Bring new-age vintage class to your home

I love the old-new design aesthetic that has been fashionable for a while: it seems a great way to give my home an individual feel and a distinctive atmosphere without slavishly following trends. It seems to take a certain confidence though and my apartment is acutely modern - where do I start? With a little clever adjustment the old-new look, which mixes the antique with the modern and the shabby with the smart, can be made to work with any style and size of home. The important thing is to think of it less as a particular look than as an approach that makes the most of what you've got.

Building any unique look takes time and it has the most charm if it is built organically and with a genuinely relaxed feel. It is as much about shopping as styling. Cast your eye far and wide for inspiration: read extensively and talk to people whose houses you admire. As with any look that goes beyond trends, this is more about exposing your eye to as much as possible to define what you like, rather than simply copying someone else's style.

The old-new trend is about having pieces that have a certain faded elegance, which can work very well against a modern background, especially if you keep the main decor as white and simple as possible. For instance, if you have blinds instead of curtains, try a delicate chandelier and lots of pretty vases for a lovely contrast in which the prettiness softens the modernity. You can find great things in the most surprising places - go to car-boot sales, discount stores and even hardware stores. Auctions have great prices at the moment, and remember eBay, which is particularly good if you already know the brand you want.

Remember to maintain what you already have - a fundamentally tidy foundation is essential when you're going for such a detail-focused look, so prune constantly and keep an eye on what needs reviewing and repairing, and what can be reused and repurposed. The more you look at everything, the more you will learn what you like. Consider spending more on the architecture of a room and the way it works, not the furniture: you can dramatically change the feel of a room without changing the furniture and furnishings at all, by knocking down shelves or removing built-in cupboards, for instance. Again, this look is as much about your approach as what you buy.

Always see if you can manage with what you have rather than buying something new: consider recovering an old sofa or repainting a table. Most pieces gain a whole new lease of life if they are simply repainted with a fresh coat. The only rule to bear in mind is not to paint antiques. If you find one piece you adore but it seems too costly, be thrifty about the rest of your home: spend on a piece you really like, such as a beautiful chandelier, and economise around it.

Above all be patient. This kind of look takes a while to build; don't place pressure on yourself to get things done by a deadline. We all often find ourselves fixating on having a certain object ready for a certain time or event, but nobody else notices if that new mirror is not there or if you're using old chairs instead of shiny new ones.

Collections of objects always look interesting and chic. Focus on something that you like, perhaps white china or pressed glass, mixing pieces but keeping to a common theme. Mix and match fabrics, placing detailed patterns against something plain. Go for expensive, perhaps antique fabrics, in small amounts on a chair or a cushion, and something less expensive on bigger areas. Buy only what you love and without preconceived rules.

Like much of the best home decoration, this is more about putting time and love into your house than money. And remember that the nicest homes are always changing; never feel as if you have to do it all at once.

Emily Davies was talking to Alexandra Campbell, an interior-design author and home-styling consultant. Her publisher can be reached at +44 207 025 2285 or at www.cicobooks.co.uk

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets

Dubai Bling season three

Cast: Loujain Adada, Zeina Khoury, Farhana Bodi, Ebraheem Al Samadi, Mona Kattan, and couples Safa & Fahad Siddiqui and DJ Bliss & Danya Mohammed

Rating: 1/5

In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe

Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010

Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille

Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm

Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year

Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”

Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners

TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013

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 White Lotus: Season three

Creator: Mike White

Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell

Rating: 4.5/5

THE BIO

Born: Mukalla, Yemen, 1979

Education: UAE University, Al Ain

Family: Married with two daughters: Asayel, 7, and Sara, 6

Favourite piece of music: Horse Dance by Naseer Shamma

Favourite book: Science and geology

Favourite place to travel to: Washington DC

Best advice you’ve ever been given: If you have a dream, you have to believe it, then you will see it.

