Building the dream in Ireland

A Cold Christmas

2010-12-28T21:27:00.000Z

Temperatures way below freezing all day Christmas Day!

the lived in look - part 1

2010-11-15T19:39:00.000Z

Had thought that I'd blogged my last about this house.......

but couldn't resist posting a pic of our family room fireplace on this cold and wet November evening.

(this pic from Atlanta Bartlet was the inspiration behind my fireplace)

Not too far off track, though my setting is a tad dark and moody I know (a situation not helped either by my dodgy phone camera / photography skills). That said I really love the reflections that cast across the walls and ceiling from our big Ikea PS Maskros (aka Dandelion) light.

And please correct me if I'm wrong, but in my opinion there just isn't anything that can beat the dancing orange flames of a "real" fire, when the nights turn dark and cold.

Thanks to everyone who has taken an interest in this blog and continued to email me about my house build project ~~saga~~ even though there haven't been any progress posts for so long ...think I've just gotten the blogging bug back!!

Nearly..but not quite

2010-08-12T23:58:00.001+01:00

Hoping tomorrow will be "THE" day we move. Still so much to do....the snagging list is still pages long but we are getting there!!

The oven housing is still a work in progress but am really happy

with how the kitchen is working out so far...love my walk-in pantry (there's masses of storage hidden around the corner!)

and is requiring some splashes of colour

and some clutter

a labour of love putting up the

Ikea dandelion light

will be back with more pics soon....

Sneak peak at stairs going in.....

2010-07-22T00:05:00.000+01:00

Should really wait to show you the stairs in their full finished glory. However, excitement has got the better of me today, so couldn't resist posting a pic. - Treads are solid ash and to my eye they are beautiful.

Notice I've gone for iron balustrading rods instead of glass.....well to be honest the glass would have been a nightmare to keep "smear free" and I had recently come across these pics which just nudged me in the direction of keeping it simple and smear free!!

first saw this pic over at apartment therapy

and this one at flourish design + style

and last but not least I'm still truly, madly, deeply in love with this staircase booked marked so long ago over at the wonderfully named STAIRPORN!!

I would have this staircase in my home in an instant, however building regulations over here in Ireland wouldn't allow such "squeeze a small child through" gaps in the balustrade....what can you do!!

It's not all black & white

2010-07-20T23:20:00.001+01:00

sneak peak at my daughter build-in's going in

She specifically requested blue (be her colour)
my three girls are all keen to differentiate their territory!

not a great pic of the Kartell Fly

it does look better in the flesh!

waiting for the two drawers at the bottom

the door fronts will be white

....and the inspiration behind this room...

fell in love instantly with this pic found over at cococozy.com an age ago. Think I'll be pretty damn close to stealing the style when the room is finished (result!)

kitchen catch up

2010-07-18T23:46:00.000+01:00

Still a way to go, hoping to be in by the end of the month
(fingers crossed)

Really happy with the colour....

I know battleship grey may not be to everyone's taste but I do love it!

Wardrobe Style to Steal......

2010-06-22T20:21:00.001+01:00

Loving

spied it here

and this quirky walk-in here

(love your boots too Susanne!)

spotted here

Perfectly simple solution

found it here

cute and colourful storage solution

spotted here

Saving the best til last

My favourite and my best...

A quirky & clever hidden wardrobe from the very talented Elaine Prunty more pics and a "step by step" as to how she did it here

Never say never...

2010-06-17T12:59:00.002+01:00

Utility Sink

Just had a mini change of plan in the utility room (and I thought I had everything sorted..ha ha!) Anyway, saw this gorgeous brushed steel beast of a sink, hours after I blogged about my inspiration for the utility room (so in my book that's fate telling me it's meant to be).

And yes you guessed it...I spotted it on ebay, where else do I shop these days! I certainly couldn't have laid my hands on something like this locally in Limerick.

I've been reliably informed that it's a sink produced for the US market, that was only on sale in the UK for a short period of time, or so the sales pitch went when I enquired.

I was given the make and model number by a very helpful Gavin & Andy from the CPSltdonline Ebay Store, it's an Astracast AP20XXUSUM. Armed with this info I googled away to find that indeed it was available for sale still in the US and with a whopping great price tag to boot!

So after another few emails back and forth between me and the lads to negotiate on price, then a couple to the lovely Margaret Holmes, who's organising my kitchen cabinetry to make sure it would fit, I decided to go for it and it became mine this morning!

So my utility will be something along the lines of this, I have similar floor but cabinetry will be white and sink brushed steel...can't wait!

OMG the thrill of the chase and bagging a bargain...I am becoming so additcted - I haven't even mentioned yet that I bought the Castello bath and managed to get a matching basin thrown in for £50 - if you google that for price, then you will understand my feelings of elation!!

the new bath

the matching basin

Hoping the man from the bank who comes to value at the end will appreciate all the swanky stuff and that ultimately these bargain buys and a great finish add value!!

Troubling Tiles

2010-06-16T18:06:00.000+01:00

It's on going....tiles just seem to pop up at random....even with the best adhesives we can lay hands on and with tiles and floor both thoroughly primed! Nightmare!

It all started off ok yesterday

Looking good

Then, see clearly here one tile just lifts immediately...the one next door stuck fast...????

This tile had to be lifted....at this point I left, couldn't take any more stress...especially with kids in tow!

I love these tiles so much....thought I'd paid my dues with the window saga...don't think I can take much more stress...

PLEASE JUST STICK!

my beautiful kitchen is due to be fitted in a week....oh the pressure is mounting

Utility Inspiration

2010-06-12T22:02:00.000+01:00

Remodelista

I have done my very best to steal the style of this gorgeous utility area, I have spec'd the folding doors and copied the cabinetry, sadly that amazing sink eludes and will be missing from mine!

Maybe it's a blessing that I just haven't been able to find one, as can only imagine the cost ($$$$$) so would only be torturing myself - sure it's one thing justifying a bit of a splurge on your main bath....quite another spending mega bucks on a utility room sink...no matter how fabulous!!

Funky Bunk

2010-06-12T14:57:00.001+01:00

Decided to go for this funky bunk bed for Eve's bedroom. She is now one very excited little girl and is already planning what she is going to decorate those shelves with!!

Contemplating

2010-06-10T23:38:00.055+01:00

"Verbier in a field in Limerick"

Castello Royal Bath & Dornbrach bath mixer

as seen in Richard Bransons "The Lodge" in Verbier, Switzerland!

Dithering at the moment (nothing new there then) as an opportunity has arisen to purchase this fantastic Castello Bath for our master bathroom...(it's a fantastic deal and I'm a sucker for a bargain...oh the dilemma, almost wish I'd never clapped eyes on it...I did say almost!)

