Nest Egg

This is an article I wrote for Comhnasc, The Quarterly Journal of the RTAI, Retired Teachers Association of Ireland, September 2011

The Nest Egg, that little pot of money you have worked for all these years, sitting waiting for its glory day!

Nesting conjures images of a luxurious comfortable home with cosy corners in which to sit and while away an afternoon reading or napping, a busy fragrant kitchen with seating for good friends to enjoy a glass of wine or cup of tea while you cook up a little light lunch or dinner, and most important of all, the well feathered nest will have the comfiest of bedrooms.  The egg in your nest egg is the rejuvenation and rebirth of something, perhaps the redecoration of your home, and finally getting it to be the place of comfort and relaxation that you always wanted it to be but were too busy to do… until now.

Making this dream come true is an exciting challenge, however if you are not used to it, decorating decisions can weigh heavily on your mind.  Costly mistakes in an area where you are not experienced are a big worry and can cause much stress.  Be gentle on yourself and get help from an expert.  An experienced designer such as myself will listen carefully to what you want to achieve, observe your lifestyle, and come up with a design solution that brings to you the stylish home you desire and that you are proud of, while working to your budget.

In the meantime, there are some simple improvements you can make yourself.

A major declutter and a lick of paint will revamp your room with instant results.  Create a calming background using neutral shades of creams and beiges, and then you can use accent colour in your accessories throughout the room.  For example, use a pale blue to create a cool, calm and elegant ambience.

Have fun adding to your scheme as time goes on.  Pick up beautiful souvenirs from wonderful day trips or trips to the sun, such as paintings of local scenery, cushions in your accent colour, shells from the beach, handful’s of lavender from Provence and of course take lots of photos of happy times and memories.  Put them into beautiful frames and layer them on side tables around the room to remind you on a daily basis of good times and loved ones.

Throw out your old chipped tea set and glasses and invest in new china and stemware or dust off your best Wedgewood and Waterford and use them more often.  Use your best table cloths and linen for elegant dinner parties or afternoon tea, and fill your crystal bowls with interesting nibbles (chocolates, sweets or dips) or fresh fruit.
 
Always treat yourself to fresh flowers, even if it’s a little posy from your garden or stolen from the local hedgerow. 
They are sure to make you smile.

Inspirational

I have always been fascinated by hotels.  By good fortune my first job after college was working on the construction of the five star Hotel des Artes in Barcelona. A magnificent erection in Barceloneta, the hotel parallels the Mapfre building standing beside it, creating a visual ladder to the heavens on the seafront of Barcelona.  Back then there was nothing but an unkempt beach and tiny streets.  The area has since been developed into an amazing tourist area, lush with seafood restaurants, clubs and bars spread around a marina of happily bobbing expensive white yachts. 

Nothing gave me more pleasure years later than to return to the place of my initiation into the world of construction, and the place of me learning to curse, well that's Kentz and building sites for you!  I enjoyed a champagne cocktail or two in the hotel bar overlooking the sparkling gold fish and the blue sea!  For €18, the little slender glass of bubbles arrived with juicy strawberries dipped in choclate.  No doubt it cost almost the same as my first days pay there those years ago.   

As a buyer with Kentz on the project, my aquisitions varied from electrical cables, ducting, sanitaryware, generators, electrical tools and huge overhead cranes that needed a permit, to more luxurious materials like the gold taps and fittings for the elegant bathrooms.  One beautiful light fitted in the hotels shopping arena stays in my mind.  Over a sweeping fairytale staircase hung one solitary light fitting in the shape of a daisy.  Beautiful long white glass petals met in the gold centre. 

My fascination with interior design was born.  

http://www.hotelartsbarcelona.com/