Niamh Conway

DIY Christmas decorations As Christmas break is just around the corner and Christmas Day is fast approaching I thought it would be the perfect time to put together some of my favourite DIY Christmas decorations. Why not take a look and maybe give some of them a go yourself!  An old picture frame painted with some Christmas decorations attached.  How cute! A great idea for the kids. Christmas ornament wreath. Reindeer's made from wine corks Yes, they are just wine glasses turned upside down - genius!  Enjoy!

For a recent college project I had to design a kiosk. I got my inspiration from the kiosk pictured below. This kiosk was designed by a London based architecture firm, Make. It was based on the concept of origami and the final result is far from your average box-like kiosk. The kiosk was created in response to a brief which asked for the something that would stand out and enhance the town's street and be a positive addition, even when closed. Below I have inserted a link to a video clip in relation to the kiosk, feel free to take a look. https://vimeo.com/85823691 Model of origami based design Model of Make kiosk Finished version of the kiosk Side view of opened kiosk Side view of closed kiosk Kiosk view from front Keep an eye on my blog page as I will soon be posting a blog post on my own kiosk design which was inspired by this particular kiosk.                           ...

Tropical Popical  Dublin's trendiest nail bar  Recently I came across this nail bar in Dublin city, and, I can confirm that it is one of my favourite nail bars to date! It's fun, full of energy and overall a happy place.The creative interior was inspired by an American road trip. The space is full of pictures and trinkets in the shape of parrots, flamingos and palm trees. They have neon signs and funky pop music playing and they even serve lilt in little carved out coconuts! The walls inside are covered with postcards from all around the world and inside you even get an opportunity to send your own tropical popical postcard!  This place is definitely worth a look, yes it's a business but who says it can't inspire your own home design?               

Dulux visualizer Ever wondered what your bedroom would look like if it were to be painted lime green, or your kitchen bright pink or even your bathroom sky blue? Now you can see for yourself! 'Picture it before you paint it'. The new Dulux visualizer app allows you to do just that! You can now see any wall, live in any colour, before actually painting it - madness, I know!  The app is quick and easy to use. Simply download it directly from the App store or Google Play on to you phone/tablet, take a picture of the wall you are interested in painting, select a colour from their wide range of online paints, and voila - your newly painted wall right before your eyes!  This app makes choosing paint colours easier than ever before, you'll never need to play it safe again!  Get downloading to try it out for yourself!

Trip to Neenagh  As I mentioned in a previous blog post, my course mates and I went on a college trip to CareyGlass in County Tipperary recently. Although it was very loud inside the actual warehouse and difficult to hear anyone speaking, it was a great experience to see how everything was made and to see all of the different options available to us as interior designers. It was really an eye opener to see everything that was possible with glass. CareyGlass are a massive company and a great asset for us to have here in Ireland. They have 1,000 + customers worldwide, they ship 98,000 square meters of glass every week and up to 230 deliveries daily.  If you would like to know more about CareyGlass you can visit their website at www.careyglass.com. 

Time to get creative! As we are coming up to the 31st of October, I thought it would be a suitable time and a bit of fun to put together some of my favourite DIY Halloween decorations that I've spotted online in the past few days! So here they are.. Have your garden looking super spooky this Halloween with these DIY tombstones! All you need - cardboard, newspaper, grey/black paint, and glue- simples! Everyone has bin bags at home, why not give these a go?! What better way to welcome the tricker treaters to your door?!  Great idea, especially if you're going to be out of the house for the night, let them help themselves to some treats - but not too much! Got an old pair of heels sitting in the back of your wardrobe? Why not put them to use and transform them into something like this? A really fun idea and a great opportunity to get creative! They are just 4 of my favourites I've spotted so far, but remember, there are lots more creative ide...

Using pennies to tile your floor/wall Recently I have come across a few images of people using copper pennies to tile their floors/walls. Personally, I like the idea. I think you can accomplish some really cool looks. Don't believe me? Keep scrolling down and find out for yourself!            

What are conversation pits?  A conversation pit is an architectural feature that incorporates built in seating into a depressed section of flooring. The seats often face each other in a centrally located fashion bringing the occupants closer together.  Conversation pits were actually very popular between the 1950's - 1970's across Europe and North America but they have recently gained popularity again. Below I have inserted some of my favourites..                                                                    Outdoor conversation pits:                                                              ...

Annie Sloan  On a recent college trip to CareyGlass in County Tipperary I came across a little gem of a shop located on Kenyon Street in Neenagh. The shop, know as 'Twenty Six Eclectic Mix' not only had beautiful pieces of furniture and little gifts to choose from, they are also the Republic Of Ireland's trade distributor and stockist of Annie Sloan Decorative Chalk Paint.  Who is Annie Sloan?  Annie is widely recognised as one of the worlds most respected experts in paint and colour.  She transformed the world of furniture painting by introducing her own brand of decorative paint, chalk paint, in 1990. Her products are available through her network of over 1,600 independent stockists located in 50 different countries around the world including Twenty Six Eclectic Mix in Neenagh.  Examples:        You can check out more inspiring pieces and products on Annies website: https://www.anniesloan.com/...

Tigh-Na-Cladach view from Firth Of Clyde. Overview Tigh-Na-Cladach (houses by the shore) are located in Dunoon,West Scotland. They overlook the Firth of Clyde. Tigh-Na-Cladach are the first social domestic PassivHaus in the UK using a closed-panel timber system. PassivHaus are ultra-low energy buildings that require little energy for space heating or cooling. These homes have excellent comfort conditions in both Winter and Summer. The development consists of 15 one, two and three bedroom semi-detached houses and one workshop, each with it's own unique sto-colour. The Designer    Gokay Deveci is the man who designed Tigh-Na-Cladach. He comes from Scotland and he is a professor at Robert Gordon University, Aberdeen. He has an international reputation for his expertise in affordable and sustainable low energy housing. His projects have won many design awards including awards from the Royal Institute of British Architecture (RIBA), the Royal incorporation of architects...