KLASSIK FURNITURE, DENMARK

If you’re looking for an iconic piece of vintage Scandinavian furniture, Klassik in Denmark specialise in the highest quality pieces. Klassik was the first Danish vintage furniture gallery and is still the leading gallery in Denmark today. It sells original vintage Scandinavian Modern furniture and design classics from 1920-1975, including many pieces by the likes of Hans J. Wegner, Børge Mogensen, Arne Jacobsen, Finn Juhl, Ole Wanscher, etc. Klassik are concerned with preserving furniture in its original state, but when renovation is necessary, it takes place in their own workshop where 6 skilled artisans do so as gently as possible using the original techniques and materials.

I’d love if someday my budget could stretch to vintage furniture this extraordinary, but in the mean time I’ll happily settle for window shopping.

Teak armchair by Larsen, Ejner/ Madsen, A. Bender - €1052; "China chair" by Hans J. Wegner - €2,921

Papa Bear chair by Hans J.Wegner - €6,674; Sofa by Frits Henningsen - €4,670

Rosewood chair by Arne Vodder - €804; Sofa by Kaare Klint - €3,866

DELIVERY : Worldwide
PAYMENT : Bank transfer/cheque

ENIBAS, CO. CORK

I tend to wear brash, over-the-top costume jewellery for the most part, but while jostling for position with school children at the accessories stand in Top Shop recently, I got to thinking that it would be nice to own some hand-crafted gold or silver jewellery, like other adults do. So the timing couldn’t have been better for Cork jewellery studio Enibas to get in touch regarding their newly-launched website, full of lovely pieces by well-known and not-so-well-known Irish and European designers. My favourites are the Snowberry range by Inga Reed and Sabine Lenz’s contemporary Claddagh ring. To check out the full Enibas collection, click here (they ship worldwide too!)

ROBERTS RAMBLER RADIO

They’ve been around for a couple of years, but I’ve just recently developed a big crush on Roberts' Rambler Radios. I like ‘em far better than the ubiquitous Roberts ‘Revival’ radios, although perhaps only because I can still remember the original Rambler radio we used to have when I was a kid, which I’ll forever associate with sunny school holidays when my Mum used to bring it out to the garden and blast RTE Radio 1 for all the world to hear. Rambler Radios are priced at approx. €130 . You can find a full list of Roberts’ Irish stockists here.

LET'S SEE HOW LONG THIS LASTS...

There's nothing like a small and spontaneous decor project to distract you from the much bigger, more difficult projects you really ought to be tackling instead. Especially when the only expense is a €5 roll of gift wrap, and the result is entirely temporary, so that when you eventually realise "Hey, sticking panels of polka dot gift wrap to a glazed door has got to be one of the dumbest things I've ever done" - it can be undone in an instant. I did the polka dot door makeover on Saturday. While I freely admit it looks a little daft, I'm not yet willing to accept that it's completely stupid and that my 20 minutes of hard work were in vain. I'll be interested to see how long it will be before I do.

NEW IN AT PEDLARS

Online shop Pedlars has a few lovely new things in stock that have caught my eye today...

Tord Boontje Porcelain (from £7.50/€9.52) - yay, it looks like Mr. Boontje is sharing my current love for horse motifs; Kitchen lamps made by a long-established, family-run Welsh metal spinning company that used to specialise in miner’s lamps (£48.50/€61.60); And finally, these fantastic vintage bread tins taken out of service from the Hovis bread facory in 1964 (£28.50/€36.20).

NEED TO KNOW : Pedlars is a UK-based company that delivers to Ireland.
PAYMENT : Visa, Mastercard, Maestro, Visa Delta, cheque.
DELIVERY : Contact Pedlars for delivery quote to Ireland.

CANDY COLOURS BY CANDY CHANNING

I'm not generally a Daily Mail reader, but while leafing through a copy I found on the bus yesterday, I discovered that they cover interiors. Not only that, but their interiors stylist Candy Channing is a woman after my own heart! A short article on how to use colour in your home was accompanied by a shot expertly styled in my favourite colour palette – zesty lime and pink accented with every other conceivable colour. And the chosen furnishings are all firm Homebug favourites too – Eero Saarinen's Womb Chair, Habitat's Spindle lamp, Paul Smith's Stripe rug, etc., etc. I haven't seen so many of my favourites in the same place at the same time since first seeing Danielle Mac Inne's Dublin home. The Daily Mail, huh? Who'da thunk it.

BOOKS BOOKS BOOKS

We've been chatting about magazines here on Homebug and it seems we have a lot in common - such as hoarding the blimmin' things like mentallers and trying to cut back on the amount of periodicals we spend our precious pennies on. I've been doing a pretty admirable job of limiting myself to just my fave magazines recently, and have been rewarding myself with publications of a more enduring nature. Namely, books. Now I know my logic doesn't sound very solid, but stick with me.

