Like the look of this week's houses? Fiona Tyrell shows how it's done.
A big challenge for Phillip Simmons interior designer at Charters was to find a mirror big enough for the grand ballroom of the 1930s country home in Berkshire, which is currently home to the marketing suite.
The answer was found at the Harrison and Gil furniture showrooms on King's Road, Chelsea, London (0044 2073487366) where he found the fabulous swirly rococo mirror. The mirror is available in five sizes ranging from 98cm by 117 cm, which costs €1,767, up to a massive 220cm by 237cm costing €6,661.
The standard finish is a coffee coloured Cristo and Renaissance gold but you can get it in any colour you want, such as silver, gold or Tudor brown. By the way - the wall is not covered in oversized wallpaper. Specialist painters were called in to paint the wall in taupe and antique silver stripes.
A garden to connect the modern aesthetic of Cedar House with its lush rural surroundings was the brief for landscape designer and Chelsea gold medallist Mary Reynolds when she was hired by the previous owner of the house in 2001. Although modern gardens are not really Mary Reynolds's thing - she won the gold medal in 2002 for her Celtic Sanctuary design --she said she was sweet talked into the job by the charming owner.
Reynolds had lots of room for experimentation on the 22 acres the house is set on and her garden design includes grass sculptures between the garden deck and patio areas, formal lawns and a wild flower plantation beside a restored orchard. To the front of the house a gravelled area leads to a border of pretty pink sea thrift laid out in architect-inspired rows. This leads to a lawn area with another border of ornamental grasses, which include miscanthus, calamagrostis and giant feather grass.
Expect to pay in the region of €15,000 for the design of a garden of similar size. Mary Reynolds and other landscape designers can be contacted through the Irish Garden and Landscape Designers' Association (01 278 1824).
Pink, blue and brown is the colour palette for the main bedroom in number 11 Greenville Terrace.
The house was decorated by interior designer Suzanne Fanning (01 4930242), whose first port of call was The Top Drawer in Sandyford for bed linen (01 2780022).
From India, the Rose bedspread is inspired by traditional patchwork quilts and features linen, tweed and cotton panels as well as some cute cobweb detail. Price €315 for a king-size bedspread. A matching throw is also available for €180. Also from the same range are the cute button cushions, €45.
The panelled headboard is made from faux chocolate brown leather, price €650 and available from Suzanne Fanning. The smart bedside table is called the James End Table made by Wildwood, price €350 from Flanagan's in Mount Merrion (01 2880218). Also from Flanagan's are the weird and wonderful bedside lamps with stone coloured shades and a wiry branch-like base with crystal detail. Made by Flambe they are called Kristal lamps and cost €540. To complete the look get Colortrend's pale stone Minimal for the walls, €49.95 from MRCB Paints in Dublin 8 (01 679 8755).
The dramatic walls in the drawingroom of 50 Waterloo Road provide a great backdrop to a fine collection of Boulle furniture. André Charles Boulle, a 17th century French cabinetmaker, was the originator of a distinctive style of furniture, which involved veneering furniture with tortoiseshell, pewter and brass inlay. The highly ornate style came back into vogue in the Victorian era when exotic materials such as mother-of-pearl, tortoiseshell and ebony became easier to obtain.
The drawingroom is home to a writing desk, card table, credenza and occasional table, all in the Boulle style. All of these items were picked up in auction rooms some time ago. It is quite difficult to get your hands on Boulle furniture because it is becoming fashionable again, according to Rosemary Whelan of Oman Antiques (01 6168991). In stock at Oman at the moment is a striking Boulle cabinet dating from 1870. Measuring 5ft by 4.5 ft it features brass inlay and floral details. It costs €5,500. Expect to pay in the region of €1,500 for a Boulle Victorian occasional table in good condition, she adds.
For the finishing touch get Farrow and Ball's Mahogany, a dark aubergine colour, €73 from MRCB Paints in Dublin 8 (01 6798755).
