(Examiner 01.10.2011

& Interiors

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DESIGNERInterior designer Xs?wt director ofEmerald Interior Design in Dublin(www.emeraldinteriordesign.ie), answers yourquestions. Email: interiors@examiner.ie

I've inherited an oldsideboard from an aunt, andthough I love it, it doesn't gowith anything in my home —should I paint it?

A. Most people are far too quick to takea paint brush to pre-loved furniture.Often, it's the little imperfections thatadd character to a piece. In this casehowever, you may want to paint it tobetter suit your home. Here's how: firstremove all the handles and hinges, stripany existing paint or varnish and sandit down. Give it a good clean and oncedry, apply the primer and paint. Ifthere's a grain in the wood, apply thepaint in the direction of the grain. Togive it an antique look again, simplylightly sand some of the raised edges,corners or legs to give the appearanceof wear and tear. Finish with a coat ofbees wax to protect the wood.

Q. My bathroom is cold, dated. I can'tafford to install a new one - help!

A. Sometimes, it's the smallest room inthe house that proves the most difficultto decorate. The secret is the three S's:Surroundings, Sight and Smell.Surroundings: Use a big, bright bathmat to hide an unsightly floor andmatching towels or shower curtain tointroduce a splash of colour to theroom. Sight: Hide the clutter such asrubber ducks and shampoo and onlykeep decorative items like perfume ondisplay. Tilt-out bins at the end of thebath are a great use of wasted space.Smell: Light a. scented candle or add afew drops of essential oil to bath waterto transform a bathroom into a spa

Q. We've just finished renovating ourhouse and are down to painting thekitchen walls. Our kitchen units arepainted in Farrow & Ball'sMatchstick (pale mushroom) - do youthink I should go lighter or darker?

A. F&B Matchstick is a warm, neutralcolour that works well with yellowishhues — so I'd go for creams or greenssuch as F&B's Cat's Paw or SavageGround. Before deciding on a colour,consider: the size of the room, amount ofnatural light it receives and aspect(whether it gets sun in the morning orafternoon). If the room is already dark,go for a light colour on the walls — andvice versa. Be sure to test your chosencolour. One little tip is to paint a sheet ofwhite cardboard and Blu-Tack todifferent areas during the day so youcan see how it catches the light.

Q. With two small children, our livingroom is a mess of toys — any ideas asto how my husband and I can reclaimour living room in the evenings?

A. Most of us don't have the luxury of aseparate play room for all those toys.But with proper planning and storage,your living room can function as a playroom by day and adult haven by night.Multi-purpose furniture such as coffeetables with in-built storage and windowseats or foot stools with lift-up lids willhelp make your space work harder foryou. Floor-to-ceiling cupboards fittedinto the alcoves either side of thefireplace add symmetry to a room andare great for displaying what you want -and hiding the rest. Try Boon Inc's'Animal Bag' storage sack ($49.99 fromt-immcT V\f\r\niv*r> r*r\-*Y\\U Parrnw & Rail Tat1* Paw', rnlour and its insniration from wild mushrooms. See www.farrow-ball.com

INTERIORS

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DESIGNER Interior designer director of EmeraldInterior Design in Dublin (www.emeraldinteriordesign.ie)answers your questions. Email: interiors@examiner.ie

I'm a bit of a make-up junkieand my dressing table isalways a mess with powdersand creams — do you haveany design solutions?

A. If you're fed up of rooting throughmakeup bags trying to find yourI ' avour i lo l i p p y . hero's a handy tip for

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Q. I love cooking spicy food, but italways leaves a lingering smell inmy kitchen. I've tried air fresheners,but none of them seem to work —what do you suggest?

A. A ' , yon love cookin)1,, whv nut Use IlirWindow Mil il.ll I n - i h K.II denI In l l . i l l l l .il i t i l l . < lu l l li <l h In i III.. i n l i . r . I ' . u lit)) .mi l Kn- . em. i ry l l o N l l o n

I l i r . i n inoi < • e l lcci ive ly and longer thanartificial products purchased from astore — and they're cheaper too.Alternatively, try an indoor plant like avanilla orchid — not only do plantsgobble up carbon dioxide and othernasties and release oxygen, theybrighten up your home as well.

Q. As an avid reader, I'd love tocreate a cosy little reading corner inmy home where I can curl up for the

winter, but am stuck for space. Anyideas?

A. There's nothing better than curlingup with a good book and a hot chocolateon a cold, winter night. And even ifyour home is small, there are plenty ofunused nooks and crannies where youget away from the world for a while.Look at spaces like windowsills, underI h o sl.'iirs and in alcoves. W i t h the r igh tMM! mi1, i n |nnt ii Irw cushions, all I hoseH I I ' I I N i . H I I " i i n , ! • • ! i n . . 1 i i i l u .1 hunk

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Q. After setting up my own business,I've just turned the spare room intoan office. And while it does the job,it's very boring. How can I liven upmy work space?

