BELFAST SINKS- Not Just For Washing Babies

The only thing my boyfriend said to me when I first showed him a Belfast sink in B&Q was "you could wash a baby in that"! And it got me thinking about just how brilliantly versatile they truly are. But whatever way you decide to show yours off, I just don't recommend you put your babies in it...

I love this Belfast sink from Stokesay Ware. It's presented a little differently here with bisible plumbing and period metal brackets, and a single brass tap! Cute in a utility room for the rustic look.

Stokesay Ware

Or maybe you don't like the idea of (or are too clumsy around) ceramic, and feel more comfortable with a more standard stainless steel like this one from Irish superstore Taps 4 Less.

Taps 4 Less

Whatever your taste, what I can't help but love about the Belfast sink is its' versatility! You can even try it in the bathroom if you fancy something different

But if your sticking to the kitchen there's still a whole load of stlye options to choose from, like a more sleek fitted look from Kitchen Index...

Or this more retro/ shabby chic option from Garrison Hullinger Interior Design

Note how the London Underground tiles and victorian brass mixer tap make this look

Whatever you do, make sure you don't take your Belfast sink too seriously as it's a feature people mostly choose purely for aesthetic value. 

Personally, I'm just looking for an excuse and a place to fit this seriously retro, almost clinical style Armitage Shanks from Washware Essentials

Just please not with those taps :(

Interactive Mirrors Made From Wood

Amazing mirrors you wouldn't check your makeup in.

Bird Mirror

A Little bit cool or a little bit creepy? I can't decide...

Mirrored Bird Wall Art at LAURA ASHLEY

The Clawfoot Bath

Rub a dub dub...

Your bath in a bathroom has the same impact as your bed does in the bedroom.
Many places sell clawfoots but if your hardcore on your period furniture, search out reclamation yards online for genuine victorian finds.

(Check out reclaimation directory, I'll be updating them constantly)

Wooden paneling gives a period feel




Frilly shower curtain!




Parquet flooring- always classy



Wall Murals- For When Paint Just Won't Cut It

Wall murals by John Lewis - Click link for many more
 

Herman Saftleven Christ Teaching from Saint Peter's Boat Mural



GoodHomes.Net

http://www.goodhomes.net/decorating/living-rooms/tailored-brights-living-room.html

Click the link for full living room scheme!

Dutch Designers Tjep Give Inspiration

In light of my sisters' Dutch in-laws calling to the country...

Tjep, the Dutch designers, designed this store interior for furniture brand VilaSofa in the Netherlands.

Vilasofa



An example of their alternative designs



As far as I know they also design unusual jewellery using unique cutting techniques, and design architectural plans for certain structures.

The Cottage Themes

My Second Favorite Interiors Theme

Cottage style gives a designer such freedom, it's so hard not to love. It doesn't have to be all pink and white either.

It just happens to be at the moment though!

Try changing the pastels to something more plumy or midnighty...

And the linen cushions to something more furry or sequiny...

Tablecloths are an easy and temporary way of setting any mood you want.

A Chair You Wouldn't Want To Hit Your Elbow On When Walking By

Pity the site I found it on had no reference as to where it's sold >:/

Dylan Hotel, Dublin

Bar

This 5* Dylan Hotel in D4 boasts the opportunity to book an in-room massage and a lend of their GHD if you forget your own! Each bedroom is also supplied with iPod docks, plasma TVs, Frette sheets and Ren toiletries.





Bedroom



Restaurant



Bedroom Themes- Metal and Fur







Metal and Fur

I was trying to decide what makes a bedroom rock and roll, and two words sprang to mind- metal and fur!

I pictured this simpler style of four poster bed with a huge, heavy snow white or coffe coloured fur throw (faux of course), and a midnight blue on the walls for dramatic effect.

Faux Fur Throw found on notonthehighstreet.com

Something about heavy throws like this that make it so much harder to get up in the mornings.

notonthehighstreet.com-gypsy chandelier

I love this multicoloured chandelier. I can see it fitting into so many different rooms, even the hallway. Good for when you want to keep a space relatively neutral but need a feature piece.



http://www.notonthehighstreet.com-gypsy%20chandelier/


And something a little darker, for the monochrome or baroque themes. I can imagine this in a georgian bathroom with black and white tiles and a claw legged bathtub.



Worlds Wierdest Cafe

The Clinic Cafe in Gurney Plaza, Penang

This appeals big time to the nurse in me! At first glance, a somewhat Eddie Rockets style diner, but look a bit closer and you notice something seems a bit off...

The food is served in metal kidney dishes on metal tables. Your seat is a vintage cot bed, and your overhead lighting is like something straight out of the OR...

The staff are wearing scrubs and tunics... 

And my favorite feature, the standard lamps are a nod to old fashioned IV drip stands, the lamp itself representing an old glass medicine bottle!

Bellinter House, Meath

Georgian estate on the river Boyne, and only barely modernised. Bellinter House has also been recommended by Mr and Mrs Smith, the boutique hotel specialists.

 



Tearooms

 

The G Hotel, Galway
*AUTHORS PICK

The west's only 5 star boutique hotel, The G Hotel can not but impress even those of us most uninterested in interior design.

Designed by Philip Treacy, internationally renowned hat designer- and Irish native- the ground floor boasts three very unique tearooms, a bar and a restaurant. Even the bathrooms are stunningly dramatic!



The Restaurant



My first vist was for "Afternoon tea" for my birthday with my family.Given the price range of the rooms and the restauarant, afternoon tea is the way to go if you want to experience this place! 

However, if you've the oportunity to splash out, I recommend going for drinks. The cocktail menu is VAST.

 

New York Skyline Deck Chair
Cool enough for indoors. From Tesco Direct no less

Lace Window Panels. No, I'm not kidding

OK, so we got it pretty wrong in the past few decades with lace window panels but I think I know why, and more importantly, how it should be done today.

Golden Rule: Never rusch the tops.



Art deco dressing table



Keeping the fabric straight makes it look less early '90's and more 1920's demure (tacky demure maybe, but demure none the less). Also, be careful of the lace pattern itsself, avoid very busy small patterns and aim for lighter lace material with bigger shapes in them. Hang from curtain rail to floor in either one piece, or two that open like the picture here.

The only way to decorate around this is with paler colours, pastels and glass/ mirror accessories to enhance the retro feel. Some genuine vintage furniture would look amazing with it.

Celebrity model Daisy Lowe had lace panels that she dyed herself in every window of her London townhouse- some black, dark pink etc.-  when she was married to now ex-husband Danny Goffey, and it was featured in Marie Claire. It was a stunning look, as she paired it with a chandelier in every room and mirrored furnitre.

Worth a try?

Cottage

While cottages in themselves arn't technically rock and roll, they present a certain opportunity to be...

Cottage chic has always been about throwing together any mix of items and designs you could find/ afford. This means that whatever style you choose to design your cottage in, it will rarely look out of place. This is also one of my favorite websites- cottageology.com- and it's run by an Irish girl and based on irish culture and history! Thumbs up

A Tiny Apartment Transforms into 24 Rooms

Heat Sensitive Wallpaper

Discovered through an internet search inspired by the tiles below, this wallpaper changes based on room temperature.

Designed by Shi Yuan, this doesn't actually seem to be for sale but I'm sure there are similar creations out there that are.

Heat Sensitive Tiles!

These tiles change colour based on ambient temperature, body temperature, or water temperature.

I found them on a website called Inventibles, and they're actually for sale.

Put them in your guest bathroom, and don't warn your guests before they shower!

I.V. Lamp

It’s a design from Christian Maas and it's called Lichtinfusion

Gauranteed to break the ice