How green are your paint habits?

I've been asked to help recruit survey filler-outers for a pal who is doing some research on our environmentally friendly-ness when it comes to disposing of old paint - which got me to guiltily thinking of the tins of paint stashed in random locations throughout the office - if you could be so kind as to lend a hand please do so here. Now, I'm off to figure out what to do with the assortment of random shades of stuff lying about the place...

Anyone buying?!

Every now and then I'll stop and wonder if I'm mad and maybe I should have just bought a house in walk-in condition? Such feelings are usually brought on by images of lovely houses, like these ones in today's Irish Times. Like, for example, this house in Clontarf (top two pics) or this one in Rathagar (bottom pic). Ever-so-slightly out of my price range, but utterly lovely.

While I'm on the subject...

...of the endlessly inspiring Ilse Crawford, I noticed on her website that she has pics of some gorgeous new projects on there. Feast your eyes on these beauties.

Textile workshop

Anyone who is keen to get creative with fabric and trimmings but needs a gentle nudge along and a little hand-holding might be interested in a textile workshop that takes place in Longbord Studio, 54 Kenilworth Square, Dublin 6 on the 18th and 19th of June from 10am to 3pm. Textile designers Rebecca Devaney and Paget Scott-McCarthy (whose work is pictured above) will be giving classes on simple printing skills, fabric embellishment and contemporary stitch for everyday items. The workshop costs a thoroughly reasonable €95, which includes materials. To find out more call 086 821 7702/086 888 5771, email textileworkshopdublin@gmail.com or visit www.textileworkshopdublin.com

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!