After a year of living with Covid-19 the idea of home as sanctuary when work is done is on the rise and people are turning to crystals to heal their home’s ambiance. With our new found love of the outdoors there’s a palpable shift from connected homes to homes connected with nature.
Healing crystals have always had a US west coast vibe and it was in LA that Blanaid Hennessy, owner of Folkster stores in Ireland, first came across the phenomenon. "I loved the look of them. It went hand in hand with the vintage we were selling," she says. Six years later and 40 per cent of the sales in Folkster's Dundrum store include a crystal purchase, says shop manager, Jo Lyons, who keeps a black tourmaline tucked under her top to ward off stress.
People are buying the stones as much for their visual allure as for their healing powers. It seems to be part of a bigger 1970s new age throwback that includes a reprise of macramé wall hangings, redbrick walls and floors and salt lamp chic but one that is taking wellness in a new direction.
From agate to zincite, they make great gifts, says Hennessy. A piece of rose quartz the size of a medium potato comes in a drawstring bag with a scroll detailing its soothing powers, for about €32. Whatever about healing they catch the light in a room in a gorgeous way.
Also popular are bundles of sage, which when burned are thought to cleanse a room of a person or a negative energy. Particularly satisfying when you’ve had someone in your home that you don’t like, an ex, for example.
If you want to go all out on the chakra aesthetic, while doubling with a functional piece of kit for the home office desk, selenite crystal lights are having a moment. Lamps houses in gypsum crystal they emit a warm white glow that is a thing of beauty, whatever your belief system. They’re also said to represent radiance, peace and protection in the home. And the more of that the better right now.
