Harmony Design Studio

Lovely accessories

niamhp — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 13:33:51 +0000

Colourful accessories like those pictured can be found at La Chaise Lounge a lovely interior design shop which is located in the Le Passage Pommeraye which is in the city of Nantes.

For more information about this shopping mall here’s the link http://www.passagepommeraye.fr the site is in French at present but there is an English version due, you can however see the layout and the architecture.

Oxfam Home

niamhp — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 10:35:16 +0000

I saw a clip on RTE TV last evening about the Oxfam Home project and thought it deserved a mention. Oxfamhome DIY is a project that will end with the individual pieces of furniture being auctioned.

Items of furniture have been selected and revamped by artists and bloggers, interior designers and journalists. Each item has been given a makeover and been brought back to life, each piece has incorporated imagination and style.

Further details about the project can be found at this link http://www.oxfamireland.org/shop/oxfamhome-diy/

Blanaid Hennessy is a freelance stylist, writer and blogger. Find her blog here http://www.blanaid.com/

The items can be viewed at Oxfam’s exhibition, which is in the Powerscourt Townhouse Centre in Dublin 2 until July 31st.

Pink Auction

niamhp — Sat, 24 Jul 2010 11:53:35 +0000

A fellow blogger who writes the blog on Breast Cancer, http://beyondbreastcancer.wordpress.com/ had a post earlier this week about the Pink Auction.

The post on the Pink Auction really touched me. There is not a family that has not been touched by this subject, so I put a comment on the blog that I would make a one off piece to offer for the auction, which takes place in October, for details about the event here is the link http://pinkcork.blogspot.com/

So I’d like to show you the clock that I’ve put together for the Auction. It’s pink, embellished with glass and features Swarovski Crystals.

If there is a demand for this style of time piece I will produce a limited number and make a donation for each one to the Pink Auction, as it is a wonderful event.

It’s a great life…

niamhp — Sat, 24 Jul 2010 11:34:35 +0000

It’s great when you get a welcome surprise. I was surprised recently when I was featured in the current edition of Munster Interiors, the article was written by Lorna of Garrendenny Lane Interiors. Lorna writes a Blog Watch article in the magazine, she is a blogger and shopkeeper at the online shop http://www.gdlaneinteriors.ie/

The article link is here http://www.gdlaneinteriors.ie/blog/index.php/2010/07/3948/ So if you’ve come by this site as a result of the article in Munster Interiors then “Welcome, do leave a comment and say Hello”

Now I’m off to check out Lorna’s other recommendations!

Summer living…

niamhp — Fri, 02 Jul 2010 15:40:59 +0000

Liven up your summer. As we look forward to the long summer and spending days in our gardens, this is the time of year when we can treat our outside spaces as rooms and extend our living areas.

No matter what size of outdoor space we have it can be used for a wide variety of occasions and can be decorated in a number of ways to demonstrate our personalities. Our gardens and patios can be used for entertaining, relaxing, playing and enjoying spending time together.

Colour can play a very big part in this area of our lives, whether in the form of planting and flowers in bloom or indeed colourful planters, in a variety of colours and finishes. Our outdoor furniture can also show our personalities and add that all important colour and vitality to our living space.

These areas are not only for use by grownups, but can also be enjoyed by the children, whether having a picnic on the grass, or with the use of toys and play areas.

Using our outside space as a dining and entertaining area can be a great way to spend time. There is a large variety of colour in the form of picnic sets, salad servers and even glassware available which can add atmosphere and bring your scheme together.

Lighting can be added whether in the form of fairy lights or colourful lanterns, be aware of the safety issues though and make sure that these items are suitable for outdoor use.

Another way to use colour in the outdoor space is with brightly coloured bunting, similar to that pictured, which is normally stocked by Mabel & Violet the online boutique shop. Also available are many items to create the perfect outdoor space, lovely picnic baskets or garden lanterns. Whatever style you’re looking to put into your garden this summer you are bound to find something special at Mabel & Violet. www.mabelandviolet.com

Enjoy the summer.

Photo supplied by Mabel & Violet, www.mabelandviolet.com

Eco Fabric

niamhp — Thu, 03 Jun 2010 18:29:08 +0000

We are all very conscientious of the food we eat and whether or not it is organic. But if we’re thinking about the sustainability of the planet and the ecology and use of land and water, then we must consider the fabrics that we use.

I was carrying out some research in this very area when I remembered meeting a lady who produces organic cotton fabric for use in interior design. I meet her at the Ideal Homes Show a number of years ago and earlier today I phoned her and also revisited her website. I gathered a lot of valuable information for my project, but also decided that this topic should also be discussed in general from an ECO point of view. The lady in question runs the website Eco Creations http://www.ecocreations.ie/

So spread the news - organic cotton is available and Fair-Trade organic cotton is available you just have to search it out.

National Enterprise Week

niamhp — Thu, 27 May 2010 22:55:11 +0000

I’m delighted to let you all know that I’m taking part in the Show Your Business event at the Bank Of Ireland on the Main Street in Blanchardstown, as part of National Enterprise Week, I’ve been there most of this week and will be there again tomorrow.

I have a range of my clocks on display, so if you are in the area and would like to view them, then do drop by and say hello.

Art Exhibition this weekend

niamhp — Thu, 22 Apr 2010 22:05:46 +0000

I’ll be taking part in an art exhibition this weekend along with thirty six other artists, the venue is Arch. Ryan SNS at Balgaddy, Lucan. The exhibition is being opened by the Lord Mayor of South County Dublin at 7.30pm on this Friday, 23rd April.

The exhibition runs on Saturday from 11am til 5pm and again on Sunday from 11am til 5pm.

I am exhibiting a number of watercolour paintings along with a craft stand displaying my range of clocks.

Do say hello if you happen to be around and drop by.

Interior Design Articles

niamhp — Wed, 07 Apr 2010 20:14:19 +0000

I’m pleased to let you all know that I am now a contributor to the Child and Parent focused free magazine which is distributed to schools and businesses in the the Kildare and West Wicklow area. The magazine is called Optimum and the link to their site is www.optimummagazine.net

The launch issue was released just before the Easter Holidays and the next issue is due out prior to the Summer Holidays. I’m happy to receive suggestions for the next article or answer any interior design questions in the OptiMum Interiors section.

Its a wonderful magazine packed with useful information and valuable articles that are child focused.

A worthy event.

niamhp — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 16:42:15 +0000

Those of you who know me well, would know that my son is involved in martial arts, and there is a very worthy event taking place in the martial arts calander this very weekend 5th to 7th March 2010. The Irish Open 2010 International is an annual event, held at around this time with the ISPCC benefiting.
The new venue for this year is City West Conference Centre, but being a bigger venue it requires a larger audience to …fill the venue. There are international teams arriving all week to take part.
This is officially the largest martial arts event in World and though attracting an audience would be great, any sponsors that would like to come on board would also be very welcome. There are 2150 participants from 31 countries, with many international names attending again as in the past.

Again any help in promoting this event would be greatly appreciated. The event will be opened by Pat Hickey Olympic of the Council of Ireland at 11am on Sunday 7th.

Further information can be found at http://www.irishopenonline.com