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Autumn is once again here, bringing crisp air and fresh perspectives. As if on cue, the breezy space of Olympia London has been buzzing with brand-new launches and impressive displays at the annual interior design fair, Decorex. Between 8-11 October, this highly anticipated exhibition welcomed designers and makers to come together to celebrate fresh ideas and inspiration for the year ahead. After scouring the stands, here’s what to expect for our homes in 2024 from the best in design at Decorex. Ban the bland This year’s show has unveiled that bland interiors are certainly falling out of favour for more cheerful hues – even if they just appear as accents. I caught up with the co-founder of YesColours, Emma Bestley, who revealed that Electric Blue is their best-selling shade right now. Think the colour of Dory in Finding Nemo, a purple emperor butterfly, and a lapis lazuli stone. The brand likes to pair this with olive green and fresh peach hues. If you’re not ready to commit to a full ultramarine space, Bestley recommends adding a dash to your window recesses and sills, or to an otherwise unappreciated small space, like a downstairs loo. I imagine Electric Blue would make for a captivating front door colour, sitting prettily against stucco or red brick. Supersized seating The industry’s best and brightest seem to agree that bigger is indeed better – currently gravitating towards deep, U-shaped wall-to-wall sofas and cavernous armchairs that you can really curl up into. Joanna Hauptman, managing director of bespoke furniture maker, Hyde House explains: “Comfort has surged to the forefront of seating design and having larger-scale pieces helps support sociable arrangements. We’re seeing an increasing trend for cinema-style twin seats, corner suite sofas, and curved-edged chairs right now to accommodate at-home entertaining and bigger gatherings, especially ahead of the festive season.” Hyde House exhibited its Miami capsule collection with sink-in boucle seating that embraces graceful curves and soft edges. If you’re enticed by this supersized aesthetic, also look to Belgian designer, Mublo, whose modular Benedicte sofa is reminiscent of ultra-plump, loose cushions lying against each other. Florals, for winter? Groundbreaking It’s no secret that flora and fauna have long been beloved springtime motifs. House of Hackney, the British interiors and lifestyle brand known for reworking traditional design for a new generation, encourages us to embrace florals even as the weather gets chillier and nights get longer. The brand revealed its dark and decadent Gothic Garden range at Decorex, featuring rambling blooms against backdrops of jacquard and velvet. Le Boudoir D’ecorexxx – this year’s unapologetically lusty VIP lounge bar designed by Brian Woulfe – was decked with Gothic Garden textiles. In jewel-like greens and blacks with pops of amber, dusty blush, and periwinkle blue, the collection’s theme is moody mysticism meets medievalism with touches of Art Nouveau and country garden influences. Say goodbye to grey grounds It’s no secret the materials used underfoot can set the tone of a room. Christoph Wellekotter, head of product management at German flooring brand Parador – which officially introduced its expertise to the UK’s design audience this Decorex – shares, “Grey tones are losing popularity as we’re rejecting anything clinical or cold in pursuit of warmer, cosy palettes. Beiges, medium browns, and dark chocolatey woods will reign for our floors in the coming year.” He finishes, “In 2024, parquet, a flooring style which originated in the chateaux of France in the 16th century, will reign again. The elegant chevron pattern adds texture and interest to space whilst remaining neutral.” Read More Daylight saving time 2023: When do the clocks go back in US? From collars to gloomy garments: How to dress like Wednesday Addams for Halloween Don’t be a scaredy-cat: Can pets see ghosts? Daylight saving time 2023: When do the clocks go back in US? From collars to gloomy garments: How to dress like Wednesday Addams for Halloween Don’t be a scaredy-cat: Can pets see ghosts?

