 175 Dunelm stores, and accepts any home textiles, from bedding and cushions, to throws and blankets, as well as unwanted clothing. Items are then sorted into those that can be donated, reused, or recycled into new products.
The Textile Takeback scheme has now been running for a while, but it’s still going strong, and as I’d just finished testing a new roster of bedding for our guides to the best duvets and best pillows, I decided to put the recycling initiative to the test to see how easy it was to use.
(Image credit: James French)
How does Dunelm’s Textile Takeback scheme work?
Dunelm says there are three easy steps to recycling your old textiles in store. To take advantage of the Dunelm Textile Takeback scheme simply:
1. Wrap or bag your pre-loved textiles.
2. Drop them off at a participating store.
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3. They’ll be sorted by what can be re-used or recycled.
I’d include an additional step, which is ‘find all of the excess home textiles you have stashed into every available storage space of your home and then pile them onto your bed to create a bedding mountain.’
(Image credit: Future / Amy Lockwood)
What I think is especially positive about the Textile Takeback scheme is that the home textiles you donate don’t need to have originally been bought at Dunelm, they can be from any brand and in any condition. They just need to be clean and bagged.
As Dunelm explains, ‘just remember, we can only accept clean, bagged textiles, but it’s fine if they’re ripped or torn.’
Bedding mountain step achieved, I set to work bagging up all of my textiles into bin bags, and popped them into the car to drive to my local Dunelm.
(Image credit: Future / Amy Lockwood)
Admittedly, this process is easier with access to a vehicle. Had I not had a car I could use, I would have had to make multiple journeys on foot, or not waited until my bedding storage woes were at such a crisis point.
I was even luckier that my local Dunelm is on a retail park, which meant I could park the car close to the store, ready to carry in my bedding haul for recycling.
I initially went to the customer service desk to ask a member of staff where I should drop off the textiles, thinking I would probably need to hand them over at the checkout, but they directed me to a drop-off point at the back of the store, which I promptly set off to find, bin bags in tow.
(Image credit: Future / Amy Lockwood)
When I found the textile drop-off point, the process really couldn’t be simpler. The drop-off point is basically a giant green postbox with an opening you simply drop your textiles through.
There’s a QR code you can scan to get more information on what happens to the textiles you’ve recycled, but you don’t need to use that.
As the text on the drop-off point clearly explains, you can simply drop your textiles in through the slot and they’ll then be collected and rehomed, reused, recycled, or made into something new.
(Image credit: Future / Amy Lockwood)
There was plenty of room for my three bin bags’ worth of home textiles, but a staff member in the store did tell me the collection points fill up fast. And little wonder when there are so few places you can donate bedding in this way.
Dunelm’s own data says the Textile Takeback scheme ‘currently collects approximately 100 tonnes of unwanted textiles for reuse or recycling each month.’ That’s a huge amount of bedding and textiles diverted from landfill and responsibly repurposed.
I dropped my bedding in through the open slot, and the process was complete. And as Dunelm says, each item dropped off in this way ‘helps towards a more circular and sustainable future’, which is great news for the environment.
(Image credit: Future / Amy Lockwood)
From a customer’s point of view, it’s also an incredibly easy way to dispose of old bedding, past-their-best cushions, throws, or any kind of home textiles and clothing, responsibly. If you’re looking for an easy way to declutter your home, this is it.
Compared to the difficulties I’ve had in finding other ways to donate bedding and responsibly recycle household items like this in the past, I was honestly blown away by how easy Dunelm’s Textile Takeback scheme was to use, and I’ll most definitely be using it again. I’ve already recommended it to three people since my visit this week!
In fact, as far as I’m concerned, there’s only one downside to the Textile Takeback scheme. In taking my old bedding into my local Dunelm store, I naturally had to wander through said Dunelm store… and in the process I found three more things I wanted to buy!
Obviously, this drawback can be mitigated with some self-restraint, but should you be wondering what caught my eye, these are the items I had to restrain myself from heading to the checkout with.
As we’ve established, I *really* don’t need any more bed linen. But if I did… I would definitely have invested in this Dorma 300 thread count cotton sateen duvet cover. As the name suggests, it was super smooth and soft, and felt like bedding straight out of a luxury hotel.