A wonderful book on design or interiors is something I'll treasure forever and refer to regularly, and which I can proudly display on a bookcase (rather than stash under my bed like a guilty secret - damn you, magazines!) So rather than frittering my hard-earned money away on whatever magazine catches my eye on a given day, I'm being more discerning and putting it towards the beginnings of a nice little reference library. I'm finding Amazon to be a real gem for tracking down the publications that reflect my taste, and for a daycent price too.

For those of you who haven't noticed or don't quite know what it is, I've added links to some of my favourite books (or ones on my own shopping list) to the right sidebar. I intend to keep it regularly updated and hopefully it will help you take the hard work and uncertainty out of buying great interiors books. The links lead directly to Amazon where you can find out more about the books, or buy them.

If you've got any book tips of your own that you think other Homebug readers might be into, then do tell!

VIRAGO BOOKS COLLABORATE WITH TEXTILE DESIGNERS

Female fiction publishers Virago Press are celebrating their 30th anniversary by collaborating with female textile designers including Orla Kiely, Cath Kidston and Barbara Hulanicki (Biba) to produce a gorgeous set of eight hardback modern classics by writers like Barbara Pym, EM Delafield and Jacqueline Susann. The books will be available from 1 May exclusively from Waterstones, priced approx. €13 each.

CAMILLA MEIJER CUSHIONS

I sew most of the cushions in our home myself, but I make exceptions for especially nice ones, and will fork out for something extraordinary. These bright and bold digitally printed cushions by Camilla Meijer would certainly make the grade if I was in the market for some. The red and pink ones have particularly taken my girlish fancy. Buy them online from Camilla Meijer for £47/€58.90 each.

PAYMENT : Paypal
DELIVERY : Free within the UK, contact Camilla for an international delivery quote.

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IRISH GLAMOUR : THE MILLHOUSE

I’m sure if himself was to take a gander at my recent internet browsing history, he’d be petrified by the amount of Irish boutique hotels I’ve been looking at. He can rest assured that it’s not a trip up the aisle I’m researching, but some lush interiors to feature on Homebug. Having said that, The Millhouse in Slane does specialise in bespoke original weddings and this eighteenth century Georgian manor looks like one heck of a romantic hideaway.

View Related Homebug Article : Irish Glamour - Bellinter House
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CONFESSIONS OF A MAGAZINE JUNKIE

What would the world of interior design be without the world of interior design magazines, eh? But japers, there’s a lot of them, and some of them are really rubbish. To make matters worse, some great magazines have confusingly similar titles to some dull ones, and I’m not immune to buying the wrong one and finding absolutely nothing of interest inside. Although after accidentally purchasing “Your Home” instead of “Ideal Home” a couple of times, I definitely won’t be making that mistake again. However, I’m still faced with a conundrum whenever I see “House & Garden” alongside “Homes & Gardens” on a magazine shelf. I can never remember - which is the one that I adore and which is the one that I don’t really rate? Wrapping the dratted things in plastic certainly doesn’t help matters. I’ll tentatively buy one and either breath a sigh of relief when I recognise the familiar features or kick myself when I cop that I’ve bought the wrong bloody magazine again. And then pledge that one of these days I’ll just subscribe to my favourites and be done with it.

So anyway, with so many interiors magazines out there – which ones do you rate? Or do you resist the lot and get your interiors fix online instead? Leave a comment below, why dontcha!

PS: I've just fixed those pesky glitches in the commenting system, so it's working like a charm now, I promise!

NEW IRISH BLOG : DESIGN HEAVEN

Mel got in touch to share the news that she’s just launched a new blog about interior design, furniture design, art, photography and architecture, called “Design Heaven”. Mel hails from Australia, but is now based in Dublin, where she’ll shortly begin decorating her “very very very small Dublin city apartment” - I can’t wait to follow the progress! To check out Design Heaven, click here.

MOUSTACHE KEY HOOK

Last year, a group of my male friends had moustaches for a short while. It was very funny. I keep meaning to put together a small gallery of photos of them and their moustaches. I was reminded of that intention this morning, when I came across US designer Ben Floeter’s wonderful Mustache key hook. You can buy it from his Etsy store for $30/€18.78.