I've already ebayed my way to ownership the very same Dornbracht bath/shower mixer as seen in the Verbier bathroom for a steal. Mr C is egging me on, but someone has to wear the sensible hat around here and for once that seems to be me (dangerous territory!)....oh just can't decide Heart says "love it, want it, buy it" Head replies "good deal but you already have a bath Mrs" and "overstretched budget fit to snap no matter how good the deal"

bath shown here in the latest edition of KBB Magazine

Ok, the blue wall papered background is so not me, but if we do go ahead with this bath we will have to mount the bath on a plinth, in a very similar fashion to the image above. The said plinth would be a necessity, as we would need somewhere to hide the waste trap as drilling down into the concrete (and recently tiled floor) at this stage isn't an option!

Need to go figure the cost implications of "the plinth" as well as the bath splurge and it's impact on the budget....

however in true Craggy Island style I'm so tempted to just feck the budget and have my own Verbier in my field in Limerick....well if they can have Las Vegas in the hills of Donegal...

Goats Don't Shave - early 1990's performance on The Late Late Show

Brick bone Mosaic Shower part 2

2010-06-09T18:56:00.001+01:00

Used some of the good old pebble tiles on the base of the shower. The pebbles mould particularly well to the slight gradient in the shower floor, which is needed for drainage.

The pebbles also provide a great non-slip surface

still can't quite comprehend it's only a few weeks to go til the house will be ready

scary!

even more scary perhaps is the fact that my 3 kids finish school for the summer tomorrow at noon, so much to do with kids in tow!!

Happy...

2010-06-08T12:59:00.002+01:00

I've been ebaying again

(what would I do with out it??)

This morning from the comfort of my living room in Limerick, I bought two of these retro sofas from a lovely lady in London.

They are destined for the kids games/play room. I just couldn't bare to put anything brand spanking new in there and to be precious about them taking a serious bashing from my kids and their friends.

I've always found black leather most forgiving (baby sick and most other kiddie gunk wipes off a treat!) and as a bonus with this pair, I really love the funky design, perfect for a games room (well I think anyway!)

So, I'm feeling very pleased with myself (read smug) to have got the two of them for a grand total of £300, which is way less than the cost of one of the sofas we were considering yesterday in Ikea.

*****

These sofas won't be perfect, I know that...but they'll have bags of character and I'll love them anyway....just like my kids!!

*****

It's been a while

2010-06-04T14:23:00.001+01:00

....since my last blog post and if I'm being honest I finding it difficult to know know where to start...good or bad first????

900 x 600 Brazilian Black Slate

The bad I think....we are currently having "issues" with the large format slate flooring not sticking (yes, sad but true....never been heard of before in the tiling world until "The Conlon House" but that damn slate just won't stick!)

the variation in colour isn't as pronounced as in this pic,the tiles were wet,

the lighter shade of grey is the true colour

Several brands of fixative have now been tested all with the same result - tiles don't stick!

We are thinking that it's due to the heat coming in through the huge south facing windows and sky lights.....sounds implausible to be fair, this is Ireland after all, but it can't be ruled out!!

Today's experiments are, 1) priming the back or each individual tile with a bonding agent and 2) laying a couple of tiles in the darkest, coolest area of the kitchen as a further "test" to see if sun/heat is really the cause of the problem. Will check on the progress tomorrow evening....keep your fingers crossed they've stuck!!

It's not all bad I suppose, I really like the tiles and am happy with my decision to use them extensively on the ground floor....now if they would just stick...is that too much to ask?!!

Brick bone Mosaic Shower part 1

2010-05-16T12:48:00.003+01:00

Relief

I like these tiles!

No tiling to the base of the shower yet...pebbles will be making an appearance as they mould really well to the curve in the floor. It will certainly be a unique walk-in shower, but I like!

Amelia says her tiles look a bit like bamboo! I'm taking it this is a good thing...

The tiles have curved really nicely where needed, this wouldn't have been possible if I'd chosen to lay them horizontally!

No grouting or sealing yet and Still a way to go with the finishing the bathrooms. This does not stop me now however, from growing increasingly impatient to see the actual bathroom fitting going in!

Ever fallen in love

2010-05-11T20:20:00.002+01:00

with a spiral staircase...?

Think I just have....

I'm prepared to be heartbroken though, get the feeling that this good looking chap is out of my league :-(( I'm going to send my drawings off anyway and see where we get to.....not going to talk myself out of it just yet!

I have been quite sensible with sticking to my budgets and juggling the whole way through this build, however this really is a nasty case of "just gotta have" no off the peg kit spiral staircase will compare to this one now....

(need to get a life really, grown woman obsessing about a bloody spiral staircase....get a grip Jo!)

saw the staircase here by the way

On a mission

2010-05-11T13:09:00.005+01:00

Have decided it's time to be decisive!

Both me and Mr C are in agreement(at last)over these lights from Zenza, have had them on my definitely/maybe pile for well over a year!! So now I've started the hunt to track down three of them to hang over our island in the kitchen. (similar idea to the image below...may hang mine at different heights though)

I've just fired off an email to the manufacturer in The Netherlands and am keeping my fingers crossed as I can't find a supplier for them here in Ireland.

I'm also mad about this water dispenser too

and the dinky little table top BBQ just to the right of the shot!

Loads more lovely lights and delights here, I could buy up their whole shop!!!

Thinking of getting a dog....

2010-05-09T10:51:00.000+01:00

I must be mad for even entertaining the idea, but coming under increasing pressure from husband and kids to agree to a dog!

How cute are these pups?!
Their images jumped out at me whilst "blog surfing" think I'm broody?

Apologies have lost link to credit this image

if it's yours please let me know

image found here

I am very aware that a dog is for life and not just a whim (no matter how cute)and is a major commitment. I also know that ultimately it will be me who will do the walking and general caring for of a dog - no matter how much my husband and children protest otherwise!!

Tonight I'm thinking....

2010-05-05T22:43:00.006+01:00

pic from the lovely Lotta Agaton

Oh I'm out of my "zone" at the moment for sure. After months of looking at other peoples gorgeous homes and interior design schemes I think I have gone into meltdown...lost the plot....

one minute its a black kitchen, the next minute its going to be white!!
I think I like pebble tiles....then I'm not so sure!
do I go for painted doors....or should I go for wood?
Do I really need coving....no...or maybe I do?
WILL IT ALL COME TOGETHER....????

I think I've lost my own sense of Style....I'm experiencing an

information overload

has this happened to anyone else??....am I alone in my total indecisiveness and absolute fear of the "interior design"???

