Sunshine, Lollipops ...

Before

After

We don't get a lot of sunshine in Ireland but recently we've been uncharacteristically sun soaked and this yellow desk transformation by Lycke is totally apt for the sunshine theme! The before and after is really fab and the piece is hardly recognisable in it's new sunny, uplifted state!

You can visit Lycke's blog here.

One to watch ...

A fantastic alternative for wall decor by Trisha. Using variously sized fabric hoops that she sourced in thrift stores and some vibrant fabric samples this wall is dressed to impress! I also really love the TV unit ... not to mind the lamps!

You can visit Trisha's blog here.

Dishy

This eclectic collection of plates is a fab way to add interest to a plain wall. Owned by Ingrid these plates are mostly vintage (with the exception of the heart plate which she bought new from Ikea a few years back) and have been sourced from second-hand stores in places as far as Belgium and France. I think it's a great alternative to the typical framed print!

You can visit Ingrid's blog here.

True-Blue

Aren't these blue jars belonging to Anna fabulous? She came across these at estate sales and thrift shops and knew they had to be hers ... they're so beautifully well matched! What I love about this pic though are the green glass bowls in the foreground which belong to her cat ... mustn't let my two see them otherwise they'll get the hump with me about their regular stainless steel ones : D

You can visit Anna's website here.

In the Red

 Before

 After

What a fantastic before and after by Kathrin. After seeing this on eBay she realised it had big potential and wasn't she right! The seller had it in her garage for years previously and just wanted to throw it out. Kathrin painted it white on the outside first but decided it needed more punch so painted it in this statement red colour ... doesn't it have serious WOW! The inside is lined with a contrasting green and white gingham wallpaper.

You can visit Kathrin's blog here to see more of her stunning transformations!

Sitting Pretty*

Came across this wonderful chair restoration by Helena. My own chairs ... I'm ashamed to admit ... are still sitting untouched in our spare room, I really must get a move on! It's so silly as I have the fabric sitting next to them both!! Anyhow, Helena found this fab chair in a flea market and used Josef Frank fabric to give it a touch of flora and fauna ... she did the sewing herself also. It's gorgeous!

You can visit Helena's flickr page here ... it's really worth a visit, there are tons more inspirational images of her home there!

*thanks for the help here Rich : D

The Ultimate Recycle Chic

Before

 After

I know that my posts have been fairly sporadic of late and here's the reason why ... we've been tranforming our old little cottage into something with a little more room and more importantly a lot more insulation!! This has consumed so much of my time recently that I haven't been able to devote much time to anything else really. The good news is that we moved in last Saturday but the bad news is that it's still a long way off being finished completely. However, I thought I'd share one or two pics with you today because I was quite shocked at the before and after myself. We had to pull down the wall at the front in order to build a new one (a planning stipulation) which will happen on Monday.

It's so strange that when you're coming from a certain angle on the road it just looks like we've put a new render on the little cottage but as you move along the modern extension reveals itself. We worked with a fantastic architect on our home and we're so happy with his work! I couldn't recommend his work highly enough, so if you're thinking of updating or extending, you can find Tom's contact details here.

Oh and apologies for the snowy before pictures but I'm on my laptop and these were the only ones that were to hand!