1. Saturate your kitchen in colour to give it a simple refresh. Bold use of colour shows personality and verve and will help make yours feel more in tune with your personality. Pictured is a project by UK firm Day True that features Farrow & Ball's Hague Blue, a peacock shade, used in the tall units of this contemporary design which include a coat cupboard. The space has arabescato polished marble surfaces, a spekva wood breakfast bar and the island features the paint company's Worsted. The pantry unit has walnut internals and the use of Bora pro hobs removes the need for visual clutter of an overhead extractor unit. A Mortex cement floor was laid atop the original floor to give the illusion of fashionable, polished concrete. Prices start from about €38,500. Daytrue.com
2. If you're a fan of dark and moody shades then try this fresh new way to work grey. It features Dekton's Baltic range, a sharkskin grey on the splashback and neat-sized island, which costs €383 per square metre, from Cosentino, ex-VAT, cutting and installation. With a blackened maroon shade, Dulux's Couture paint is similar. Cosentino.ie
3. Here luxury designer Martin Moore has turned the utility room, often a dark, internal space, into a destination in its own right. The deep seat forms a place for family members to perch while on laundry duty. The bench upright is painted Wynwood, from Fleetwood Paint's collection while the cushion cover and matching roman blind are picked out in a contrasting shade of coral called Wild Salmon from Irish linen weaver Baird McNutt's stone-wash Milltown range that can be ordered through J Hanna. It costs about €14 per metre, ex VAT and delivery and upholstery. martinmoore.com; fleetwood.ie; jhannaltd.com
4. You can give a kitchen a new look by installing a tiled wall as a decorative feature. This small all-white space in Houston has been updated by American decorator Tom Scheerer in his latest book, More Decorating (about €42), published by Vendome Press. By replacing white counters, bringing in pattern in a feature wall, and accessorising the space with pale wood boards and bowls, it suddenly feels contemporary. vendomepress.com
5. A new coat of paint will refresh your existing units. M&L Paints is an English firm that has been favoured by the boutique hostelry group, Pig Hotels. Pictured is its easy-to apply interior eggshell in Corsican Green on the units below counter, Old Rose on the walls and Snow White on the open shelves. The range is available to buy online. One litre costs €28. mandlpaints.com; stillorgandecor.ie
Cool kitchen tables
1. Ikea's Ingo (€55) is an untreated solid pine table that seats four that you can colour customise. For the effect pictured, mix some drops of an oil-based version of Saints and Scholars from Curator Paints Irish Design Collection to a wood oil, either plain linseed or Danish wood oil and coat its top and legs. The Vindkast pendants overhead cost €29 each. ikea.com; curatorpaints.com
2. An extendible table is great for occasional dining. Bok from Antwerp Design House Ethnicraft, currently reduced at Arnotts, has a solid oak frame with oak veneer top and comes in three sizes; from small, 90cm wide by 160cm long, now €1,889, to large, 90cm by 180cm, now €2,449. These dimensions are for the table when closed. Arnotts.ie
3. Lema's Wow table by Toan Nguyen brings dining into the round. The solid oak based design can be ordered from Arena Interiors and comes in two sizes. The smaller, 160cm diameter costs €6,778, incl VAT. arenakitchens.com; lemamobili.com
Stylishy simple
Hens Teeth, a cafe cum diner cum bookshop and record shop that also sells some smart gifts for the home is a place to come to see clever ideas, skillfully executed by AB Projects, under the keen eye of its creative director Ahmad Fakhry, that could be used in your home. Its cafe counter, for example, has been coated in an iridescent vinyl that shimmers like a mirage but that is easily applied to plain toughened glass. The dichroic film is beloved by boy racers. Much of the space is concrete but the addition of cool Irish-designed prints to purchase, kick-ass neon by Sinead McAleer and Kathryn Wilson, scented candles, books and records make it a space to linger in. Check out the butcher's curtain in primary yellow that is used instead of a dividing wall to separate the office from the shop floor. abprojects.ie; hensteethstore.com