Solar Panels are up.....

2010-05-05T09:12:00.001+01:00

Now if we could have some sun over Ireland instead of volcanic ash please!

The six flat panels equates to approx 15m2, I went for the in-roof option and flat plate over evacuated tube as thought they looked better and cost less! We are going to see how we get on with these and know that we can always upgrade to evacuated tube or whatever the latest technology is further down the line!

Amelia's Loft

2010-05-01T13:44:00.002+01:00

"disclaimer: I take full personal responsibility for allowing my child to climb up that ladder - Mrs C"

This is still a work in progress, we are still to decide how to incorporate both storage and access here! So high up too...but we've kind of gotten ourselves over that, just need to make sure the loft access is good & safe.

Some inspiration & ideas I've found on other blogs I follow

(seriously don't know what I'd do with out them!)

borrowed image from here

Like how the stairs above are almost vertical against the wall...this design would work well for us I'm thinking and quite practical & inexpensive too :-))

borrowed image from here

OMG where do I start with this one...LOVE IT, but not so practical and a much more of an expensive option. This is one to save for "next time" I think!

borrowed image from here

Another practical option, Amelia's loft is much higher up from the floor though than this one shown above. Do like the white painted ladder though...it's an option!

Good news I suppose, is I have another few weeks before I will need to make a decision on the girls lofts. Need this breathing space to do some budget juggling tricks.

Top of the list for cabinetry at the moment - bathrooms!! Bought undermounted basins for 3 of our bathrooms and totally forgot that I would need to budget for cabinetry and granite/marble tops to go with the damn things....oooops!! Hence sitting here nervously waiting for the quote to come in.

Black & White Delight

2010-04-28T21:49:00.004+01:00

Well it delights me anyway!

Credit to - Lotta Agaton (love her!)

I have a thing at the moment for browsing on-line at German Company Car Moebel as well as having just discovered the delights of TineKHome and Day Birger et Mikkelsen, my wish list is obscene friends...here's a sneak....

Love the black peg rail from car moebel

the b&w crockery from TineKHome

Love everything TineKHome!

Cushions by Day

Desk - Car Moebel

I'm really into the white painted floor boards too in these images...alas I'm fighting a losing battle with Mr C over white floor boards in the Conlon House, just can't convince him of their total desirability , he's adamant that they are just not practical...even with my compromise of having them fitted upstairs only!!

Til tomorrow...Mrs C x

PS see HERE for a great Day Birger post from Home Shopping Spy

U Turn

2010-04-27T13:52:00.003+01:00

Image - Lotta Agaton

Have made a quick about turn on bathroom tiling after learning the lesson that less is most definitely more when you're dealing with pebble tiles!!

Where I was contemplating pebbles in other bathrooms I've made a quick switch to a brick bone mosaic tile.

something along the lines of....

I'm finding all the tile choosing to be my least favourite bit of the whole house build so far. I suppose I'm taking another leap in choosing this 'broken down' brick bone mosaic tile over something a little more traditional and safe, like this one here....

Trouble is I'm not a huge fan of bathroom tiles full stop, but as all my bathrooms are in theory wet rooms (there are no shower trays or glass panels), tiles without any shadow of doubt become a main feature!

So even though I know that I may be leaving myself a tad exposed to the potential of these brick bone tiles turning out a little "Barney Rubble" my decision is made. Taking into consideration lessons learned, I'll be using these a little less liberally and keeping my fingers crossed!!

pebble tiles are.....

2010-04-26T16:34:00.002+01:00

"a pain in the ass"
(if you'd ask Johnny the tiler) and I tend to agree! They have been a right pain to install and on top of that I'm just not keen, there needs to be a bit of strategic removal for sure!

it all started off so well

The first few pebble tile sheets went on and it was smiles all round....I walked off happy at this point that pebble tiles were most definitely the way to go!

Trying to get the right amount of grout was tricky...too little and you can see the joins....too much and it hides the pebbles. Our current issue is finding the right sealer. The one I purchased (gallons of) is too matt. We need to find a suitable alternative that will give the pebbles a slight sheen.....answers on a postcard (ok gmail) please if anyone out there in blog land has any recommendations

This is roughly where we are at right now....the word "Flinstones" keeps on passing through my mind, no matter how much I try to replace it with the word "Spa". I'm hoping they will grow on me, I'm reserving my final judgement on whether 'pebble tiles must go' til I see the finished article, when the fittings are in and the walls and ceiling are painted white.

I should point out here that it's just the one wall of pebble tiles, everywhere else is going to a plain white painted finish.

luckily I'm happy with the flooring (huge sigh of relief there!).

Just as well really as the en-suites in my older girls bedrooms have this floor tile and tiling has started in there already...more pics to follow soon!

I've decided to carry on blogging regardless of my paranoia after the attempted break-in on site!!

Don't forget...any tips on a good sealer for the pebble tiles...drop me a line, Mrs C xx

**update**

Ok so now I'm looking at these tiles and definitely feeling the Fred & Wilma vibe...definitely O.D'd on the pebbles!! need to have a quick re-assess of the situation, some strategic pebble removal needed me now knows for sure!!

My Sixth.....

2010-04-24T12:25:00.004+01:00

Love

this picture

it will be forever a reminder of

How lucky I am

How hard I have worked

How beautiful my girls are

The sun does shine (if you're lucky) in Ireland

How we must try to restore the hedgerows we have destroyed!!

Thanks to Erica over at Moth Design for tagging me in her latest post, to join in I needed to look back to find the sixth picture I ever posted on my blog (didn't have to wade through too much as I'm still so new to blogging and quite sporadic in my posting!)......

Erica....not quite as glam as your "bar cart in the bathroom" but a very sentimental one for me!!

attempted break-in

2010-04-23T15:58:00.001+01:00

Hasn't been the best of weeks :-((

Have been really feeling the strain this past week of house build + 3 kids + husband away for 3 weeks (he made it back yesterday despite of volcanic ash fall out....relief!) only to find out today that there was an attempted break-in at the new house last night!

An attempt was made to start up the JCB...they smashed their way in as you can see from the photo but luckily failed in their attempts to steal or vandalise anything. Not a lot we can do really, just hope that this was their first and last attempt.

This left a nasty little taste in my mouth and has put me off blogging about exactly what's going on and going in at the house, don't want this blog to become an advertisment for every would be crook in the neighbourhood.....paranoia setting in now!!

Mmmmm Eve's Room I'm thinking.....

2010-04-14T23:14:00.001+01:00

This is Eve

{she is 5 and she's littlest sister}

This is Eve in her new room

some ideas for Eve's Room

We already have the colourful gypsy chandelier, it was purchased last summer {more ebay - love it!} I really can't say who's more excited at the thought of it coming out of it's box soon....Eve or me!