Walls

Louis Tomlinson

3 out of 5 stars

(Syco Music/Arista Records)

FIXTURES

December 28
Stan Wawrinka v Pablo Carreno Busta, 5pm
Milos Raonic v Dominic Thiem, no earlier then 7pm

December 29 - semi-finals
Rafael Nadal v Stan Wawrinka / Pablo Carreno Busta, 5pm
Novak Djokovic v Milos Raonic / Dominic Thiem, no earlier then 7pm

December 30
3rd/4th place play-off, 5pm
Final, 7pm

Skewed figures

In the village of Mevagissey in southwest England the housing stock has doubled in the last century while the number of residents is half the historic high. The village's Neighbourhood Development Plan states that 26% of homes are holiday retreats. Prices are high, averaging around £300,000, £50,000 more than the Cornish average of £250,000. The local average wage is £15,458.

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

War and the virus

Simon Rushton: War vet raises £12m for health workers

Match info

Huddersfield Town 0

Chelsea 3
Kante (34'), Jorginho (45' pen), Pedro (80')

Match statistics

Abu Dhabi Harlequins 36 Bahrain 32

Harlequins

Tries: Penalty 2, Stevenson, Teasdale, Semple

Cons: Stevenson 2

Pens: Stevenson

Bahrain

Tries: Wallace 2, Heath, Evans, Behan

Cons: Radley 2

Pen: Radley

Man of the match: Craig Nutt (Harlequins)

COMPANY PROFILE

Name: Kumulus Water

Started: 2021

Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid

Based: Tunisia

Sector: Water technology

Number of staff: 22

Investment raised: $4 million

Copa del Rey

Semi-final, first leg

Barcelona 1 (Malcom 57')
Real Madrid (Vazquez 6')

Second leg, February 27

UAE currency

Key facilities

Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
Premier League-standard football pitch
400m Olympic running track
NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
600-seat auditorium
Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
Specialist robotics and science laboratories
AR and VR-enabled learning centres
Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills

Results

1.30pm Handicap (PA) Dh50,000 (Dirt) 1,400m

Winner Al Suhooj, Saif Al Balushi (jockey), Khalifa Al Neyadi (trainer)

2pm Handicap (TB) 68,000 (D) 1,950m

Winner Miracle Maker, Xavier Ziani, Salem bin Ghadayer

2.30pm Maiden (TB) Dh60,000 (D) 1,600m

Winner Mazagran, Tadhg O’Shea, Satish Seemar

3pm Handicap (TB) Dh84,000 (D) 1,800m

Winner Tailor’s Row, Royston Ffrench, Salem bin Ghadayer

3.30pm Handicap (TB) Dh76,000 (D) 1,400m

Winner Alla Mahlak, Adrie de Vries, Rashed Bouresly

4pm Maiden (TB) Dh60,000 (D) 1,200m

Winner Hurry Up, Royston Ffrench, Salem bin Ghadayer

4.30pm Handicap (TB) Dh68,000 (D) 1,200m

Women & Power: A Manifesto

Mary Beard

Profile Books and London Review of Books

The specs

Engine: 2-litre or 3-litre 4Motion all-wheel-drive Power: 250Nm (2-litre); 340 (3-litre) Torque: 450Nm Transmission: 8-speed automatic Starting price: From Dh212,000 On sale: Now

Test

Director: S Sashikanth

Cast: Nayanthara, Siddharth, Meera Jasmine, R Madhavan

Star rating: 2/5

Turning%20waste%20into%20fuel

%3Cp%3EAverage%20amount%20of%20biofuel%20produced%20at%20DIC%20factory%20every%20month%3A%20%3Cstrong%3EApproximately%20106%2C000%20litres%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EAmount%20of%20biofuel%20produced%20from%201%20litre%20of%20used%20cooking%20oil%3A%20%3Cstrong%3E920ml%20(92%25)%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3ETime%20required%20for%20one%20full%20cycle%20of%20production%20from%20used%20cooking%20oil%20to%20biofuel%3A%20%3Cstrong%3EOne%20day%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EEnergy%20requirements%20for%20one%20cycle%20of%20production%20from%201%2C000%20litres%20of%20used%20cooking%20oil%3A%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3E%E2%96%AA%20Electricity%20-%201.1904%20units%3Cbr%3E%E2%96%AA%20Water-%2031%20litres%3Cbr%3E%E2%96%AA%20Diesel%20%E2%80%93%2026.275%20litres%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A