A.As someone who also runs her ownI I I I M I I O S S , I know l h . i l home olVioos,w h i l e u . M i a l l v h i m l i o n a l a n d e l i i r ien l .a i e n ' l . d w . i y . I l i r i m r . l r x c l l ||||£ work• i i i i , , n i i n n i H i l l I I n ' M - . i n - l n l < . i > l 11 i n k vhome olTice solutions that don't have toeat into those hard-earned wages. For aquirky storage idea, hang bold wallpaper behind a traditional dresser anddisplay funky box files for yourpaperwork.

Ladder desks are a great alternative ifyou don't have-a lot of space. Create agallery wall using family photos andvintage accessories such as a mirror —which will instantly double the size ofyour office.

Clockwise from top:Brighten up yourhome office with asection of boldwallpaper to livenup your homeoffice.

White living roomcjroen window seatand cushions builtin bookshelf realhome.

Make-Up MagnetBoard idea by LauraThoughts(www.laurathoughts81.blogspot.com).

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DESIGNERInterior designer Karen Hughes, director of Emerald InteriorDesign in Dublin (www.emeraldinteriordesign.ie), answersyour questions. Email: interiors@examiner.ie

With no windows, theentrance hallway of myapartment is dark anddepressing. Have you any

/suggestions?A. Mirrors are great for dark rooms

as they help 'bounce' light around thespace — try hanging one behind a tablelamp for maximum effect. Alternatively,stand a large mirror on the floor,loft-style, to break up the wall space.If you have the ceiling height, go for achandelier. For lower ceilings, recessedspotlights are best. Finally, place a soft-lighting lamp on a console table insidethe door to create a welcoming glow.Willie Duggan Lighting Ltd in Kilkenny"^^v.^illiedugganlighting.com) has a

great selection.

Q. We have a wooden floor and twomushroom-coloured sofas in oursitting room, but it's very boring —what colours do you recommendusing to liven it up?

A. Cerise, fuschia. lime green, burntorange and cranberry are all backwith a bang for winter. Then justadd some scatter cushions, a rugand artwork in the various coloursof your chosen fabric to bring thescheme together. Designers Guild(www.designersguild.com), PrestigiousTextiles (www.prestigious.ie) andZoffany (www.zoffany.com) have somefantastic colour collections this year.

Q. After living in a 92m2 rentedapartment for the past few years,I've just bought my own 76m2 one.

And though I already have all myown furniture, now it feels too bigfor the place — should I downsize?

A. Where space is tight, my advice isto go for light wood or reflective glass ormirrored furniture. Choose furniturethat multi-tasks — like a coffee tablewith a lift-up lid — and take advantageof your walls for storage units instead.If you can't afford to replace yourfurniture, perhaps think about gettingrid of one or two non-essential pieces.

Q. The back of my telly is a mess ofcables and wires - do you have anytips for tidying it up?

A. Try JML's Cable Tidy, which willalso keep cables tucked safely awayfrom children and pets (€5.99 fromwww.jmldirect.com).

Trevelyan fabric by Designers Guild —see www.designersguild.com

DESIGNERInterior designerdirector of Emerald InteriorDesign in Dublin(www.emeraldinteriordesign.ie},answers your questions.Email: interiors@examiner.ie

LAST year we installed awood-burning stove in anexisting fireplace — but dueto the limited space,whenever the door is opened,

embers fall out onto the carpet -what should I do?

A. I think you might need to look atwhether your stove meets the safetyrequirements that should be adhered toduring installation. For instance, thearea of "non-combustible materialaround the stove" (ie the hearth) shouldbe at least 6" deeper than the stove door- so if the door is 12" deep, the hearthshould be 18", and so on. If it's notpossible to redress this, you will need to

either replace the hearth or lay a stone,marble or tile trim to bring it up tostandard.

Q. After my mum died, I moved backinto the family home. Although theliving room is very small, I can'tbear to part with any of theornaments and photos she leftbehind. Any thoughts?

A. We Irish are a nation of hoarders —and in this case, it's entirelyunderstandable that you don't want tosimply toss items of sentimental value.However, we don't have to haveeverything we own on display. A greattrick to de-clutter your living room, but

keep your mum's personal touch, is toget some storage boxes and separate theitems into groups (eg family heirlooms,winter ornaments, etc) - and thensimply alternate the items wheneveryou feel like a change.

Q. I have a south-facing top floorapartment with beech wood floors —what colour scheme would yourecommend for the space?

A. Balance is the key here — darkcolours will absorb light, while colours

Ideas for beech wood floor colour scheme.

that are too light will appear clinical.As beech is a light wood, you can affordto introduce darker colours into thespace and still maintain that all-important balance.

As it has a pink/orange hue in thegrain, I'd steer clear of that side of thecolour palette. Go for the opposite sideof the colour wheel. Greens or evenblues will work well as a south-facingroom gets plenty of light. Try a texturedwall paper to add interest to the roomand pull the scheme together with alarge patterned or shaggy rug.

18 IRISH EXAMINER Property&Interiors | 22.10.2011