April Random Round Up

The Drinks Business did a feature on A Drink of One’s Own, a book of cocktails inspired by great literary ladies. I like the sound of the Virginia Woolf and the Zelda Fitzgerald.

Here’s a terrifying article on Vanity Fair about Elon Musk’s billion dollar crusade to stop the AI apocalypse: ‘Many tech oligarchs see everything they are doing to help us, and all their benevolent manifestos, as streetlamps on the road to a future where, as Steve Wozniak says, humans are the family pets.’

As a result of that article I started following the brilliant Twitter parody account Bored Elon Musk, ‘thoughts and inventions from Elon in his downtime’: ‘News app that connects to a blood pressure monitor and adjusts your feed accordingly.’ and ‘Podcast app that connects to Google Maps and finds you a perfectly timed episode based on your commute.’ have been two of my recent favourites.

These floor plans of famous TV homes are kinda fascinating. If I could choose to live in any of them it would be Frasier’s, and not just because it’s one of my favourite shows.

I reviewed Big Little Lies on the blog yesterday and the always brilliant Anne Helen Petersen talks about Nicole Kidman and her performance in this article for Buzzfeed: ‘There’s a subtle implication that when a woman, especially a beautiful one, makes her way onscreen, it’s usually because of her looks or her body — not her talent. When a performance speaks truth to that lie, it’s a revelation.’

I adore stationery and collect notebooks, justifying it to myself because I need them for writing. I may also have to justify a couple of these sets of pencils from LZPENCILS on etsy. The sets are themed and each pencil has a different saying engraved on it. The Beyoncils are a great gift for any Beyonce fan but I want the Harry Potter and Heathers sets.

Colossal hits our screens in May. It’s a science fiction comedy whereby Anne Hathaway manifests as a giant monster terrorising South Korea. It sounds bonkers, it looks bonkers, and I can’t wait!

That’s all from me for April. For those of you in Ireland have a great Bank Holiday weekend!

February Random Round Up

Can you believe that in a few days it’ll be March already? I’m still hoovering Christmas tree needles off my floor! A good friend of our family’s used to say that after a certain age you only get six months out of the year; I’m beginning to understand what he was getting at.

Anna Nicole Smith died ten years ago this month and there’s a great article on Buzzfeed looking at her life and legend: ‘The woman rose up, made powerful by beauty, and then found herself falling, her beauty fading, her power eroding, her ugliness as she tried to cope with this loss providing spectators with the reassuring feeling that such power is never really worth having, if losing it looks like this.’

Also on Buzzfeed, some handy diagrams for home decorating, including everything from the best indoor plants to optimal placing for rugs.

Speaking of decorating, I use Pinterest for interiors and home decor. My ‘library’ board grows by the day! Do you have tips for anyone amazing I should be following?

I’m really looking forward to the TV adaptation of The Handmaid’s Tale, Margaret Atwood’s classic dystopian novel, starring Elizabeth Moss and Samira Wiley. It debuts in America on April 26th so hopefully it’ll be picked up here soon after.

I’m also very excited about Ryan Murphy’s newest series Feud starring Jessica Lange and Susan Sarandon as Hollywood legends Joan Crawford and Bette Davis who famously hated each other. It premiers in the US on Sunday 5th March.

The trailer for Sofia Coppola’s newest film The Beguiled was released this month and it looks creepy and claustrophobic and brilliant. It has an amazing female cast and also stars Colin Farrell who just seems to get better with age. It hits our screens in June.

And lastly my dad’s show NewBliss is on in the John Field Room of the National Concert Hall on Tuesday. If you haven’t picked up a ticket yet, get on it!

Have a great weekend!

Christmas Random Round Up

After the nightmare that was 2016 I sincerely hope that Multiverse readers are looking forward to a relaxing and joyful festive season. In case you’re looking for something to while away your time over your holidays, here are some suggestions. I look forward to seeing you again in 2017. Squillions of love to you all.

The above video is a cute interpretation of a classic and one that is a tradition amongst me and my best friend’s family. It always makes me think of her.

A recent and hilarious Vanity Fair article on Trump Grill(e): ‘And like all exclusive bastions of haute cuisine, there is a sandwich board in front advertising two great prix fixe deals.’

I’ve become a huge fan of Taffy Brodesser-Akner‘s writing and this article on sugar dating (published last year in GQ) is just brilliant: ‘A thing you should know is that there are very few people to root for in this story.’

A great Harper’s article on the 80s literary Brat Pack: Jay McInerney, Bret Easton Ellis, Donna Tartt, et al. ‘One member would go on to win a Pulitzer; one would become better known for controversy than fiction; another would exemplify the excessive highs and very public lows of the decade; and another would slowly fade from view.’

I’ve read so many books this year and as always I try to read a mix of recent and classic fiction. Some were terrible, some were superlative and a lot of them aren’t even worth talking about. Here are a few of the books I’ve really liked but not gotten around to reviewing in depth, (if you click on the links they’ll bring you to reviews of the work in question): Beware of Pity by Stefan Zweig, Spill Simmer Falter Wither by Sarah Baume, Devoted Ladies by Molly Keane, The Eden Express by Mark Vonnegut, The Enchanted April by Elizabeth von Arnim, Hallucinations by Oliver Sacks, The Sea, The Sea by Iris Murdoch.

