If there's one things we love, it's a good hack, right? Those simple little tips that, once you hear them, will make you think: "Of course, why didn't I come up with that?" The beauty of these tricks lies in their simplicity. They aren't difficult to achieve, but they will make a huge difference to your home – and your life. Here are some of the best we've found that you can use for your abode. You're welcome.
Decorative hacks
Create wallpaper art
A simple and budget-friendly way to create wall art is to use spare wallpaper that you may have left over and just frame it. This is particularly effective where you have a feature wall – use a clipping of the paper from that wall, frame and hang it on an opposite plain wall to create a look that ties in perfectly.
Repurpose necklaces as curtain ties
If you’re not a fan of the traditional rope-style curtain tie-backs and want to create something with a bit more personality, why not use a necklace? You can either repurpose some of your own or root around your favourite vintage shop for something quirky. Don’t worry about finding two of the same – mismatches will just add to the eclectic feel.
Decant bathroom essentials
When you’ve spent ages putting together a beautiful bathroom, the last thing you want is a bunch of garishly coloured plastic bottles of products cluttering up your surfaces. Buy pretty glass bottles instead, and empty your shampoos and other essentials into them so they look more decorative.
Use magazines as placemats
Want to jazz up your dinner table but bored of your regular placemats? Use magazines instead. They do the job perfectly, plus they’ll keep your guests entertained while you’re in the kitchen putting the finishing touches to meals. Make sure to pick up titles you know your guests will enjoy – they’ll appreciate the personal touch.
Create temporary art displays
If you’ve got a lot of artwork that you want to display, but don’t have quite enough space on your walls, buy yourself an art shelf. That way, you can layer up your current favourites without making endless holes in the wall and switch them out any time you like.
Disguise the TV
A wall-mounted television can end up dominating a room, but there's a simple way to trick the eye into not seeing it. Place a picture frame around the TV screen and then hang actual artwork or even framed photographs above, beside and below the framed TV to make it look like part of a grouping.
Practical tricks
Light up your cupboards
It can get frustrating when you can’t quite see into the back of a cupboard. Things can get jumbled and you risk buying replacements of items you think you don’t have, but are actually just hidden in the shadows. One easy solution is to stick small battery-operated motion-sensing lights inside your cupboards to ensure all the nooks are clearly visible.
Organise your wardrobe
Another way to make sure you can always find what you’re looking for is to paint your clothes hangers in different colours. Then simply group together items in a way that suits you – perhaps shirts on blue hangers, eveningwear on black and trousers on yellow. Or hang winter clothes on white and summer garments can go on red.
Hang pictures perfectly
If you’re trying to create an artfully arranged group of prints or photographs, you’ll need to create some sort of layout to see how things look before you start punching holes in your wall. Use contact paper cut to the size of your various frames. Stick them on the wall, moving them around until you’re happy, then use them as a guide for your drilling.
Natural insect repellent
If you’re not into repellent and don’t fancy shelling out for endless citronella candles, your best bet for getting rid of unwanted midges is to buy a naturally insect-repelling plant. Basil, lemon balm and lavender are all good options, and they look pretty, too.
Create a curtain rod canopy
Have you always wanted a four-poster bed, but couldn’t quite justify the expense? Create your own budget-friendly version by attaching curtain rods to the ceiling in a rectangular shape, then hang light voile curtains to create a luxurious canopy.
Space-savers
Use paint to raise your ceilings
Designers have all sorts of tricks that are easy to apply once when you know them. This includes making ceilings look higher by painting your walls only three quarters of the way up, then painting the top quarter in the same colour as the ceiling.
Rehang curtains to make windows bigger
Another clever optical illusion to do with size can be achieved with curtains. By hanging them higher (that is, closer to the ceiling rather than directly above the top of the window), you’ll give the impression of bigger windows.
Test paint colours in a box
When trying to decide on paint colours, it’s not enough to test a sample pot on a small patch of wall. Instead, paint the inside of a cardboard box. That way you’ll see how the colour changes with the shadows, plus you can move it around the room to see how the different lights impact the tone.
