Spring-a-ling-ding

It's getting brighter and I'm really anticipating evenings outdoors, chilling out in the garden. Since shiney brand new garden furniture isn't an option for all of us - and maybe it's not really a look that we would all necessarily strive for - give your outdoorsy bits and pieces a new lease of life with the Little Greene oil-based paints, now more eco-friendly with a significantly reduced chemical content. You can use them on both woodwork and metalwork, and there is a choice of 128 colours, all in low-sheen oil-eggshell or oil-gloss. For details of Irish stockists contact Tel: 01 450 7154.

Leo & Clodagh & Laura

The furniture of Irish designer Leo Scarff makes an appearance in the latest book by New York-based Irish designer Clodagh, called Your Home Your Sanctuary. Clodagh pioneered the concept of considering the natural environment in home design and Irish interior designer Laura Farrell of Scudding Clouds worked for her in New York before returning to Dublin to  bring that beautiful earthy, pared-back aesthetic back home to us.

What a beautiful surprise

So, I was sitting at my desk yesterday afternoon, moseying away with my work, wondering if the sun was going to make a return visit at any stage and thinking about what I was going to have for dinner, when I saw Renata from reception coming down the corridor with a huge bunch of flowers. 'Hmmmm, wonder who they're for?' I thought to myself - and then she brought them over to me!I received a beautiful bouquet from Appassionata Flowers, and you really have no idea how much they brightened my day. They also brightened up my (currently rather grim-looking) little house. I decided that, to make the most of this massive bunch, I would do what I've seen my mum doing since I was a kid when she gets a bouquet of flowers - she spends absolutely ages taking bits and pieces from the bunch to fill up vases around the house. So, as you'll see from the pics above, my flower arranging skills leave a lot to be desired, but they look so bright and beautiful, they really cheer my home up no end. My friend Ciara got me the funky yellow vase for my birthday - it's by Menu and it's so handy for a large bunch of flowers because you can squeeze the stems in nicely. I love Appassionata, I'm always popping into their shop on Drury St (just at the top of George's Arcade, D2) for a little look, and I just bought myself this lovely lavender plant there the other day, it's a lovely scent to have right by my bed.

A terraced redbrick to fall in love with

I have a lot of love for 1) red brick houses, 2) terraced houses and 3) fireplaces, so when I spotted this little charmer in the Irish Times property section today I was totally smitten. So pretty.

Aaaaaaand the latest obsession is:

Josef Frank! I've been admiring this man's designs for yonks without having any idea who he is and then the pieces of the puzzle slowly came together. I had been wondering for quite some time who had designed the fabric on this lovely Astrid chair from Anthropologie (above). He is responsible for some of the most beautiful classic-but-quirky textile designs that I have ever seen, and if I could afford to have one of those designs grace my bedroom curtains then I would happily look at them forever - how could I ever tire of such beauty? He was Austrian by birth, but emigrated to Sweden in 1934, and was actually an architect who also designed furniture and textiles. I found this La Plata fabric on Swedish website Svenskt Tenn, and when I saw the funny currency I wondered 'hmmm, how much would that be in euro now?'. Answer: €81.28 per metre. Gulp.

Lovely but pricey La Plata. As ever, I dream on.

Grona Faglar

Jungle Blue

Manhattan

Phew

Storage stuff

The impending house move means that I've been paying a lot of thought to packing and storing. This applies to my clothes in particular, as not only will I have to pack them and stash them for the move, they'll also be spending serious quality time in boxes until I can afford wardrobes and chests of drawers. Howard's Storage World have these great Easi Store boxes for €27.55, I think I'll have to invest in a load of them. After I've done the big annual clear out, of course!

New stuff to covet alert

Scandi fans will rejoyce at the marriage of two uber-brands from that neck of the woods - Bemz, who specialise in custom-made covers for Ikea sofas and chairs, have created a line of covers in collaboration with Marimekko, featuring a total of eleven designs.

Bathroom envy - will it ever end?!

Fab bathrooms are something to be jealous of, it's not an easy space to make beautiful and personal, and it's often difficult to take away that all-too-frequent sterile feel. This bathroom was designed by Susan Kennedy, a New York-based Irish interior designer. Look at the tasty Calcutta marble surrounding the sink, mmmm. The little horse on the shelf on the wall is such a cute and clever way to add personality!

