Kayleigh Dray
Kayleigh Dray joined the Ideal Home team in May 2023, and it feels like a role for which she’s been preparing her entire life. After all, her first ever job was working at a busy local garden centre, before she became a property writer for Fine & Country Estate Agents – a job which helped fund her degree in English Literature & Creative Writing at Royal Holloway, University of London.
She kicked off her career in magazines with an eye-opening internship at Cosmopolitan – and was able to impress her editor so much that she kept her on as a news writer. Kayleigh then went on to become part of the digital editorial team at Closer, before a successful seven-year stint at Stylist, where she took command as the site’s editor (and editor-at-large).
Nowadays, she can be found freelancing for a myriad titles about film and TV, but it’s her part time role at Ideal Home that allows her the chance to wax lyrical about her true love: gardening. She has just set to work on giving her own scrubby backyard a woodland-inspired makeover – and there’s been whispers of a vegetable plot, too!
Ideal Home Truths
Where’s your happy place?
My happy place is my tiny kitchen, as it’s the first room we put our own stamp on when we moved in. I love the clean white walls and turquoise tiles, and I’m obviously a big fan of the windowsill filled with herb pots and flowering fruit plants, too. There’s still work to be done, but I can’t help but feel proud of how pretty and functional this dinky little room has become.
What’s your home addiction?
I'm obsessed with buying plants – it’s actually been said I have a serious plant problem by more than one person. Whether it’s the time I “accidentally” signed up to a monthly plant subscription service and filled my home with leafy beauties, or the time I woke up frighteningly early to make sure I got my mitts on a coveted climbing hydrangea at our local community plant sale (hey, it’s for charity!), there’s a reason my husband now insists on a One In, One Out policy.
What is your next home project?
This house was bought at auction as a definite fixer-upper, and has been a work in progress ever since. Downstairs is almost sorted (almost), so next it’s the turn of upstairs, and particularly the so-called nursery, as the baby is still camping out in our bedroom…
Latest articles by Kayleigh Dray
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How to overwinter canna lilies in pots so your flowers make a big summer comeback
Love your cannas? Here's how to ensure they survive the cold winter months
By Kayleigh Dray
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Why TikTok is in love with the very clever £199 UTÅKER bed from IKEA
Doing up your guest room? TikTok says you need this IKEA bed, stat
By Kayleigh Dray
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How to plant bulbs in grass if you want a lawn filled with flowers next spring
Keen to recreate TikTok's viral bulb lawn in your own garden? Here's how to do it
By Kayleigh Dray
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The 9 best fruit and vegetables to sow in November
Look this way for some 5-a-day magic...
By Kayleigh Dray
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The best vegetables to sow in October for a bumper winter crop
Wondering what veg you can plant in October? Look this way for some 5-a-day magic
By Kayleigh Dray
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Zodiac homeware is Etsy's shining star, and we love this new trend
Are you tempted to try the zodiac homeware trend?
By Kayleigh Dray
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These are the essential autumn lawn care tips that you need to follow this season
This is what you should do to your lawn this autumn season according to Monty Don and other gardening experts
By Kayleigh Dray
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When to plant allium bulbs for stunning purple blooms in your garden next year
Trying to figure out when to plant allium bulbs? Look this way
By Kayleigh Dray
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The 12 genius gardening gadgets actually worth buying, as chosen by experts
Not sure which gardening gadgets are worth the money? Let Danny Clarke and co show you the way...
By Kayleigh Dray
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You can save money on plants right now, if you use this expert insider tip
Do up your garden on a budget by making like the experts and picking up a bargain (or five)
By Kayleigh Dray
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How to get overwintering begonias if you want to see them thrive next summer
Not ready to say goodbye to your begonias? Try overwintering them
By Kayleigh Dray
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Halloween warning! This is why shoppers are being urged to avoid fake cobwebs
Planning to go all out for Halloween this year? Here's how to avoid turning your home into a literal nightmare
By Kayleigh Dray
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Monty Don wants us to sow sweet peas this October for a very important reason
Wondering when to sow sweet peas? Monty Don, as ever, has the answer
By Kayleigh Dray
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When to plant anemone bulbs if you want truly beautiful blooms
Not sure when to plant anemone bulbs? Look this way
By Kayleigh Dray
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How to get your sleep schedule back on track in 11 easy steps
Wondering how to get your sleep schedule back on track? We asked the experts for their tried-and-tested advice
By Kayleigh Dray
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Overwintering geraniums is easy, if you follow these simple steps
'Tis the season to start overwintering geraniums...
By Kayleigh Dray
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Sofa cocoons are the cosy trend we love this autumn, thanks to Mrs Hinch
Everyone needs a sofa cocoon now the weather has turned, quite frankly
By Kayleigh Dray
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Bulb lasagnes are a big garden trend this autumn, and wait, what?!
We need to talk about bulb lasagnes, everyone
By Kayleigh Dray
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Michelle Keegan's garden is giving us big Alice In Wonderland vibes, and here's why
Anyone else not-so-secretly in love with Michelle Keegan's garden?
By Kayleigh Dray
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9 Halloween movies that are an unexpected source of home inspiration
From Practical Magic to Hocus Pocus, these are the Halloween movies inspiring our homes this autumn (and every autumn, quite frankly)
By Kayleigh Dray
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Why gardeners need to add this important autumn date to their calendars
Make sure you pay attention to this 50-year weather prediction and heed this important autumn date
By Kayleigh Dray
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The viral Instagram reel that made us want plates that look like bowls (and vice versa)
To paraphrase Britney Spears, they're not a plate, not quite a bowl...
By Kayleigh Dray
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Best indoor plants: where to shop online for instant plant lady gratification
Looking to treat yourself to a new plant baby? Here's where to shop online
By Kayleigh Dray
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Love Lucy Mecklenburgh's kitchen library? Here's how to make your own cookbook display
Because your cookbooks deserve so much more than a life at the bottom of a kitchen drawer!
By Kayleigh Dray