ONION GROOVE VASE

Folks often ask about the vase on our coffee table and I always feel bad when they do, because I don’t know squat about it. I got it from a city centre charity shop last year and it has no maker’s mark or anything on it. However, I came across this “Onion Groove Vase” [above] at Wallace Sacks, a great UK online shop, and it’s not too far off my own vase. It has that great shape which is perfect for tulips (my favourite flower, in case you hadn’t noticed) and a ridged surface. I’m of the opinion that there’s nothing quite so perfect as a simple white vase with a nice shape and texture, and this one ticks every box for me. Plus, it’s currently reduced to £22.50/€28.10 (Man, the euro is really catching up with the pound these days!) Buy it from Wallace Sacks.

NEW TYPHOON KITCHEN GOODIES

Check out all this new kitchen loveliness from Typhoon! I can be a bit predictable when it comes to kitchenware, always opting for retro styles, but Typhoon's new goodies show how just how charming contemporary kitchenware can be (without costing a fortune either!) See the full new collection here. Typhoon's ranges are widely available from Irish kitchen and department stores, but to find your nearest retailer you contact Irish distributor EA Symmons Ltd.

ANN LOUISE ROSWALD

Throw some colour and pattern on something and it’s immediately an eye-catching statement piece. This goes for fashion as well as it does interiors, and given the option, I’ll go with pretty patterns for my home and my clothes almost every time.

Ann Louise Roswald is an Irish-born fashion designer who’s expertise with bold colour and pattern gets a huge Homebug thumbs up. Her own London home [above] is crammed full of gorgeous pattern, as she’s used her own textiles for upholstering furniture as well as for making bedspreads, cushions, curtains and more. The good news is that Ann Louise’s textiles aren’t as exclusive as you might think. You can get in touch via the Ann Louise Roswald website and request lengths of the very fabrics she designs and uses in her fashion collections, all of which would look dynamite used for soft furnishings. Find out more here.

BALLYBUR CASTLE

This month's Image Interiors Magazine has a lovely feature on Ballybur Castle in Co. Kilkenny. I love the insight that the articles gives into the life of the castle and its occupants. I blogged about Ballybur last year, but didn't realise that as well as a wedding venue and guesthouse, Ballybur Castle is the home of Frank and Aifric Gray, who have resided there on a day-to-day basis for more than 25 years - and that's how long it has taken them to restore the castle, which was built around 1580. The interior's finishing touches are thanks to Homebug fave, Dominique Schefman. For the full feature, check out the May/June issue of Image Interiors.

View Related Homebug Article : Dominique Schefman

SCIORTA DEAS

While we’ve been decorating our house I’ve put my sewing machine to work making curtains, cushions, tablecloths, blankets, etc. but in the last two years I’ve completely neglected to use it for making any clothes or accessories. Quite frankly, this needs to be redressed! To ease myself back into the world of dressmaking, I’m head over heels in love with the notion of making an easy-peasy Rob Ryan skirt. Yes indeedy - Rob Ryan! Homebug favourite Rob has contributed a design to the Clothkits company, so you can make a “cut out and keep” skirt, featuring his “Hold Me” illustration. Thanks so much to Ciara at Milkmoon for alerting me to this, the Best News Ever.

NEED TO KNOW : Rob Ryan clothkit is £46/€57.32 and fits UK size 8-16.
PAYMENT : Paypal/credit card
DELIVERY : £13/€16.20 to Ireland

View Related Homebug Article : Frank, Kent

HOUSE & HOMEBUG

I'm proud as punch to tell you that our wee house is featured in the May/June issue of House & Home! It was like a dream come true when lovely H&H editor Eimear asked if I'd be on for it. I've kept and cherished every single issue of House & Home for years, and the interiors it features have been a big source of inspiration to me. To be included amongst them is a real honour! Big thanks to all at House & Home, and to photographer Paul Sherwood who did a great job despite two bonkers dogs trying to sabotage him! The magazine is in shops now.

HOMEBUG'S NEW COMMENT FORMAT!

UPDATE : I'm not actually happy with how the new comment system is running! It's a bit clunky and not quite the dream come true I was hoping for. I'm going to fix the glitches on Tuesday evening and then it truly will be a wondrous thing. Sorry for the inconvenience if anyone is having trouble commenting. I'll let you know when all is running smoothly. Cheers!

ABOVE : The v. pretty new "Love & Peace" range from Portmeirion is a reworking of a 1960s design. Prices start from €11.50 - Irish Portmeirion stockists.

CAMILLA ENGMAN CONVERSE @ SCHUH

I think I’ll be partaking in a spot of late-night shopping tonight, as the Camilla Engman-designed “Little Red Riding Hood” Converse have just arrived in Irish branches of Schuh, and I’m giddy with anticipatory glee at the thought of snapping up a pair. The trainers were designed in collaboration with the AIDS charity Red, to which a percentage of the sale price is donated.

Camilla Engman is a Swedish illustrator and you can see more of her work on her website and blog.

