You may remember I queried some time ago whether we should opt for one very large bathroom or 2 medium sized ones. Well, we have opted (many thanks to all your advice who almost unanimously said to keep the 2 bathrooms) to keep the bathrooms the size they are.  One bathroom just about has enough room for a roll top bath and I’m opting for country style there and the family bathroom will have a huge shower!

I have just found the perfect flooring my my country style bathroom (which will probably take another couple of months by the way). Cath Kidston is now doing lino floor tiles  and I just love the Rose Spring in white.  Here’s the link to the online store in the UK but thanks to Sheila, I’ve discovered it is available in the Dublin store.

It is also available in Rose Sprig Blue, the cowboy design which is so perfect for boys bedrooms and the Spot design in 3 colourways. Great for utilities too.

Here’s an article I wrote for the My Waterford magazine, Just click below to enlarge the document.

Designers Guild have launched a fabulous range of rugs this season and they can all be ordered here from Garrendenny Lane.  Here’s a selection of my favourites:

Boqueria  Rugs – available in 2 colourways and I love it.

This 100% hand tufted wool rug with an off beat design illustrates a make believe garden scene with butterflies, birds, flowers and trees. 160 cm x 260 cm.  €660.

Portier Rug –  A luxurious 80% wool and 20% acrylic hand tufted dramatic floral rug. 160cm x 260cm.
€852

Rheinsberg 

This east-meets-west panel design rug comes in shades of blue delft, olive green and neutral. Made from hand tufted wool and highlighted with viscose elements for a luxurious finish. 160 x 260cm €900 / 200 x 300cm €1140.

And for the kids:

Lola’s Magic Garden Rug 

This delightful and charming hand painted scene rug is set against a pretty background of hearts and flowers. Made from 100% hand tufted acrylic. 120cm x 170cm €234.00

Tulip Meadow Rug

A beautiful floral shaped 100% hand tufted acrylic rug that will liven up any child’s room with stylised blooms and sprigs. 150cm diameter €234

Flying High

Up, up and away; spotty clouds, helicopters and planes fill the sky. A cloud shaped 100% hand tufted acrylic rug for children to play on. 150cm diameter. €234.00

This Friday’s queries revolve around painting floors.  I was asked some time ago what I suggested for a low-cost option for concrete floors.  This lady was moving into a new house and didn’t have the funds for carpet or wooden floors downstairs, knowing it would be 6 months to a year before she would get around to it and the fact that she has 3 young children, meant that she was somewhat concerned about the flooring but didn’t want to waste money on a cheap option that wouldn’t last. The main problem with concrete floors in new houses is the amount of dust that is created.  What I suggested was painting the floors with floor paint – it will seal the floors thereby minimising dust from the concrete, plus it is sealed so can be cleaned – it’s still not going to be the softest option for young children but it will be clean and hard-wearing.  Floor paint is available in a plethora of colours so you can even colour-coordinate with it.

If you are planning to use floor paint, then the floors must be dust-free as much as possible.  Clean the floor with white spirits then prime the floor with one part paint to three parts white spirits, when this is dry apply your full strength floor paint.  The paint can be applied by brush or roller and it is recommended that two coats are applied.  As with all paint, ensure that there is plenty of ventilation while the painting is carried out.  All good paint shops should stock floor paint.

I also received a query about painting floorboards and I’m cheating a little here as although I have painted our own bedroom floor, I am going to suggest you check out Zee’s post about painted floorboards here for her recommendations.  Painted floorboards are great, easy to keep clean.  Admittedly, I haven’t got painted floorboards downstairs so I can’t vouch for how hard-wearing they are under a lot of traffic but with bedrooms or rooms that don’t get too much heavy floor traffic, I would really recommend them.  Our house tends to be very cold during the winter so I put rugs either side of our bed for our tootsies and then just leave the floors bare May-October.  As Zee advises, use a proper primer and Farrow and Ball paint, although expensive, really is the best.  For full instructions, check out Zee’s instructions in an Irish Times article. I’m afraid I haven’t been organised enough to take a photo of my own bedroom floor but do check out Zee’s blog for lots of lovely piccies and here’s a gorgeous white bedroom as a taster:

Have a lovely weekend!

It’s been a busy week this week so apologies for lack of posts.  The first  Interiors Evening Event was held here at Garrendenny Lane last night and everyone seemed to enjoy it, there was a good atmosphere and I enjoyed it too even though I was up at 6.30 yest morning to ensure I’d get everything ready in time.  I’m still a little bit guilty of leaving things till the last couple of days but before ‘Not Enough Hours’, I’d probably have left everything to the last hours!  I’m having two more events – next Wednesday evening and Tuesday 5th May.

Image from Living Etc

I like this antique style chest of drawers, so striking painted in these colours against the white floor and stairs. If you look carefully, you’ll notice the runner on the stairs has brightly coloured stripes too.   I like it.  Reminds me to take a photo of my stairs for the blog!