From china to chopsticks, Eoin Lyons suggests a dozen ways to make your house a celestial home
1 Get inspired. Rent Pillow Talk, in which Doris Day plays an interior designer, and Hitchcock's North by Northwest, which features a fantastic Frank Lloyd Wright-type house. The upbeat Hollywood style will cheer you up. For more inspiration, the best new book to buy is Modern Glamour: The Art of Unexpected Style by Kelly Wearstler. Also peruse any book about the 1960s decorator David Hicks.
2 Administer the flower fix. Not everyone has the resources of Elton John (who is said to spend thousands a week on them), so aim to have just one good display. Few people really need a cupboard full of vases. A couple that are magnificent will do, such as this Alvar Aalto smoked-glass piece for €175 at 2 Cool Design (01-6725402, www.2cooldesign.ie). You've had a bad day: come home, throw some daffodils in your special vase and you just may feel better. Have fresh flowers on hand at all times. Don't wait to be sent them: surprisingly few florists send nice bouquets.
3 Indulge yourself. Every one needs an object whose only point is to be pleasing. You shouldn't go wrong with a yellow-orange dot plate by the glass artist Eva Kelly. Can be used as a platter, but is also a stand-alone thing of beauty. Call 045-485389.
4 Hide that mess. It'll make you feel much better. So don't leave House Of Ireland (01-6711111, www.houseofireland.com) without a giant rattan magazine bin for €198. It's sturdy and will have a transforming effect. Put it next to your sofa or behind it - and just tidy away those magazines.
5 Take a note from Bree Van De Camp (right). There's no need to go as far as Marcia Cross's character in Desperate Housewives, who is obsessive about her home. Just try to keep your place looking as if you were getting ready to sell. That doesn't mean spending lots of money; put a little time each week into maintenance and making the best of what you have to hand. Then, when you come home from the chaos of your life, you have order.
6 Be a label queen. Get the Hermès silver chopsticks for €135 at Brown Thomas (01-6056666, www.brown thomas.com). They'll give you a shiver every time you order. And the sushi tray may be €76, but think how many you could buy for the price of a Birkin bag. Whatever you do, don't buy a set of dishes: vulgar. An assortment is cooler.
7 Make your bed. A beautiful bed is life-enhancing. A comfortable one can make you wake up feeling good, even happy. Make sure you've got a decent mattress, and have two square pillows to sit behind regular ones. Dressing a bed is like dressing yourself: use things that feel good against the skin: layer blankets, duvets and textures. Peel back each blanket or throw, so you see a little of each. If you can't afford to deck out the whole bed expensively, begin with quality pillowcases: try the Lexington range at Eve Home Accessories, in Greystones (01-2016358). Pillowcases start at €22.
8 Have a pillow party. Try silk cushions by textile goddess Helen James. Just go mad. To decide how many, ask yourself: if Prada made a garment from this fabric, would I wear it? But if you can get only one, it should make a statement. The cushions, €80-€125, are available from Bottom Drawer (01-6056696) at Brown Thomas, or hjtextiles@eircom.net.
9 Indulge in stationery. It's not good if the only time you write is when you sign cheques. Customise some cards and scribble notes from your desk. Friends will no doubt be delighted. Wraptures (01-4163281) has a great monogrammed set of 25 heavyweight cards and matching envelopes for €18. Lavery Personalised Stationery (01-2930702, www.lavery.ie) does a box of 100 letterheads, 50 cards and 100 matching envelopes for €158.
10 Make a big deal out of breakfast. It gives you a reason to get out of bed. Start with the place setting: we love Dunnes Stores' mix of cheering pale blues with a wiggle edge. They all cost about €3. It will put a slight spanner in the diet works, but use them to serve a stack of Marks & Spencer's thick breakfast pancakes, with delicious Italian diced bacon and lots of maple syrup.
11 Smell good. You and your home should constantly be in a cloud of Orange Blossom fragrance from L'Occitane (01-6797223, www.loccitane. com). Extracted from the marmalade tree, it is the most delicious scent. L'Occitane does a room spray for €19.95 (keep some in the bathroom) and an eau de toilette for €39.95 (leave in the hall for a quick squirt on your way out). There's also a candle, incense and soap.
12 Create a shrine to yourself. Make like Isabella Rossellini and use a small table to collect little objects that mean something to you: mementos, gifts, photographs and artworks - anything that evokes a happy memory. Put them where you'll see them every day. They'll remind you of the good times.