I’ve been a bit obsessed with this Thundercat song for months, even though it was released in 2015. The Prince influences and the 70s disco vibe combined with the funk bass-line all coalesce into an infectious groove.

Anyone browsing Netflix should put White Girl (Kids for Millenials), Black Mirror (dystopian tech nightmare), The Crown (sumptuous period drama), Love (Freaks and Geeks all grown up), and Daft Punk Unchained (documentary about the electro legends) on their list.

Go Fug Yourself is one of the websites I have visited daily for many years now. This year I particularly loved their AbFabtrospective and their SWINTON retrospective (Tilda being one of my sartorial heroines).

Lose yourself browsing the archives of Hooked on Houses, a website devoted to gorgeous homes, from celebrity abodes to houses featured in movies and random real-estate inspiration.

And now it’s time for my sister’s family’s favourite Christmas song, Nobel prize winner Bob Dylan singing a Pogues-esque polka version of a 60s classic. It’s barking and brilliant! Enjoy!

Timorous Beasties

I was very very late to the Pinterest game, only joining it a few months ago. I joined for a work project I was doing and then got into it in a minor way. I mostly use it for saving inspirational images of interiors stuff, like wallpaper, libraries and writing rooms. If you’re at all interested in following me, you can check out my boards here.

While perusing images of wallpaper I came across a company called Timorous Beasties, a Glasgow based company which has been in existence since 1990. It was founded by Alistair McAuley and Paul Simmons who met as students in the Glasgow School of Art. Their studio is now an award winning endeavour and their long client list includes Famous Grouse, Nike, Fortnum & Mason, Philip Treacy, Christies, Claridges and the V&A.

Timorous Beasties’ aesthetic encompasses humorous and irreverent takes on traditional designs (their Glasgow Toile being a great example) and more straightforward homages to classic motifs. Wallpaper was their starting point but their range now includes fabric, cushions and ceramics. I spent an hour browsing their online shop and imagining the day when I would have an enormous house with a room big enough for one of their eye-catching fabulous designs.

 

Papillon De Nuit Wallpaper

Topical Tropical Superwide Wallpaper

Edinburgh Toile Wallpaper

Napoleon Bee Wallpaper

Blotch Stripe Wallpaper

Superwide Iguana Wallpaper

Niamh Barry

I first came into contact with Niamh Barry many years ago when we both had jobs in the Crafts Council of Ireland. Working part-time in the shop was my job right the way through school and college (and the longest position I ever held, totalling twelve years!), and Niamh also worked there part-time while simultaneously making her art.

Last year I saw an incredibly beautiful lighting piece on Instagram and when I clicked on the picture, I found out that the artist responsible was Niamh. Niamh now creates custom light sculptures, both for private clients and for businesses (you can see one of her pieces in Optica, on Dawson Street). In addition she has exhibited extensively internationally.

I have a very very high ceiling in my kitchen which I had thought I would fill with an interesting chandelier, but no more! Now I dream of a piece by Niamh and when my budget allows I’ll be contacting her to commission something unique, timeless and beautiful.

NASA Visions of the Future

I saw these amazing space-travel posters on a friend of mine’s Facebook feed and knew that I had to spread the word a bit further. They can be found on the NASA/Jet Propulsion Laboratory website and there are fourteen of them. ‘As you look through these images of imaginative travel destinations, remember that you can be an architect of the future.’

There’s a bit more on the design of each poster available here. The NASA design team took inspiration from the iconic WPA posters from the late 30s and 40s. Despite the retro feel, these posters were created and released earlier this year.

And the best part? They are available to download and print FOR FREE! How generous is that? I don’t know about you, but I’m definitely getting a couple of these printed and framed for my walls. View and download them here.

House of Hackney

I have a couple of small chairs in my house that need to be recovered and I have been searching for upholstery fabrics online. A friend of mine (with impeccable taste) introduced me to House of Hackney, a British company founded in London in 2010 by  Javvy M. Royle and Frieda Gormley. Their aim was ‘to take the beige out of interiors’, and create high quality fabrics with an emphasis on original prints and design. Since their launch they have branched out into fine china, furniture and bathroom accessories.

The design collections range from straightforward stripes, whimsical animal prints featuring storks, monkeys and sloths, through to ferns, bright tropicals, and vintage inspired florals. I have fallen wholesale in love with the House of Hackney aesthetic and am definitely purchasing some of their fabric for my chairs. The fabrics are expensive, as befits the quality, but they make a design statement and are perfect for a small item of furniture or a pair of blinds. (And when I eventually have a very large house, I’ll definitely be using the Tarovine Midnight wallpaper for my dining room.)

