whistle + Whisper
Interior
This old thing
Does anyone else feel the weight of history of certain objects? What I mean is that sometimes when I take down an old book for example, I can’t help but wonder who has held it in their hands before, in what setting, in what year. Or indeed when I know absolutely who owned the book before me and who would have leafed through its pages, I feel an instant connection with that person and, if they are no longer around, it’s very comforting.
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A-Door-Able
Our front door never quite cut the mustard. I’m not sure whether it never fitted properly in the first place or whether things shifted when we renovated but there’s a visible gap in the bottom right hand corner that no amount of insulating strips will fix. So, I’ve had it on the ‘to do’ list for several years, as in replace the door!
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Sew surprising
Who doesn’t like a surprise? One of my favourite childhood birthday party games was ‘pass the parcel’, passing a parcel wrapped in multiple layers of paper from party guest to party guest until the music stopped and whoever was left holding it, removed a layer. This continued until all the layers were removed and the guest who removed the last one kept the gift inside.
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Colour me Brave
There’s comes a point in your life when you cross over that threshold of doing what is expected, what is predictable and instead veer into the territory of doing whatever the hell you want, when you want, and you refuse to be a slave to social norms any longer or to care about whether people think you’ve lost the plot. That point with me happened 10 years ago when I decided on a whim to dye my previously always highlighted hair red.
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Working 9-5
Having five people, all home-working/schooling, in our small coach house has been a challenge over the past year and it got even more challenging when our eldest finished university and started her graduate trainee programme after Christmas. While she considers her future living arrangements and saves some money to facilitate a mortgage or rent, she's working from her small bedroom and that is a challenge with the amount of stuff she has, not least the hardware needed for her job - two monitors, laptops, speakers etc. So, in an effort to make the space a little more conducive to work, my husband decided to build her a desk.
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Light Relief
I live in a pretty, coastal area of County Dublin. During lockdown this has meant that a lot of people have flocked here to use the amenities of the area so during the day the pavements are pretty busy with people walking and jogging. In order to maintain social distance, you quite frequently find yourself having to hop off the pavement and walk in the cycle lanes. It doesn’t make for a very relaxing experience. As a result, therefore,I have been going out very late at night for a long walk instead. It’s lovely and peaceful, there is virtually no traffic, no bicycles and you can walk along the pavements without constantly side-stepping other pedestrians, checking for cyclists etc.
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Substance over Style
I wrote recently about the fact that I love quirky, characterful, old houses and it's true, I do. But I wouldn’t say that I am entirely faithful to them. I have also longed to build a house, one that is laid out on different levels thereby providing lots of interesting spaces to hide away and listen to music or read, and with lots of window seats. I love houses that surprise you at every turn.
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Creative Spaces
I’ve always been drawn to quirky, old houses, ones with charisma and charm. The oddities about such houses that would drive a lot of people bonkers - sloping ceilings, odd-shaped spaces, creaky floorboards etc, I find strangely appealing. I’ve also always liked manageable houses. I’ve never craved anything ostentatious, or large and unwieldy, and I actually enjoy making the most of a modest space. It forces you to be creative and imaginative. And, of course, there's nothing I love more than a challenge.
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Sleep on it
According to whatever Google search result you want to believe, we spend between 26 and 33 years of our lives in bed!
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Out with the Old
I thoroughly recommend enlisting the assistance of a teenager when trying to declutter. They are ruthless, unsentimental and cut through the nonsense.
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Mirror Mirror on the Wall
What is a home without mirrors? Not only are they functional, look attractive and furnish a wall but they give the illusion of space, bounce light around a room and create moods, depending on what is reflected in them...
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The personality of the past
I believe that character and stories are the cornerstones of good design and style. The objects that I have accumulated over the years remind me of a time, a place, a person, a feeling and the more functional, modern necessities around our house serve as the perfect backdrop to showcase them.
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Finding Your Style
Art, furniture, soft furnishings, floor coverings, objects and light - all these need to be carefully curated to make a house a home and more than that, to create an individual home. While an interior designer can do it for you, it's so much more interesting to learn how to do it yourself and, above all, to trust yourself.
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