“Now it’s time to cross over to our F1 Juniors,” said Sky’s lead presenter Simon Lazenby, in a feel which became familiar throughout the Hungarian Grand Prix weekend. Often the broadcaster striving for new avenues, never afraid of the status quo, Sky Sports took their television trials to a different avenue this weekend with the first-ever Formula 1 broadcast for children. An admirable experiment, it gave three teenagers a few days to savour as they started their summer holidays in Budapest alongside broadcasters Radzi Chinyanganya and Harry Benjamin. For Braydon, Scarlett and Zak – the latter a go-karter at junior level, the former duo presenters on Sky’s BAFTA-winning kids show FYI – it presented opportunities of a lifetime with interviews, quizzes and predictions with the best drivers and pundits in the paddock. And it provided some indisputably heartwarming moments. Like the segment where Zak met Lewis Hamilton and spoke to his hero about how inspiring the Mercedes star has been to black kids around the world, before then sitting in his Mercedes car. Or Scarlett and Braydon quizzing the “terrible trio” of George Russell, Lando Norris and Alex Albon about what ice cream they’d describe themselves as. “Vanilla”, Norris quipped, pointing at Russell. There’s something about the involvement of adolescents in a press environment which can bring some much-needed lightheartedness to what can sometimes be a sterile process for all involved. For example, who can forget the young boy, in awe of his sporting icon, who asked Roger Federer at the US Open in 2017: “Switzerland is really cool, right? There isn’t too much livestock. So why do they call you the GOAT [greatest of all time]?” Yet, away from one-on-ones with drivers, the core aspect to the alternative broadcast was the informal race coverage, live on free-to-air Sky Showcase, which presented an F1 race in an entirely different format. There were bright, 3D-augmented graphics throughout, with a colour-coordinated leaderboard which, frankly, seemed clearer than the usual feed at times. Explainers popped up at various points, defining key F1-focused terms for younger viewers. The use of avatars for each driver was a cute touch, though obviously best kept for this experiment. Overall, it provided something completely unique and distinctive for a 70-lap race which provided a common routine in the obligatory Max Verstappen victory. Sure, nobody was asking for an F1-kids broadcast. And inevitably, naysayers online will have been quick to roll their eyes at the initiative. It was notable that both Sky F1 and Benjamin turned off replies to their tweets involving F1 Juniors over the weekend. Less an indication of the general reaction to the initiative and more a sign of the times – and the highly-charged, often-abusive nature of social media. But that is not the point. F1 has for a while been a step ahead of other sports in the intuitiveness and creativity of its product, to the stage now where it is in the midst of a period of unprecedented worldwide popularity. The most obvious is the fly-on-the-wall nature of Drive to Survive on Netflix, a format only now being followed by the professional tennis and golf tours in search of extra eyeballs. It is a fine balancing act, though. During practice and the qualifying show, there were regular interspersions on the main feed to the Juniors, a process which may well have irritated petrolheads and fans of a sterner generation. While Sky like to push boundaries, their executives will be all too aware of trying to avoid alienating their core viewership. The one-off nature of F1 Juniors, at least this season, means this is unlikely to materialise. And there were moments of awkwardness. Like cutting to Christian Horner on the pit wall, seemingly in a baffled daze, who bluntly said: “Can we come back and do this in another 10 laps or so?” Like a selfie in the commentary booth with Danica Patrick, who had earlier stated the nature of sport “is masculine and aggressive” as she spoke about the lack of female racing drivers. There were obviously a few mistakes here and there – and it wasn’t completely crisp and clear-cut. But then it wasn’t meant to be. And, frankly, nor is David Croft and Martin Brundle’s expert commentary always error-free. In a sport as technical and fast-paced as F1, perfection is near-on impossible. Of course, unless you’re Verstappen at the moment. But the underlying takeaway is this: as a child, all you want to be is treated as a grown-up. The best way of learning about the intricacies of a sport like Formula 1 is to immerse yourself in the usual feed on a regular basis, creating a curiosity gap to discover more. As a one-off, F1 Juniors was worthwhile and undoubtedly a commendable initiative. For intrigued parents, showing their children an F1 race for the first time, who knows how many may have flicked on the coverage? Who knows how many might now flick on an F1 race in the future on a Sunday afternoon? Something different is not to be something dismissed. Article originally published on 24 July 2023 Read More Lewis Hamilton makes damning statement about his level after Hungarian GP Daniel Ricciardo is back - and this time he wants to go out on top F1 Singapore Grand Prix LIVE: Qualifying updates and times at Marina Bay FIA take action against Helmut Marko after comments about Sergio Perez Zhou Guanyu interview: ‘There is a lot of pressure – only winners stay in F1’

The UK’s first womb transplant means that, in future, dozens of women born without a functioning organ can carry babies of their own. – What has happened? Surgeons have performed the UK’s first womb transplant on a 34-year-old woman whose older sister donated the organ to her. In a complex procedure, the medical team removed the womb from the 40-year-old woman and implanted it directly into her sister. Both women have made a good recovery. – Have any babies been born? Not yet. Experts want to be sure the transplant is stable and the womb is functioning fully before the younger woman undergoes IVF. She has stored eight embryos and will have fertility treatment later this year in central London. The woman hopes to have more than one baby. Once she has completed her family, the womb will be removed to prevent her needing immunosuppressant drugs for the rest of her life. – Has the NHS paid for the operation? No. Each womb transplant costs around £25,000 and is fully funded by the charity Womb Transplant UK. This includes payment to the NHS for theatre time and the patient’s stay on a ward. The operations are only carried out at times when the NHS is not using the operating theatre, so they do not impact on usual NHS waiting lists. Surgeons and medical staff involved in the transplant have not been paid