What your home really needs is a ... rattan lampshade

THE summer seasonal decor refresh used to mean scattering some bright cushions on the sofa.

But households are now opting for more extensive makeovers, involving such items as rattan lampshades (much loved by Lulu Soane, who was commissioned by Carrie Symonds to furnish the flat above No 10) to add an element of nature and the exotic to a room. You may be unsure whether your home needs a rattan lampshade. But it will bring a laidback the-living-is-easy vibe for a modest outlay.

Also rattan, a vine-like palm that grows in China, Indonesia and Japan, is a sustainable material. Habitat’s £60 Elmley pendant shade, pictured, or the £45 Margate lozenge-shaped shade would both blend in with a cottage-style or Scandinavian interior ( argos.co.uk). If you associate rattan a little too much with beach bars, you will like the elegant design of the £85 Dolkie shade from La Redoute ( laredoute.co.uk). The £69 Java from Made ( made.com) is for those who think the 1970s were groovy. And for bargain hunters, B&Q offers the Carpo shade, reduced from £34 to £18 ( diy. com). Not one perhaps for Boris and Carrie but a bargain nonetheless.