Colour popping isn't just about chucking a few brightly-painted cushions around and hoping for the best. According to the UK kitchen company Kestrel, colour is becoming a hotter and hotter topic in kitchen design. Five years ago everyone wanted the all-over natural oak look: now, though, contrasting colours are being used to accentuate certain elements of the room, such as the island, or even to distinguish between wall and base units. And yes, folks, that means more than one colour. Current customer favourites include citrus tones, classic navy and – inevitably – muted greys. However, predictions for 2018 are divided. Will it be the year of metallic and dark shades, or calming pastel hues? Nobody knows. What's certain, however, is that a delicious design palette is going to be on the kitchen menu for the foreseeable future. kestrelfurniture.com
Witty in pink
This has been the year when pink went ironic and, in the guise of "millennial pink", was transformed into everything from rose gold eyelash curlers to Pantone's pale dogwood paint, "a quiet and peaceful shade that engenders an aura of innocence and purity". Pink without the prettiness? Don't make us laugh. One of these days, millennial pink will be consigned to the same dusty region of interiors history as avocado bathroom suites. In the meantime, we've fallen for this candy pink radiator which might just make you smile. It's from the UK radiator specialists Bisque: classic style, the colour is called Rose. Price £708. bisque.co.uk
Arena celebrates 30 years in the kitchen
For 30 years, Arena Kitchens has been offering Irish kitchen-seekers advice, ideas and the latest in luxury and technology from its premises on Sir John Rogerson's Quay in Dublin's city centre. Now it has opened a second showroom on Maple Avenue, Stillorgan: 500 square metres of cool, calm kitchen heaven, showing off its expertise with leading international design brands SieMatic and Ligne Roset. "Since establishing Arena Kitchens in 1987," says sales director David Rafter, "we have worked hard to be the luxury kitchen design centre of excellence in Ireland. During our 30 years in business, we have learnt from some of the leading upscale quality design brands in the world. The new showroom in Maple Avenue is state of the art for technology and kitchen design." The showroom is also home to such top-notch names as Wolf Subzero, Gaggenau, Miele, Blanco, Quooker and Dornbracht. For further information or to make an appointment to visit the showroom, see arenakitchens.com
Sofa beds for very welcome guests
A good sofa bed is hard to find. We all know about the bad ones – too saggy to sleep on, too slippy to relax on – but Michael Murphy Home Furnishing has a collection of high-quality day beds in streamlined contemporary shapes. They're designed to transform your livingroom into a guest room with one click, a set of bedlinen and a spot of hasty tidying. And with the store's double discount sale currently on, they're offering great value too.The Studio sofa bed is priced at €349 (down from €599) while the Squary is €649 (down from €949) and the Bernardo is €849 (€1,299). michaelmurphy.ie
