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Now that spring is well underway, for many of us our thoughts are turning to blowing away the winter cobwebs and freshening up our homes for the warmer, sunnier months ahead. If your vacuum cleaner has seen better days and you’re thinking of investing in a new one, take a look at our buyers’ guide on page 50 to discover which model is right for you. This is also a great time of year to make the most of the long bank holiday weekends that abound over the next few weeks to give your home a fresh new look with a coat of paint. In this issue we take a look at the two key colours for this year (both of which are very calming and easy to live with) and show you just how easy it is to use them in your own home, no matter what your style (p.36). While those of you who have a penchant for rustic interiors will love this month’s Trend Alert which looks at using fresh spring greens to give your home a contemporary take on country living (p.20). Spring is often the time when thoughts turn to getting your home ready for putting on the market or making major home improvements to your property, so in this issue we take a look at which are the best projects to increase the value of your home, from adding an en suite to converting the loft. Turn to page 106 to find out our top 10 value adding projects. Finally, don’t forget to take a look at our food pages this month (p.100), where you’ll find some clever recipes to give your chicken dinners a scrummy new twist!