I've been on the look out and scouting round for ages to find some fun and bright bedding to complement Eve's chandelier {and that doesn't cost the earth}. I did see some things I liked at Vertbaudet but find it really annoying that they don't/won't deliver to Ireland.

However...da da da da daaaa...Zara to the rescue!! Delighted to find out that there is a Zara Home....it's on line....there's lots of things I like....for a fairly reasonable price....and they deliver to Ireland {not the cheapest delivery rates I may add, but free if you spend 200euro or more}

I Like this

this

and this

this

and these

so does Eve!!

girls about the house....

2010-04-11T21:05:00.029+01:00

Took the girls for a quick snoop round their new house on Saturday afternoon.

Our visit was cut very short as we came across an unexpected visitor who scared the life out of us...... a {HUGE} blackbird!! Can only think that he must have got in down a chimney, poor thing.

Anyway, there was a moment or two of slight hysteria, we are not a family who likes big flapping birds in confined spaces!! As you can imagine, no one wanted to hang around for long after the discovery, so here goes with some quick snaps from my camera phone.....

Eve in our family room (open plan from kitchen)

This was taken around 5pm at the beginning of April, so I'm hopeful this will always be a light filled room {even with a dark floor}.

This is Orla at the other end of the same room, standing right in front of where our tv will go.

I'm going to run low level wall to wall drawer units under the tv {these will be the same style and colour as those in my kitchen}. These units will disguise the paraphernalia that goes with TV's and will also be a place to hide the kids bits & bobs.

Girls in front of the fireplace.

I have been in love with this Altanta Bartlett fireplace for the longest time. This was most definitely the inspiration behind the big inglenook fireplace space in our family room above.

Think I tore this out of a copy of Living etc magazine, way back when I used to rip out pages for reference {I'm laughing 'cause I can even see a little black arrow that I've drawn in at the top....!!}

This is the stove that will go into my nook - it's a Stratford TF90B boiler stove.

we saw signs that second fix had begun.....

Amelia not looking impressed enough at our

walk-in pantry!

ducting for my

island extractor

the ducting has been in place since the concrete floors were poured {back end of last summer!} I was 100% sure that I wanted a down draft extractor and not a ceiling mounted contraption {sorry they are a pet hate of mine}.

I've just ordered an extractor like this

from De Dietrich

Will Leave you today with a parting shot of where my kitchen office will go...

There does seems to be a bit of debating going on out there in "blog world" about the need for these in kitchens. For me undoubtedly 100% the right decision....

Image: MarthaStewart.com via In My House Design

and hey if it's good enough for Martha, well then I'm in good company!

2010-04-09T22:31:00.001+01:00

Image via Lotta Agaton

Thanks to everyone who stopped by my blog this week

and to my new followers...yay I have followers!!

hope you all have a great week-end

xoxox

Can you tell the difference?

2010-04-09T01:04:00.026+01:00

Right, need to make a decision pronto on my light fittings (this week just the downlights...thank goodness). Choice is between

Deep - Wever & Ducre

and

Deep Ringo - Deltalight

The positions of the downlights are already decided upon (phew...ticked that job of the list a while ago). Just need to make a final call which light to go for....have narrowed it down to two options....ahhh why am I finding it so difficult to decided between the two....THEY ARE SO SIMILAR!!!

Can you tell the difference?? Even their names are almost the same! The main albeit small difference is that the Deep Ringo from Deltalight, is ever so slightly more recessed into the ceiling than the Deep from Wever & Ducre.

the look I'm attemping to achieve

found this image on splendidwillow.com - well worth a look at the rest of the house, if you haven't already!

Slightly off topic....I also loved this

Love everything about this room ....nothing I could possibly imagine embellishing on here.

The one element that did catch my eye in particular was the quirky access to the guest bedroom (your guests would have to be agile wouldn't they?!) Said bedroom is actually a little loft that you access by using the ladder.

My older two kids have a sleep deck similar to this in their bedrooms....Mr C is having kittens about how high up they are and how safe ladder access like this will be.....if it's good enough for this dream home...well.....Mr C I hope you read this!!

Tomorrow there'll be tiles....

2010-04-08T00:29:00.000+01:00

Bathroom tiles have arrived on site, and tomorrow "tiling out" commences. I have a morning meeting down at the house with Johnny, who'll be in charge of ALL the tiling (so he'll be kept busy for a good while!) Not looking forward at all to the early start (and with kids in tow).

Can't wait for July

We'll be moved in

Only 12 or so weeks to go

SO MUCH TO DO BEFORE THEN

** keep reminding myself that this is good busy and good stress **

Black & White Delight

2010-04-06T14:58:00.001+01:00

Well here's me wondering why I seem to have such a strong passion for Black & White........??

Newcastle United celebrating their

promotion back to The Premiership

Monday 5th April 2010

The answer then became crystal clear....I was born into it! Absolutely thrilled that there will be premiership football back in Toon soon.

And just in case I was in need of any further convincing of my passion for a bit of Black & White, I came across these today on Purplearea

and these on Apartmenttherapy

Back away from the black??

2010-04-05T15:06:00.005+01:00

Made this attempt at a mood board way back in September 09 and still love it.

After a lot of deliberation and much consideration of all the "back away from the black" comments I received from friends & family (and a couple of professionals) I've decided to heed the wise words of Billy Baldwin and am going to follow own my gut (instinct)and explore my dark side.

Be faithful to your own taste because nothing you really like is ever out of style. – Billy Baldwin

Creamy beige flooring be it marble, limestone, travertine or porcelain would be the choice of many in this neck of the woods. Black & grey slate, basalt and limestone tiles are not in high demand for sure...but I LOVE them. Maybe it is the Slummy Mummy in me convinced that a dark and footmark forgiving floor wont require the mop out quite as often as the cream marble? (I'm totally convinced this is true)

I like sexy rooms, and I don’t think all-beige is very sexy. -Billy Baldwin

I am a grown up, so do know that if I went with the light, bright and shiny polished marble (or similar) it would make for a brighter hallway and kitchen for the Conlon House, but thinking about it, just how much light does one really need?! I have large windows(and loads of them), high ceilings coupled with huge amounts of soon to be white painted walls, surely that counts, no? Do I really need Crema Marfil for that??

In the Conlon House you will see....Hall, kitchen & family room flooring like this. Dark(undoubtedly)but will be contrasted with large amounts of white walls remember...

Image courtesy of

Stone Tile Sales

A kitchen like this, charcoal black painted base cabinetry and a light reflecting worktop, huge swathes of white wall uninterrupted by wall cabinets (or industrial extraction!).