The plot thickens

Ok, so I may be considering an extension. Maybe. Just a teeny, teeny, tiny one. But maybe. There's nothing like hearing the word 'potential' repeated countless times by numerous people to get your imagination going - and it doesn't actually take a huge amount to get my imagination going anyhow to be perfectly honest. But just an ickle wickle, you'd-barely-even-notice job would add so so much to my house. I don't want to sacrifice a big lump of garden though, so what I'm thinking of is bringing the living room wall back to come in line with the kitchen (it's to the left of the living room and reaches a little beyond the point that the living room ends. You know what I mean!). Obviously it's only early days yet, and what stands in the way of me and my little fantasy project is money - budget - sums. Sigh. I'll get my calculator out and have a think. In the meantime, I've been checking out the Melted Snow website to see the work of Jim Lawler. We have featured his work in H&H a number of times, and he always does a beautiful job on extensions. So, little wonder that the projects shown above are stoking my imagination. 

Mmmmm...colour...pattern...stuff...

So, I got to thinking, as Carrie Bradshaw would say (is that a bit of a pre-boom of me?), about what kind of fabric I might use to re-cover an old sofa that I'm currently coveting. That's the great thing about day dreaming versus reality, anything is possible and the sky's the limit. The lovely PR people from Sanderson showed me the latest collections there a wee while ago and I've been sighing over various swatches ever since. Feast your eyes and why not daydream along with me? The top one rocks - traditional pattern with totally modern pink and orange clashing type thing, yum. I love the dandelion clocks in the middle one, though I think that it gets a bit lost as curtains in that colourway - they do more autumnal, retro-y colourways like orange on grey, that might be better used as such a large block. You can find out your nearest stockist by getting in touch with Furnishing Distributors. 

Hello sunshine

I may be speaking to soon (it'll probably lash rain the very second I finish this sentence) but I do believe that spring is here, and we may even be getting a peek at summer. Since my back-garden-to-be is currently covered in a load of briars and other types of messy overgrowth, I am at the stage where I can fantasise about how amazing I'll make it look when I get to work on it. As reality isn't an issue just yet, I have been dreaming up all sorts of looks for it. Check out the lovely new outdoor space at Montana in Sandyford, they have lots of outdoor furniture. I love this Sengo range, which was apparently the best selling outdoor furniture range in the Conran Shop last year. You can also get them in orange, yellow and bright blue. Tables start at €199 and chairs cost €129. 

Bloom escapades

I went to Bloom in the Phoenix Park yesterday with my big bro and my nephew, and it was such a lovely way to spend a gloriously sunny bank holiday Monday. I found it really inspirational, and it gave my lots of ideas for my garden, both front and back, that I can try out once I've slashed through the current thicket. These trees were pricey, but once I've finally paid for all of the ever-so-slightly more essential stuff, maybe I can treat myself to one. I think it always looks really homely to have a tree either side of your front door, and this olive tree (top pic), or the kumquat (second pic) would be a gorgeous sight to come home to. The lemon tree (bottom) could really flourish out the back, and would look really dramatic against a black painted wall. But before I do a thing I must consult with my dad, who is an amazing gardener and will be able to help me choose what is suitable for where - and then show me how to not kill everything that I plant! In the end I picked up a beautiful hydrangea for a mere €10 - when we were on our way out at about half past five everyone was selling off their plants and flowers, so we went home with a car full of beautiful blooms.

Bites of the big apple

I'm very excited about my trip to New York for many reasons. One of these reasons is that I'll be picking up my For Like Ever print, which I had sent to my brother's house (it cost $40 less than having it delivered here). I know that they're So Like Everywhere, but I don't care - I've been wanting one for ages. I'm also itching to check out the new Orla Kiely range for Target. I know that OK is also So Like Everywhere, but again I don't care. I can barely contain myself, in fact, as she has such lovely offerings as kitchen hooks and floor cushions. And even magazine files, which may actually satisfy my eternal quest to find something pretty to hold my endless stacks of mags. The only thing I need to think about now is how on earth I'm going to fit any of this into my suitcase.