GET THE STYLE WITH CHEAPER LOOKALIKES

If you’ve set your heart on something but it’s out of your budget, panic not. There are some great-looking alternatives that are practical, too. While a slate floor at around £40 per square metre might have been high on your wishlist, unless you can budget for underfloor heating, it will never be cosy underfoot, unlike a slate-effect vinyl

(which you could lay yourself and save around £20 per square metre). Love a concrete worktop? The latest highpressured laminates can be fitted on site, and even used around an undermounted sink, thanks to their solid cores. Plus, you can get everything from concrete to copper-effect laminates (with prices around £50-£100 per square metre that’s nearly a third of what you’d pay for the real thing).

Still looking to add a feature? Why not make a ‘rug’ using those gorgeous tiles you’ve fallen for in a small section by your sink? Or combine two different worktop materials to create different ‘zones’, such as food prep and eating. Go for a cheaper wood-effect laminate with a more expensive marble, quartz, composite or granite.