Sneak peak at the kitchen layout

The dark flooring in the main high traffic areas will be contrasted with brushed oak flooring in all the bedrooms, lounge & games/play rooms. In these rooms will be going for a neutrals with pops of brights (most likely featuring copious amounts of our trade mark cerise ...we are a family of four girlie girls after all!)

I'm happy enough with the decisions so far, and am working really hard at the moment to get the best (lowest)and final quotes in for the finishes I'm after. What I love is one thing, what the budget dictates is another!!

A person with a real flair is a gambler at heart. -Billy Baldwin

Here's hoping the chips on black gamble pays off,

Mrs C x

Read a great Billy Baldwin inspired blog post here on designsponge

Randoms from round the house

2010-03-30T23:03:00.001+01:00

Stairs & Landing

Looking down

Looking up

En-suite 2

Pebble tiles appearing here very soon!!

Stud & plasterboarding complete and feeling happy with how this bathroom has worked out so far :-))

Guest Bathroom

Not 100% on the built in shelving above where the wc will go?

Would it look better with just 2 shelves instead of three?

Was also thinking about putting a door on to hide any clutter....too many decsions already!!

Windows

exterior

Lounge is south facing so these windows let in loads of light, yes even on a grey wet day...and there are many of those here in Limerick!

The addition of 4 velux windows over the vaulted dining area was definitely the way to go - these were extras as originally I had not specified any. Again letting the light flood in whatever the weather in Limerick is up to ;-))

Another tweak of the windows here in the Games Room. Notice the side panels are split into two. This again was a late amendment.

We have a full heat recovery & ventilation system running though out the house which should negate the need to open a window for ventilation purposes.

So in theory this window unit could have been fully glazed with 4 symmetric panels that were fully fixed and no-opening.

However as you can see from the side panels that are now in situ, I opted to add a window either side that opens for both the sake of safety and the waft of real fresh air should I desire to sniff it!!

see what I mean about the weather!!

Busy Week Buying

2010-03-24T22:07:00.001Z

Ticked off the list this week

Sockets and Data

All the sockets and data points are from the GET Ultimate Screwless range and have now been purchased.
I have gone for a stainless steel finish with white inserts.
These have been ordered from an electrical wholesaler in England and should be on site ready to be installed by early next week.

Tiles for 1st Floor Bathrooms

Have gone for a Classic Flax Mix Honed Limestone (wow that's a mouthful) from MandarinStone and a white pebble tile from MarbleMosaics
Will be using the Flax limestone tile as the flooring in all the upstairs bathrooms and the laundry room. I'll be using the pebbles to tile out the inside walls and floors of the showers. They are all wet room style - NO GLASS!
Just didn't seem to have the energy or inclination to do something wildly exciting or different in each bathroom. I'm all for KISS at the moment, just Keeping It Simply Styled!
Tiles should be delivered first week in April.

Fittings for Master Bathroom

As if by magic these lovely Dornbracht Tara fittings appeared on ebay this week....who was I to resist!
Just one more part (the very unglamorous concealed element) for the wall mounted taps to secure and then thats it, the master bathroom is complete...well not quite, but you know what I mean....

Whoooohoooo Windows!!

2010-03-16T22:41:00.000Z

Long story as you know....but they're here at last!!

Our front door

Two tone grey aluclad on the exterior

white painted wood interior

all stacked and ready to go!

Little ones Big bathroom

2010-03-03T23:51:00.003Z

Today here's a little look around my youngest daughters soon to be bathroom. I'm so proud of my shopping skills (put to good use at last I hear my husband muttering!) in general on this project, but this bathroom in particular will be a notable achievement once completed.

(I'm going to use a light limestone tile on the floors and white/light pebble tiles in the shower and behind the bath.)

It has taken me a year to piece together bit by bit this bathroom, it started with this tap purchased way back in March 2009 - it was the subject of my very first blog post HERE

This purchase re-awakened my mad love for Ebay and the absolute thrill of bagging a bargain. I learned early on that the high end bathroom brands have the same code numbers for fittings worldwide, so it's relatively easy to piece together yourself from different suppliers as long as you know what you're after.

So armed with my encycolpedias of Grohe fittings I managed to track down the "royal flush" of taps, bath/shower mixer, concealed shower mixer and shower head. The set was complete this week with the arrival of the final elusive parts which I purchased on-line from Reuter Bathrooms in Germany, all the other items were painstakingly tracked down on ebay!!

THIS IS IT

Cute Sottini Alchemy corner bath...managed to squeeze this 1m x 1.5m bath in as well as the shower, it came brand new and with the matching bath panel (Ebay - Supplier 1)

deck mounted Grohe Atrio bath/shower mixer (Ebay supplier 2)

Catalano Zero Light basin - mine has towel rail and drawer - (Ebay - supplier 3)

Grohe Atrio basin mixer (Ebay - supplier 4)

Catalano Zero 55 wall mount wc (Ebay - supplier 5)

Concealed parts for WC - (Reuter Bathrooms - supplier 6)

Grohe Atrio concealed shower (Ebay - supplier 7)

Grohe Rainshower 210mm (Ebay - supplier 9)

Grohe Rainshower arm (Reuter Bathrooms - supplier 6)

Grohe Sena handshower (Ebay - supplier 9)

Grohe wall elbow & shower connector (Reuter Bathrooms - supplier 6)

Grohe Relaxa shower hose (Reuter Bathrooms - supplier 6)

I think I can quite legitimately claim to have "sourced" these items rather than merely "purchased" them. "Sourcing" seems to be the word of the moment in most of the 'housey' mags I'm addicted to (cutting down on the habit seriously though Mr C if you are reading this per chance). I'm now finding myself tutting away when reading the many articles detailing other peoples "projects" in which they claim to have "sourced" their items, when surely simply bought would be more appropriate (ooh get me tonight....meeooow!)

Apologies now for this rather long winded waffle of a post (I'm presumtious in assuming you've stuck with me this far!), this has been quite theraputic in reminding myself just how much effort I've put into this project and how in the most part I've succeeded in getting the max bang for our buck - there's no way, no how I'm going to let my window woes detract from that.

Recess

2010-03-01T16:51:00.001Z

Focusing on the positive, thought I'd give you a snap shot of progress down at the site. Things are still moving along, albeit at a slower pace these days.

We have decided to to flush mount our TV's in the family room and in the seating area in the kitchen. Made to measure niches have been created in the stud work to accommodate the TV's and slim profile bracket.

Anyone who remembers the size of our trusty old box at Butterlaw Farm, will realise they will have to be new TV's!! Hoping that I can make the budget do magic tricks so we are able to fill the niches we've created.....

