The Gathering! It's all about Ireland in 2013....

Have you heard of "The Gathering"?

The Gathering is taking place in 2013 and it is a year long celebration of Ireland and all things Irish.  

If you live in Ireland, you can get involved by inviting everyone that you know from all over the world to come to Ireland and take part in events that are being organised all over the country throughout year.

There is some more information here and there is also a Facebook page that you can follow.

If you live abroad, why not stick Ireland on your bucket list and come visit us in 2013 for The Gathering!

Don't you just love a glass cantilevered stairs?!

Glass stairs

Floating stairs!

Decorative plaster feature at the bottom of the arch leading up to the staircase.

These are the light switches - I'm still learning how to turn the lights on!!!

If you have been following my blog you will know that this was a complete refurbishment of a derelict Victorian property.  It was a long process to design and rebuild but the results are amazing.
If you are contemplating a remodel of your house or are building a house from scratch you can contact ODKM Architects on 01-4991510.  They also do commercial as well as residential work so no matter what size your project is they will be able to meet with you to discuss your plans!

Chilled out weekend in Ranelagh!

Took a little walk up to Baggot Street for a coffee in Donnybrook Fair.  This is a deli style shop that sells some really nice stuff.  The original Donnybrook Fair is located in Donnybrook of course.  This is a short walk from us also - it is in the opposite direction to the City.  We walked that direction when we went to the Bruce Springsteen concert in the RDS.

On Saturday we had breakfast in "Door 51" which is a cafe in Ranelagh.  The lady who served us was so nice - she brought us out a sausage for Bones!!!  He loved it!
I had a bowl of porridge topped with Baileys Irish Cream - wow, it was delicious!

I called up to Redmonds Of Licence to browse their spirits selection.  Check out their window!
They sell lots of different beers and they even stock the new Guinness Black Lager.

                               "Galway Hookers" for sale!!!!

We had Sunday dinner for my family.  Here's a picture of my Mother, Father, Nana along with Ciaran and my two sisters and also my Uncle.  It was the first time my Nana saw the house and she said she thought it was just great!

What does it mean?!

We went for a walk in Ranelagh this evening.  Walked around the place, made our way to the Luas Station then called in to Mortons and then to Superquin at the triangle and then back home.  It was 2 miles in total.  I should say that I do really like Morton's.  I feel like Ina Garten (Barefoot Contessa) shopping in the Hamptons when I am in this shop for some reason!

                       Here is a picture of the Luas Station:

              Not long after we set off I saw this  strange sign:

                              I have no idea what it means!!

                    Who are the Pembroke Commissioners?!

Edit - Here is some info about the Pembroke Commissioners

Best Bikram Studio ever!

I practised Bikram Yoga in the LPA Studio (at the top of the glass stairs) for the first time today.


Wow!  It was great!


The sun was shining even though it was not very warm outside.  The sun shining through the glass roof really heated up the room (Ciaran calls it the studio as it is where he plans to paint,  I like to call it the Solarium when I go up and lounge like a lizard in it!) and it was just perfect for Bikram yoga.


The glass floor was cool underneath but was surprisingly not slippery. The best part of practising in this room was getting to look up at the clouds in the sky during "Dead Body Pose".  Pure bliss!


I just went through the poses myself (took about an hour) but I plan on buying the CD of Bikram doing a class and then I will practise to this for the full 90 minutes.

Shadowlight!

Patrick Kerr from Shadowlight called to the house this morning with a few lights, bulbs & transformers that needed to be fitted.

Patrick is so enthusiastic and knowledgeable about lighting that I highly recommend meeting with him if you are updating and modernising your house.  A good lighting plan is essential for highlighting good design and making your new house a beautiful place to live in.  

After an architect, a lighting consultant is the professional you need to hire. Seriously!

I was very lucky to have full access to all of the resources provided by ODKM Architects and I also feel very lucky to have had ShadowLight on board too!

                                   Light in the front room 

The kitchen!

Given that I have been in the house for over 2 weeks now, had people over for dinner and lunch, have cooked and cleaned up and even managed to use my dishwasher a few times I think it is time that I did an extensive post on the amazing kitchen.

Here's a few pictures for you to browse.....

You can play a game of guess what is behind the door!

It's the mini dishwasher - so cute and so practical.  Made by Siemens it has a clever little attachment that drops the kickboard down as the door opens.

                     What's behind these two large oak doors?

Why the fridge, cookers and microwave of course!  When you have finished cooking you close over the doors in order to hide the cooker - you can then pretend you are eating in a restaurant and not at home!!!

             Spice press built to hide the ventilation unit - nifty!

Two huge flat drawers for cutlery and cooking utensils (there are two larger drawers underneath these).  The cutlery drawers are in black but have the oak drawer makes them invisible when they are closed.  Got to have the clean lines, folks!!!

Hey look what I found when I was unpacking boxes for the kitchen!
It's the cutest little starfish cheese spreader that I brought home from Key West - bought in Fast Buck Freddies, which is now sadly gone.

Here's some other nice things I found when unpacking.  Here's my Ben De Lisi Champagne glasses - they're fabulous and black - they match the kitchen!!

If you are interested in any elements of the kitchen or are interested in hiring our amazing kitchen designer - have a look at Dean Cooper's website for his contact details.