PAMPAS wallpaper

HACKNEY EMPIRE wallpaper and upholstery fabric

PALMERAL wallpaper and upholstery fabric

TAROVINE upholstery fabric and LONDON STRIPE wallpaper

The Velveteen Rabbit, Dublin

The Velveteen Rabbit was one of my favourite books as a child and now it’s also the name of a gorgeous furniture store in Dublin. The shop is the brainchild of Zoe Carney, a fashion and design professional from Dublin, and its first incarnation was a pop-up shop on Baggot Street for a few months last year. Spurred on by its success, Zoe has created a warehouse space in Harold’s Cross and an online shop, showcasing the collection of furniture and decoration for sale, and items available for prop hire.

There are stunning pieces sourced from France, Hungary and Sweden, and Zoe has reconditioned some of the antiques, putting her own distinctive signature on the collection. The shades of blue and green and the aged patina give the pieces lots of character. Zoe also offers a reupholstery service so if you fall in love with a fauteuil but don’t like the colour, you can have it changed to suit.

The Velveteen Rabbit is located at Home Studios in Harold’s Cross and open by appointment from Wednesday to Saturday. Click on the pics to be taken to the items on The Velveteen Rabbit site.

1930s White Patine Louis XVI Fauteuil

Green Transylvanian Table

Vintage Siphon Bottles

Vintage Dutch Trestle Table

19th Century Hungarian Printer’s Drawers

Antique Hungarian Sideboard

Tips for New Homeowners

It should tell you a bit about my lifestyle that when I moved into my very first house last year, I arrived with four vases, three bottle openers, stacks of clothes, art and books, and not much else! No crockery, no cutlery, saucepans or pots, no towels, in short nothing that would be of much practical use. Since moving in I have remedied this so that now I can at least have people over for dinner, however my house is very much a work-in-progress and many items are still required, e.g. I do have the world’s comfiest bed but no television (again that should tell you a lot about my priorities).

Anyway as a result of my fifteen months’ experience I thought I’d post a few of the tips that I would pass on to any new homeowner. Hope this helps!

Before you move in, gather inspiration from around the web.

A few months before I moved in I started to save images of interiors that I liked in folders on my laptop: one for living rooms, one for bathrooms, etc. When browsing through these folders, I began to see patterns emerge; the same palette of colours kept cropping up, along with similar styles of furniture and decorating themes. It helped to focus my mind before actually buying anything.

Notice how you use your space.

One of the benefits of moving in with just a few items was that my house was uncluttered. After living in it for a while it was easier to see where I needed shelving, the best places for storage, where a table should go, and all the other practical things I required. In addition, after a few weeks you begin to notice how the natural light hits your rooms at different hours of the day and therefore the best places to put lamps. Rather than rushing in and cluttering your space with things that may not work, I’d recommend taking your time to avoid mistakes.

Live in the house for a while before you commit to expensive pieces of furniture.

When I moved in I had to spend money on basics such as a toaster, kettle, crockery and cutlery, etc., and so I bought a relatively cheap sofa from IKEA thinking that it would do for a while. After a few months I realised that the sofa I bought was way too big for for my teensy living room. I’m planning to buy a new sofa next year and am looking at vintage sofas that I can have recovered (DoneDeal , Oxfam Home and Table Lighting Chair will be my resources) or potentially getting one made by Orior, an amazing furniture design company in Ireland.

The best source for DIY tips is Youtube.

Seriously! I have learned how to take apart and unblock my drains, how to remove rust from stainless steel, and the best way to prune an orchid all as a result of Youtube tutorials. In my experience, video tutorials are so much  better than written ones because you can see each step and the end result. If you have a home related problem, I’ll bet you’ll find the answer on Youtube.

And now for a bit of visual stimulation. Below are some of the things on my wish-list for 2014. (Click on the pics to be taken to the items on the original site.)

This sofa is exactly what I’d like: small, blue-grey and velvet. Bet I can find a similar one much cheaper though! (Ines Cole at Rockett St. George)

A design classic at an affordable price which would be ideal for my living room (Eames Occasional Table at Rockett St. George)

Luxurious linen bedding (Designer’s Guild)

I have always loved mercury glass and this lamp would be great in my living room. (Silver Soda Bottle Lamp at Rockett St. George)

Halloween on etsy

I was walking through my neighbourhood yesterday and I saw a couple of houses decorated for Halloween, including one amazing one festooned with cobwebs and covered in enormous spiders climbing the outside walls. I must take a pic and stick it on instagram – it’s that good!

It got me thinking about my own little house and how best to decorate it. I always love carving a pumpkin but I’m thinking I might add a couple of extra details this year. I went onto etsy and found some brilliant ideas, from simple but spooky candles through to a downloadable PDF for printing a cool garland. Click on the pics to be taken to the items on etsy. Enjoy!

“Name Your Poison” plates by AustinModern

Morphine Mug by Skullbag

Downloadable PDF for Skull Halloween Garland by The Doll City Rocker

White Beeswax Skull Candle by Catfish Creek Candles

Ghost Shadow Tea Light Holder by Feel My Craft

Blood Candle by Moody Wicks