Recessed TV's

This is where the idea came from...ripped this out of a magazine ages ago, the tv will sit in between the two windows in the dining area just like this (she says confidently!)

When the internal plastering started without any windows in situ, I did think we were asking for trouble. However, Mark my builder has been a master at keeping things progressing, which has been difficult to do when the house should have been water tight back in October. As you can see in these pics the walls and ceilings that have been plastered have now turned an almost dried out powdery pink.

Blow the Budget.....

2010-01-23T11:08:00.000Z

This week definitely goes down as the worst one so far in the great scheme of this house build, so what's a girl to do?? Well if you heed the wise words of Hannah Montana you "BUILD A BRIDGE AND GET OVER IT!"

Ok, so in an attempt not to dwell on the negative, I'm indulging myself in a little "fantasy house building" today...So actually it's not a bridge I'd like to build Hannah, how about this fab swimming pool for an extension! A little bit of daydreaming never did any harm did it?

via digsdigs

This pool is now officially added to the wish list along side the spiral stair slide and the tree house....cracking house that would be!

My Nothing Lights.....

2010-01-22T18:21:00.000Z

Still NOTHING to report window wise (how frustrating is that!) so I thought I'd let you see my Artemide NOTHING lights I bought this week. They were a great ebay bargain; they arrived brand spanking new and fabulously packaged and I'm delighted to say NOTHING like this this earlier ebay purchase here.

THE BLURB....

"The Nothing collection from Artemide Architectural is a series of recessed downlight with no visible fitting, the light sources appear to float from a void in the ceiling. The surrounds are made using plastering edging trims. Best used on suspended or false ceilings, the final plaster skim can be applied to the very edges of the light creating a sharp edge and a beautifully minimal aesthetic"

you can check them out here

I've got 3 of the single fittings going into the master bathroom and then a double and triple fitting in the dressing room. I would have loved to have used these fittings all over the house.....again the Big Bad "B" word put at stop to that idea, so as you can imagine I was delighted to nab these 5 fittings when they came up on ebay!!

Not a great day.....

2010-01-19T18:25:00.000Z

Really wanted to tell you that my windows are on their way.....but I can't

Received final quote for my Aquatherm Eco F34 stove....comes it at nearly £1000 more than I'd budgeted for (I need a special type apparently, which costs more...and I didn't factor in the previously unmentioned but supposedly necessary extras). Am going to have to have a little re-think about this one...heart is saying "I love it still" - head is saying "look at the alternatives"

Kitchen quotation came back......not quite as bad as I maybe expected....but still over budget.

Hoping tomorrow is a better day for all and trying to be thankful that whatever happens, it is really only small stuff as long as my family are happy and healthy!!

IMAGE VIA DESIGN IS MINE

What no windows.............

2010-01-18T15:30:00.003Z

It's time to

No windows today folks, I've been told that my windows couldn't be loaded for Ireland on Friday as the truck they had lined up to transport my 'precious cargo' from Austria was not big enough for insurance purposes...or something along those lines. I have been assured that 'correct sized' truck will be available tomorrow...

ain't counting any chickens yet but am taking the advice to....

there are far worse things happening in the world this week than windows not arriving!

Images from www.keepcalmgallery.com

tiling time is fast approaching........

2010-01-17T17:58:00.003Z

Need to decide pretty quickly now, just how I'm going to tile out the bathrooms. Didn't that come around quick! I met with Johnny my soon to be tiler last week and ran through with him my sketchy ideas of how I'd like things done.....then he gave me the brutal reality of the m2 I would need to cover...ouch that hurt!

I was planning to use oodles of mosaic tiles in the wet rooms and bathrooms.....that was until reality kicked in about the cost, as always am sticking firm to my budget, there's just no room 'Grand Designs' over-runs here! So since last weeks meeting with Johnny I've been frantically looking round on-line for ideas for something stylish and a little bit different that won't blast the budget into a trillion fragments like the Bisazza tiles I had in mind would have done!!

So this is what I've come up with.....PEBBLE TILES....what do you think?

I really like this "STANDING PEBBLE" tile as pictured above and the price point I've managed to track it down on-line at marble-mosaics. Have ordered some samples, I'm an avid on-line shopper and ebay queen, but I shall reserve my judgement as to whether "PEBBLE TILES ARE GO" until I have the samples in hand.

Spiral Slide Staircase....my kids would go wild for this!!!

2010-01-16T11:11:00.000Z

Just saw this amazing spiral staircase at freshome.com, and had one of those child like "it want it" moments!! This ranks alongside the treehouse on the wish list! The spiral I have specified (and budgeted for more importantly) is of the industrial style stainless steel variety...not quite as jaw droppingly beautiful or fun.....ahhhh next time eh?!

This picture has left me wanting to know more about this house and the family who live in it.....ooooh I'd really love to go "through the keyhole" at this address.

In love with this kitchen.............

2010-01-13T00:33:00.001Z

Have been back to the kitchen showroom today with this picture in my hand!! It has taken me forever to find a kitchen style that I feel fits us as a family...something a little off beat whilst still being family friendly. I'm thinking the grey gives this kitchen quirk factor as well as being a fantastic 'slummy mummy' hide the dirt practical colour!

We are still tweaking away at the final plans and costings....every thing is dictated by the "budget" at the end of the day....still keeping my fingers crossed that this "is the one"

Apologies I forgot to save the "source" of this picture that I'm so in love with.If you know who it does belong to please let me know and I'll credit it!

What every girl loves....shopping for sockets & data points!!

2010-01-10T23:20:00.003Z

On my never ending list of things to do is to specify the sockets for the house. Michael my electrician has made up this kind of sample board (see my pic below) which shows my room thermostats for the underfloor heating controls (there is one in EVERY room) and the QBUS switches for my lighting control system, along with a couple of samples of sockets.

The room thermostats and the QBUS switches come in a brushed steel "effect" finish and are both rather similar in appearance, so am searching for sockets with a brushed chrome or stainless steel finish and preferably 'screwless'.

Does anyone else out there think sockets are just damn ugly? does anyone else even care?.....(note to self "get out more"! )

Anyway the best of the bunch so far for me are also the most expensive (isn't that always the way?) and are not shown on the sample board, they are from the GET Ultimate Range and have the winning combination of being both screwless & flatplate.

PROBABLY THE MOST BORING SHOPPING LIST IN THE WORLD.....EVER!!!

