Welcome

This issue we embrace Viva Magenta the new Pantone colour for 2023. This bright, joyful colour is definitely one for the brave, and whether you choose to drench walls in this vibrant hue or simply add a few well placed accessories, it’s guaranteed to cheer up your interior spaces this year. However, by all accounts we are becoming braver with our colour choices, and 2023 interiors embrace the use of colour, so even if pink isn’t for you, there’s plenty of bright, bold hues to play with. As well as colour, pattern is also set to bring interest into our homes, as is the continuing trend for curved furnishings and features. Children’s bedrooms certainly lend themselves to these colourful, playful interior trends, so even if you aren’t brave enough to try them elsewhere, you could certainly add some Viva Magenta, fun prints and patterns into your little ones sleeping spaces. We have four more homes to inspire this issue as well. On the cover, the contemporary home of Matty and Tiffany Rea on the shores of Belfast Lough is a stylish self-build which they actually intended to simply renovate before making the decision to knock it down and start over. We also visit the sympathetically restored farmhouse of Shane and Kate in Rathdrum, as well as the renovation of Sarah and Gordon’s Dublin property. In Kenmare another contemporary self-build by homeowner Christina Foley celebrates the work of the talented builders and craftspeople in the area.
In our living section we chat to Zelia Madigan founder of new ethical Irish homeware brand Conscious Convert as well as highlighting our regular selection of Irish brands and makers. We also feature recipes from Neven Maguire’s new cookbook ‘More Midweek Meals’. Marty O’Neill catches some sun in Tenerife, while Conrad McCormick offers advice on how to attract wildlife into your garden. Enjoy!