for the operation and have given their time freely. – Have other womb transplants been carried out around the world? More than 90 womb transplants have been carried out internationally, with most operations involving a living donor. The first successful womb transplant took place in Sweden in 2014, with the baby – Vincent – born to a 36-year-old woman who described him as “perfect”. In 2000, a transplant was performed on a 26-year-old woman in Saudi Arabia but the donor womb survived for only 99 days due to problems with its blood supply. To date, womb transplants have been carried out in more than 10 countries, including Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Sweden, the US, China, Czech Republic, Brazil, Germany, Serbia and India. – How successful is the operation? Data from the US shows that more than half of women who received a womb through a transplant in the US went on to have successful pregnancies. Between 2016 and 2021, 33 women received womb transplants in the US and, as of last summer, 19 of them (58%) had delivered a total of 21 babies. In 74% of those receiving a womb, the organ was still functioning one year after transplant and 83% of this group had live-born children. – Will there be more transplants in the UK? Yes. The second British womb transplant is scheduled to take place this autumn and experts believe a maximum of 20 to 30 per year could be carried out in the UK in the future. Transplants could help women born without a functioning womb and those who lose their organ to cancer or other conditions. Estimates suggest there are 15,000 women in the UK of childbearing age who do not have a functioning womb. – Will there be a shortage of donor wombs? Womb Transplant UK is running two programmes, one involving living donors and another with organs from people who have died. The living donor programme in the UK has so far focused on women with relatives who are willing to give their wombs. However, the team believes that in the future, the living donor programme will expand to include friends or altruistic living donors. This is currently more common in the US. The use of deceased donors is assessed by the team on a case-by-case basis. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Why are wellbeing experts concerned about the ‘lazy girl job’ trend? How to check for cancer, as Morrisons puts NHS cancer advice in underwear labels Prostate screening ‘could save lives’ – the symptoms and risk factors you need to know

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A woman can barely use her hands and says her confidence has suffered after developing a suspected allergy to nail products. Lisa Dewey, 36, had been getting her nails done regularly for years without issue. But in February a set of gel nails became inflamed and started peeling away from the nail bed. At the time it was put down to a bacterial infection, and Lisa she was given a steroid cream and antibiotics to fight it. But after deciding to get a set of acrylic nails put on last month, the mum-of-two found she was hurting again. Once more, her nails became “very aggravated” and she could barely move her hands due to the pain. The NHS cleaner struggled to wash her daughter’s hair, do up a seatbelt, hold a pen and wash up. Now, despite years of nail treatments with no issues, she can never again have gel or acrylic nails, and believes it’s an allergy. Lisa, from Pattishall, Northants., said: “I’ve been getting my nails done all my life for acrylics or gels. “So when it first happened after a set of gels in February, I thought it was a bacterial infection. “My nail bed even started going purple and I worried I would lose the whole finger. “When I had them done again recently - this time acrylics - the same thing happened. “Now my skin is like paper tearing away from my fingers and I can barely move my hands from the pain. “It has knocked my confidence so much too - it’s so embarrassing and I’m always hiding my hands away.” Lisa, a mum of two girls aged three and 12, first noticed a reaction after getting gel nails applied in February. Despite getting the same treatment she had been having for years, within a matter of days her nails had began peeling up from the nail bed. One even went PURPLE - while the others became itchy and extremely sore. She never suspected her manicure could be the problem - and doctors prescribed her a round of antibiotics for what seemed to be an infection. Lisa said: “It happened suddenly - I feared I might even lose a finger when it went purple around the nail. “I feared it might be starved of oxygen - but it ended up being something completely different.” After having the gels removed and taking a break from nail products, she thought it was over. But after getting a set of acrylic nails put on again in April, the problem reared its head once more. But not only did her fingernails begin to lift again, but the skin around her nails became “like paper”. She has recently been prescribed a different round of medication to treat her. Lisa explained that being a mum to a young daughter poses issues. Her hand and nail pain makes everyday tasks tough and she is constantly having to ask for help from husband Lee, 45. She said: “Washing my daughter’s hair is hard because you have to bend your fingers. “Even strapping her in the car - if I catch my finger on the belt, I jolt from the pain because the skin is raw. “It gets so aggravated but wearing gloves doesn’t even help because sweaty hands aggravate it too. “Anything scented or fragranced makes it worse - I can’t put a conditioning treatment or mousse in my hair. Now Lisa has vowed to stay away from nail products for good - and warned others. She added: “People can get their nails done for years with no issues until one day it hits them. “I am going on holiday in August and I was booked to get my hands and toes done. Now I’m not getting them done. “This has knocked my confidence so much - I don’t normally care what people think of me, but now I hide my hands away. “It’s just embarrassing to have hands like this - there’s a coronation party this week, and if my hands aren’t better, I won’t be going. “I just want to do my bit in trying to get the word out that things might not be as good as they seem.” Read More Experts warn of ‘life-long’ effects of nail gel polish Fit and healthy father diagnosed with stage 4 bowel cancer reveals first warning sign Four bowel cancer symptoms that can show two years before diagnosis Mother left ‘looking like Freddy Krueger’ reveals first skin cancer warning sign Mum put on life support after infected finger led to ‘devastating’ diagnosis Age-defying pensioner shares two simple secrets to her youthful appearance

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