80 X Twin switched socket

12 X Single switched socket

10 X 2 mod tv point

10 X 1 mod rj 45 data point

8 X 2 mod rj 45 data point

5 X 2 gang shaver socket

10 X 4 gang face plate

10 X 4 gang module grid

40 X Rj 45 module insert

19 X 5 amp lamp socket

10 X Switched spur c/w neon ( or not )

3 X 45 amp connection unit

4 X external socket ( c/w timer should client prefer )

5 X speaker connection plate

1 X central speaker community faceplate (1 no. 5 way )

16 X 2 gang faceplate c/w retractable or removable door*

*this fixture should allow items such as scart leads to be inserted and removed via a flush trunking.

I've emailed this list off to a few suppliers over the weekend, so hopefully should start to get some quotes back tomorrow (and hopefully within my budget...?!!)

Not sure about the curves....?

2010-01-08T12:02:00.002Z

Hadn't given the ceiling finish to the upstairs "vaulted" rooms too much thought until yesterday. Was slightly taken aback by the curved finish to the high ceilings......mmmm not sure....what do you think???

Ollie ...our plasterer....hard at work yesterday in sub zero temperatures.

We are so pleased with his work!

Just not sure about that curved finish to the ceiling though.....

Mr C quite likes it....makes this room have a bit of a Moroccan vibe he thinks!

just looked back over this post....maybe it is growing on me!

2010-01-06T02:08:00.010Z

Bedroom Colour Schemes
(That's not the right colour blue Mum!)

I'm attempting to nail down the general colour schemes for the girls rooms amongst other things at the moment. I know this may seem premature as my windows don't arrive until 18th January (oh how happy I will be once they are eventually fitted!) and plastering out can't be completed til windows are in situ. However Mark my contractor has tiling scheduled to start at the end of the month...yes that's right this month....as in January 2010!

That therefore brings me right back round to why nailing down the colour scheme is important, as I need to make sure tiles I choose for the girls en-suites fit in with the colour schemes of their bedrooms.....and with 3 very opinionated young ladies to deal with here, this is going to be one of the toughest parts of the build.

It's only natural I guess that the girls are both excited and exacting about "THEIR ROOMS." We will have been living in our rented accommodation for over 3 years by June 2010, when we are scheduled be moving in to our new house. So there has been very little in the way of 'creative freedom' in designing their own space during this time and they have now practically 'out-grown' their old bedroom furniture to boot!

"Bless This Mess"

It does make me smile when I think that we are building this great big family house, where they will each get their "big own space" that they claim to so crave. Then I laugh when I remember that they have just spent the whole of their Christmas holidays and every other school holiday during the past year, sleeping together in a rather 'dormitory' style fashion (through their own choice I may add) in my youngest daughters room!

My 8 year old daughter is the most decisive about what she wants for a colour scheme "Blue - Pink - Red - White = BRIGHT"

image via nurseryworks.net

image via madebygirl

This is what her room looks like right now...with her in it!

Can't wait to go to town on this room with some bright paint and prints

I'm especially loving PIP Studio at the moment,

see decor8 here and here for low down on this Dutch designer.

Loving this FL/Y pendant light by Kartell too. The ceiling is very high so the light fitting needs to be larger than life!

Love these........

2010-01-04T11:55:00.002Z

All the work of Anthony Burrill, you can buy these great wood block posters on-line here. The "WORK HARD AND BE NICE TO PEOPLE" is on my wish list for the new house, think it will look great in a black frame above my desk. Ok....just convinced myself to make a purchase decision (I'm not the most decisive of people!!)....off to find my purse right now!!

space saving stairs for the kids lofts

2010-01-02T19:19:00.005Z

I've spent too long today rooting about on line in the hope of finding some clever design features.....The main focus of todays big googling session was to find suitable access / staircase ideas for the kids loft spaces...these are my favourites so far

Funky take on a spiral

image via stairporn

"EeStairs have developed the 1m2® Staircase, a functional, stylish and safe solution designed to fit into openings of just 1m x 1m. Most spiral stairs pivot around a vertical post, and require an opening twice the width of the tread. The designers of this stair put the center post on a tilt, significantly reducing the size of the opening required.They are made of mild steel and can be powder coated in just about any color"
oooooh very clever!!

This set of stairs reminds me a bit of a climbing wall, I'm sure it's easy to climb up, not too sure about getting down?

Another contender.....simple and practical. With the addition of some balustrading this could be a winner for me..I'm thinking a contemporary run of safety glass up the side??

Another quirky design found at dwell

Keep watching to see what eventually goes in!!

Happy New Year to all,

Mrs C

Back to Blogging....time for an update!!!

2009-12-15T22:09:00.003Z

Haven't been blogging for a while, well for two months to be exact, so here's a quick update of where we are at now.........

The roof is slated and the family room has it's stone cladding

(check out the cute little chimneys too!)

You can probably see we are still waiting for our windows (don't ask!), they are now due to be fitted mid January. I was really upset about the delay initially, however it has given me a little bit of breathing space to do other things apart from "the house" in the run up to Christmas. The hectic schedule will pick up again at the beginning of January.

The concrete staircase is now in

They do look a little steep, but I'm keeping my fingers crossed that it will all come together once the chunky oak treads go on. Still can't decided on balustrading yet.

The treads that go on will make the staircase look something along the lines of this one.

I've just purchased the stairlights, they are called Quara Invisible Round from Mr Resistor

Am anxious to see what they will look like fitted, they are meant to be fitted flush into the wall, there should be no light fitting visible.

Just a few wires!

First fix electrics are now just about complete

Recessed light fittings have been chosen.

Have decided on a Wever & Ducre fitting called "Deep"

Next job in January is to decide on the style of sockets!

Loft space in kids rooms

Very cool...but....very high up!

both of my older girls have loft space built into their bedrooms....seemed like a great fun idea at the time, now they seem incredibly high up. We were just going to use a fixed ladder for access, something like this

with safety glass balustrade like this

Looking at the hight now we are thinking about maybe putting some type of fixed staircase or spiral in and maybe using a trapdoor for access....work in progress watch this space!!

Kitchen & Dining

Velux windows are fitted in dining area

would like seating like this to go where the x is on the wall above!

We've gone with 4 velux in the vaulted roof, these are a late amendment but am please we decided to go for them now, it will make the whole kitchen area so light.

looking down from the kitchen into the dining area

Well that's about all for now folks, will try to get a few more shots this week and then that's the site closed til after the Christmas break.

Bye for now and a Merry Christmas!

Mrs C

So Pleased with the Plastering....

2009-10-18T22:45:00.003+01:00

Am loving the monocouche render that's now covering the exterior blockwork.

It's a chalky off white colour, very Farrow & Ball (ha ha)...just perfect!