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STYLE & SUSTENANCE : JO'BURGER, DUBLIN

Like nearly everyone in Dublin, I used to live in Rathmines at one time. While living there, it was always with great apprehension and low expectations that I would check out every new eatery that opened. I was always resolutely disappointed by their bland interiors, boring menus and by the snooze-inducing timbre of Norah Jones on the soundsystem. Last year saw the opening of Jo’Burger in Rathmines and I dutifully went along to check it out on opening week (I no longer live in Rathmines, but I was still determined to find somewhere good to eat there). And larks, it was great! I’ve even been back a few times since.

I’m sure word has spread and many of you have heard of or enjoyed Jo'Burger’s mammoth gourmet burgers, its wacky interior and stupifeyingly excellent music policy (props to Christine!), so I’ll just share with you these images of Jo Burger, courtesy of ONE3SEVEN in case you haven’t checked it out for yourself.

DAVID SEYFRIED, LONDON

While we’re on the subject of upholstery, what I'd really love is a sofa reupholstered in the extravagant style of David Seyfried of London. But knowing how changeable my tastes can be, it probably wouldn’t be wise to go for something quite so bold. They’re glorious though, aren’t they? You can see more fabulously upholstered furniture on David Seyfried’s website.

View Related Homebug Article : New Look For Habitat's "Chester" Sofas

SOFA NOT SO GOOD

I have a confession. We’re thinking of getting our red sofa reupholstered. If you’re rolling your eyes and wondering when I’ll ever stop changing things around at home, the answer is, uh… soon? There’s a practical reason behind this decision at least – the stitching is starting to split, which is a total pain and an indication that (though I hate to admit it) those dogs shouldn’t be allowed to romp around on it and generally treat it like their own personal bouncy castle. We’ll have to figure out a new arrangement for them; they’ll probably be relegated to the smaller sofa, which is slipcovered and less likely to burst at the seams. And so, if the red sofa is to be a dog-free zone and needs repairs anyway, I’m thinking why not reupholster it in a nicer colour and finish than it currently has? And have it tufted too, so that ultimately it will resemble Terence Woodgate’s Lansdowne Sofa [below]. You may now commence telling me what a loon I am.

DECORATING WITH PINK

While I don’t dress from top to toe in pink or own a pink iPod or mobile phone, I must confess to being a bit of a pink fan. Well, provided it's used in the right combination. I think it looks best alongside shots of lime, chartreuse and yellow for a fresh and zesty look; or teamed with brown or dark wood for a soft and sophisticated feel. I’m lucky enough to live with a big macho man who gladly permits pops of pink throughout our home. I wouldn’t exploit his easy-going nature by imposing too much pink on our interior though – he doesn’t actually like the colour and besides, pink overkill can be garish to say the least. So, where do you stand on pink? Is it a no-go in your home?

Courtesy of Firmdale Hotels in London, above and below are some examples of some pretty darn good-looking pink-infused rooms.

View Related Homebug Article : Pink & Lime

HOW TO : HAND PAINT A GEOMETRIC PATTERNED TABLE

Thank you all so much for your comments on my DIY table. It’s great to be able to post something like that and see what other people think. I sometimes find that I can get too close to a task to determine objectively whether or not the result is really any good. You know when you’ve invested so much time in something how sometimes you can’t bring yourself to admit that it’s a bit crap? So it’s cool to have positive feedback from you lovely folks to bolster my confidence! As promised, here are the full “how to” instructions (eat your heart out, Mary Fitzgerald). The only things you’ll need that aren’t listed below are some patience and a steady hand.

Equipment:
Rectangular Coffee table (the dimensions of the one I used are 100cm x 60cm)
Sand paper/E.S.P.
White Satinwood paint
Pencil and eraser
Metre-long ruler
Black paint, yellow paint, blue paint, red paint – you can use sample size pots of satinwood paint or craft paint suitable for use on furniture.
One fine paintbrush for outlines, and a thicker one for filling in.
Varnish

1. Depending on the coffee table’s finish, sand it or apply ESP. The coffee table I used had some sort of weird veneer, so I used ESP.

2. Paint the entire table with white satinwood paint. Apply as many coats as necessary for full coverage. Allow to dry completely.

3. Using a pencil and a metre-long ruler, measure and lightly draw a line half way across the tabletop, widthways. Measure and lightly draw eight lines down the tabletop lengthways, equal distances apart.

4. With pencil and ruler, lightly draw five lozenges, like so…

5. Paint the tabletop, using the colour key below. Apply as many coats as necessary for full coverage. Allow to dry completely. 6. Using an eraser, rub out any lines which remain on the white parts of the tabletop.

7. Varnish

8. C'est tout! Mais oui!

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