Dunelm
Teddy Bear High Back Cuddle Cushion
Every time I go into a Dunelm store, I get seduced by the brand’s Teddy Bear bedding collection. In person, it’s *so* soft and snuggly, and this newly launched high-backed version of the bestselling Teddy Bear Cuddle Cushion is no exception.
Dunelm
Striped Underbed Storage Bag
I also loved this fun striped underbed storage bag; perfect for storing the bedding I don’t want to get rid of. As well as the yellow version there’s also an olive green and natural colourway.
FAQs
Does Dunelm still take old duvets?
Yes, Dunelm does still take old duvets in-store. I took two old duvets into my local Dunelm store recently, and the brand’s Textile Takeback scheme couldn’t have been easier to use.
(Image credit: Future / Amy Lockwood)
Can you take old bedding back to Dunelm?
Yes, Dunelm is one of the few places I’ve found that accepts all types of old bedding. The brand then rehomes, reuses, or recycles these items.
You just need to double-check that your nearest Dunelm store is one of the 175 stores across the country that offer the Textile Takeback service.
Currently, the only stores that don’t accept old bedding are the Bracknell, Camarthen, Crawley, Feltham, Jersey, Kidderminster, Llanelli, Loughborough, Scarborough, Westfield, and Yeovil branches.
As a homes journalist, a big proportion of my time is spent looking for innovative new products to make your life a little easier, and this one I spotted at Argos borders right on the edge of wacky and wonderful.
Genius or bonkers? This toaster can also heat beans, cooking an egg to your liking and heat up meat.
I was aimlessly scrolling through Facebook when I first saw this toaster, and after a first glance, I knew I needed to know more. Similar to a breakfast sandwich maker, which our team has tested, this clever toaster will do all the legwork. All you need to do is put your bread in the toast slot and your beans or egg in the little cooker.
It claims to produce a delicious breakfast in half the time by heating your ingredients at the same time. Fitted with an easy clean, washing up is supposedly faster, too.
The toaster can do two slices of toast at a time, with wide slots so it can also handle bagels and muffins. Simply, choose which function you want – either just toast, toast and egg/ beans or just egg/ beans. The egg and beans cannot be cooked together.
It may sound a little gimmicky, but I can honestly see the merit in this toaster, especially if you have a teenager heading off to university. Speaking from experience, beans on toast is a staple student meal, so you can rest assured that your teen won’t go hungry. I could have done with one of these plus one of the best air fryers for my post-night-out chicken nuggets.
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(Image credit: Tefal)
While the team hasn’t had the chance to try the Toast’n’Egg’n’Beans Toaster, it’s produced by Tefal, who are makers of the best saucepans, frying pans and multicookers, so they’re a brand our panel of reviewers knows and trusts. Plus, this toast has hundreds of positive reviews.
‘I bought it a couple of weeks ago, and I have used it ever since. It’s great that you can do all your breakfast in one, no using a pan for your beans, frying pan your eggs, it’s just brill. I like the style, the shape and that it fits perfectly in my kitchen,’ says one.
‘This little beauty was bought on impulse, and it’s absolutely fabulous. And it really does do what it says! I’ve never been able to get eggs just right when I soft boil them in a pan, and this actually does it every time. Poached come out great too. Has a good range for how well done, or not, you want your toast. It’s a really good, useful piece of kit. Quite compact too, so not too bulky on the countertop. Love it,’ says another.
Alternatives
Tefal aren’t the only ones trying to make breakfast easier, here are a few other products getting rave reviews online.
High Street TV
Drew & Cole Breakfast Electric Sandwich Maker
This breakfast sandwich maker claims to make a delicious, healthier muffin in just five minutes. Our reviewers liked who quick this maker cooks breakfast, as well as it resturant-worthy results.
SMART
Smart Breakfast Master Premium
With space for two slices of toast, you can boil up to 10 eggs, while using the non-stick ceramic pan to fry your bacon and mushrooms.
GreenLife
Greenlife Cc006796-001 Breakfast Maker
The dual griddle compartment means you can cook two things at the same time such as your eggs and sausages, while the handy toast comparement gets to work underneath.
What do you think about the Toast’n’Egg’n’Beans Toaster? Do you think it’s a little wacky, or do you think you have a spot for it in your kitchen?