Limestone sills looking very smart....

pleased with my decision to upgrade from the concrete one's I'd originally specified.

and finally, the light nap textured finish to the render is just what I wanted
....not too heavy....not too flat....it's just right

Busy week on site ahead...start of first fix electrics for which I'm really not fully prepared for....exciting though!

Progress Report......

2009-10-12T20:14:00.000+01:00

A busy morning on site

laying the final ground floor underfloor heating pipes in the family room

concrete to finish the ground floor to follow this week

meanwhile men on stilts in the garage skimming the ceiling

The roof is taking shape nicely

Windows are due to be fitted on 27th October......

So there's still a whole lot of roofing to be completed between now and then!

....and finally, a cute gatecrasher from next door!

Struggling to Juggle

2009-10-01T20:35:00.003+01:00

This is my new mantra

image via famille summerbelle

I will get more time to catch my breath once this house is completed!!

I feel like I'm juggling one too many balls at the moment, and my heart is experiencing the odd palpitation just thinking about the consequences of any ball dropping!! My girls did their homework in the back of the car parked on site this afternoon whilst I had a quick meeting with Stephen my plumbing contractor. He has just started preparing the ground floor for underfloor heating, so just wanted me to confirm the exact layout of a few things.....I was 40 minutes and zero homework got done - no surprise there!

To be very honest, I have found keeping on top of my project somewhat difficult over the past couple of weeks. My energy levels are low, the length of my "to do list" is a joke and in general my enthusiasm has been dipping in favour of being just "mummy" to my three girls.

I don't know what would have happend if we hadn't opted for the "main contractor" route.....err yes I do, it would have been a DISASTER!!

Roof will be on and windows fitted in four weeks time, I'm sure I'll get a renewed surge of enthusiasm and energy once the house is weather tight and the internal works get started.....off to Dublin for a family weekend away from all things "house", so hope to be back on form Monday........

Roofers have arrived

2009-09-18T12:10:00.010+01:00

We are starting a new phase on site...the roofers have arrived

Most of the work carried out so far has been over the "east" wing of the house....(sounds very grand I know, but this is the easiest way to describe!) There are two bedrooms and lounge/play room at that end of the first floor and they all have vaulted ceilings.

I'm intending to use the space over the each of girls shower rooms to make a small loft area for sleeping. Something along the lines of this.....(of course no lovely oak beams in our concrete castle!)

Source - 25 Beautiful Homes - October 2009

I really like how they've used glass balustrading (another idea I'm stealing), it really lets the light in as well as making the area quite secure...it's along way to fall if you roll out of bed!

I'm hoping to squeeze in double mattress up there. It's going to be quite high up but that only seems to add to the excitement and anticipation for my older girls, access will be via a ladder very similar to this.......

source - 25 Beautiful Homes October 2009

Although a "pole" (think fire station rather than strip club!)was on the wish list after seeing this pic....

Great idea girls but Mum said a firm "NO!" to that one!!

source - Teen Zone by Judith Wilson

my first ebay disaster........

2009-09-17T16:34:00.000+01:00

Nightmare!!

This is how my WC turned up via DHL

Should have looked like this

You win some...you loose some!

Set in Stone

2009-09-15T13:06:00.002+01:00

The north facing exterior wall of the family room is going to get its stone cladding very soon. This is a detail the local planning department seemed to like and who were we object! I was a bit hesitant at first, at the thought of what seemed like "random" cladding, but would have been willing to clad it in cotton wool just to get planning approved if I'm totally honest! However I'm now almost converted to the idea.

The rational behind the cladding and indeed the shape of the house was to break up it's "mass" and impact on the local landscape, so to create the impression that it could have been a series of buildings joined together. Couldn't really see why the planners weren't keen on my initial plans and why it was necessary to go down this route.....however, now I see my house taking shape, I think they may have got it just right!!

Anyway, all this means that I now have to choose a stone to clad the said wall in. I've decided to go with a dry limestone finish, similar to this picture above. This particular limestone comes from Cong in Co. Mayo. A sample of this stone now needs to be approved by the planning office....hope they like it!!

Another Laundry Room Lovely......

2009-09-14T23:28:00.000+01:00

Bought this sign recently from The Contemporary Home. It will hang above the door to my laundry room....I'll always have a smile on my face when I enter....LOVE IT!

I Stole Her Style...............

2009-09-11T11:19:00.000+01:00

I have been following "The House that A-M Built" blog for a while now, and totally fell in love with A-M's walk-in pantry the minute I saw the post.....so much so in fact, I redesigned an area of my kitchen plan to have one just like it. There you go A-M, "imitation is my sincerest form of flattery"

A-M's kitchen and Walk-in Pantry

Mrs C's soon to be Walk-In Pantry

and for my next project............

2009-09-10T11:21:00.000+01:00

Probably the coolest tree house EVER!!

Image via bungalowinsanity

I'm too easily distracted on a day when I have a million and one tasks to tick off the list....however just had to share this with someone!!

I'd love a tree house like this never mind the kids!!

Progress Pics

2009-09-09T22:49:00.000+01:00

"Computer says"....we are 30% complete

Roofing is due to commence next week. I picked out the roof tiles last week, my roof shall be wearing Capco Berona, which is a fibre cement tile that looks like slate (can't really get excited about roof tiles!) I was shown the equivalent in Tegral, the Rivendale I think, but chose the Capco Berona as this was the most textured of the two options.

The house is rapidly taking shape all the internal walls upstairs will be complete by the end of this week. All my internal partition walls will be blocked rather than stud partitions, the benefits of this for me (well here's hoping) is greater sound proofing!!

Master Bedroom & Bathroom

This is the lovely Philippe Starck bath to go into the master bathroom

(another fantastic ebay bargain!!)

Image via architonic

I'm really looking forward to fitting out the kids rooms, it'll be fun that's for sure. I got some ideas from digsdigs.com a blog definitely worth a visit if you like this type of thing

For now you'll just have to use your imagination and try to see past that awful grey blockwork!!

Miss A.C's Room

There is a longish corridor into this bedroom

That's all for now folks...........BBFN x

BLACK & TAN.......inspired interior for the Conlon House

2009-09-02T20:10:00.000+01:00

Black is the Colour

(click above to hear the brilliant Cara Dillon version of Black is the Colour accompanied by the Ulster Orchestra)

Interior inspiration from the bottom of a beer glass

so apt on this wet, wild & windy Wednesday here in Co. Limerick

I'm getting there with a theme to tie the interior of the house together

I'm thinking...

matt black base units in the kitchen

Thick oak worktops

rustic black slate flooring

distressed wide plank oak flooring

stainless steel appliances

big white walls

open shelving

Squashy vintage tan leather sofas

so.......waddaya think?