Keep the floor clear to create space
The eye naturally looks to floor to get a sense of the size of a room, so by keeping things off the floor, you can give the illusion of more space. You can do this by using wall-mounted shelves instead of a bookcase, for example, or choosing a sofa that is raised on legs rather than flush to the floor.
Create an eclectic peg rail
All you need for this cute little project is a scrap of wood (try a bit of driftwood or a distressed industrial-style plank) and a selection of drawer knobs. Screw these onto your wood and you have a perfect place to hang items that tend to get scattered about, such as summer scarves, jewellery, belts and other knick-knacks
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Read more:
Applying these five design principles to the home
Tips on how to create your own hotel-inspired home
Pattern recognition: examining the draw of Orla Kiely’s distinctive designs
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Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
Ticket prices
- Golden circle - Dh995
- Floor Standing - Dh495
- Lower Bowl Platinum - Dh95
- Lower Bowl premium - Dh795
- Lower Bowl Plus - Dh695
- Lower Bowl Standard- Dh595
- Upper Bowl Premium - Dh395
- Upper Bowl standard - Dh295
Batti Gul Meter Chalu
Producers: KRTI Productions, T-Series
Director: Sree Narayan Singh
Cast: Shahid Kapoor, Shraddha Kapoor, Divyenndu Sharma, Yami Gautam
Rating: 2/5
Gothia Cup 2025
4,872 matches
1,942 teams
116 pitches
76 nations
26 UAE teams
15 Lebanese teams
2 Kuwaiti teams
ESSENTIALS
The flights
Emirates flies from Dubai to Phnom Penh via Yangon from Dh2,700 return including taxes. Cambodia Bayon Airlines and Cambodia Angkor Air offer return flights from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap from Dh250 return including taxes. The flight takes about 45 minutes.
The hotels
Rooms at the Raffles Le Royal in Phnom Penh cost from $225 (Dh826) per night including taxes. Rooms at the Grand Hotel d'Angkor cost from $261 (Dh960) per night including taxes.
The tours
A cyclo architecture tour of Phnom Penh costs from $20 (Dh75) per person for about three hours, with Khmer Architecture Tours. Tailor-made tours of all of Cambodia, or sites like Angkor alone, can be arranged by About Asia Travel. Emirates Holidays also offers packages.
ELIO
Starring: Yonas Kibreab, Zoe Saldana, Brad Garrett
Directors: Madeline Sharafian, Domee Shi, Adrian Molina
Rating: 4/5
FIXTURES
Saturday
5.30pm: Shabab Al Ahli v Al Wahda
5.30pm: Khorfakkan v Baniyas
8.15pm: Hatta v Ajman
8.15pm: Sharjah v Al Ain
Sunday
5.30pm: Kalba v Al Jazira
5.30pm: Fujairah v Al Dhafra
8.15pm: Al Nasr v Al Wasl
More on Quran memorisation:
The Buckingham Murders
Starring: Kareena Kapoor Khan, Ash Tandon, Prabhleen Sandhu
Director: Hansal Mehta
Rating: 4 / 5
How to apply for a drone permit
- Individuals must register on UAE Drone app or website using their UAE Pass
- Add all their personal details, including name, nationality, passport number, Emiratis ID, email and phone number
- Upload the training certificate from a centre accredited by the GCAA
- Submit their request
What are the regulations?
- Fly it within visual line of sight
- Never over populated areas
- Ensure maximum flying height of 400 feet (122 metres) above ground level is not crossed
- Users must avoid flying over restricted areas listed on the UAE Drone app
- Only fly the drone during the day, and never at night
- Should have a live feed of the drone flight
- Drones must weigh 5 kg or less
Volvo ES90 Specs
Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)
Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp
Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm
On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region
Price: Exact regional pricing TBA
The%20specs
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The bio
Favourite food: Japanese
Favourite car: Lamborghini
Favourite hobby: Football
Favourite quote: If your dreams don’t scare you, they are not big enough
Favourite country: UAE
RESULT
Copa del Rey, semi-final second leg
Real Madrid 0
Barcelona 3 (Suarez (50', 73' pen), Varane (69' OG)
LIVING IN...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
Specs
Engine: 51.5kW electric motor
Range: 400km
Power: 134bhp
Torque: 175Nm
Price: From Dh98,800
Available: Now
What went into the film
25 visual effects (VFX) studios
2,150 VFX shots in a film with 2,500 shots
1,000 VFX artists
3,000 technicians
10 Concept artists, 25 3D designers
New sound technology, named 4D SRL
Global state-owned investor ranking by size
1.
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United States
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2.
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China
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3.
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UAE
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4.
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Japan
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5
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Norway
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6.
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Canada
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Singapore
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Australia
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Saudi Arabia
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South Korea
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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Why seagrass matters
- Carbon sink: Seagrass sequesters carbon up to 35X faster than tropical rainforests
- Marine nursery: Crucial habitat for juvenile fish, crustations, and invertebrates
- Biodiversity: Support species like sea turtles, dugongs, and seabirds
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Some of Darwish's last words
"They see their tomorrows slipping out of their reach. And though it seems to them that everything outside this reality is heaven, yet they do not want to go to that heaven. They stay, because they are afflicted with hope." - Mahmoud Darwish, to attendees of the Palestine Festival of Literature, 2008
His life in brief: Born in a village near Galilee, he lived in exile for most of his life and started writing poetry after high school. He was arrested several times by Israel for what were deemed to be inciteful poems. Most of his work focused on the love and yearning for his homeland, and he was regarded the Palestinian poet of resistance. Over the course of his life, he published more than 30 poetry collections and books of prose, with his work translated into more than 20 languages. Many of his poems were set to music by Arab composers, most significantly Marcel Khalife. Darwish died on August 9, 2008 after undergoing heart surgery in the United States. He was later buried in Ramallah where a shrine was erected in his honour.
The specs: 2018 Volkswagen Teramont
Price, base / as tested Dh137,000 / Dh189,950
Engine 3.6-litre V6
Gearbox Eight-speed automatic
Power 280hp @ 6,200rpm
Torque 360Nm @ 2,750rpm
Fuel economy, combined 11.7L / 100km
Cricket World Cup League 2
UAE squad
Rahul Chopra (captain), Aayan Afzal Khan, Ali Naseer, Aryansh Sharma, Basil Hameed, Dhruv Parashar, Junaid Siddique, Muhammad Farooq, Muhammad Jawadullah, Muhammad Waseem, Omid Rahman, Rahul Bhatia, Tanish Suri, Vishnu Sukumaran, Vriitya Aravind
Fixtures
Friday, November 1 – Oman v UAE
Sunday, November 3 – UAE v Netherlands
Thursday, November 7 – UAE v Oman
Saturday, November 9 – Netherlands v UAE
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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If you go
The flights
Etihad flies direct from Abu Dhabi to San Francisco from Dh5,760 return including taxes.
The car
Etihad Guest members get a 10 per cent worldwide discount when booking with Hertz, as well as earning miles on their rentals. A week's car hire costs from Dh1,500 including taxes.
The hotels
Along the route, Motel 6 (www.motel6.com) offers good value and comfort, with rooms from $55 (Dh202) per night including taxes. In Portland, the Jupiter Hotel (https://jupiterhotel.com/) has rooms from $165 (Dh606) per night including taxes. The Society Hotel https://thesocietyhotel.com/ has rooms from $130 (Dh478) per night including taxes.
More info
To keep up with constant developments in Portland, visit www.travelportland.com. Good guidebooks include the Lonely Planet guides to Northern California and Washington, Oregon & the Pacific Northwest.
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SPECS
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Auron Mein Kahan Dum Tha
Starring: Ajay Devgn, Tabu, Shantanu Maheshwari, Jimmy Shergill, Saiee Manjrekar
Director: Neeraj Pandey
Rating: 2.5/5