I always welcome late autumn as a blissful period of nesting that lasts well into the new year. I tend to focus on seasonal vignettes using foraged forest stuff like branches and cuttings, leaves, acorns and pine cones. I’m always on the lookout for fallen or cut trees while on forest or park walks, and I am obsessed with nurseries and garden centres.
I’ve worked hard to create an attractive but livable interiors suitable to both family life and home entertaining.
I've recently given an interview to House and Home Magazine on home decorating and how I turned a big hobby into a small business. Tell me what you think ... 1. Tell us about your business and what kind of decor you provide. Home|Lust Concept Store, home-lust.com, is a small Dublin-based business that offers a hand-picked selection of timeless and versatile design and home … Continue reading Design for the home, design for life
With many interior design trends from across the years now coming back in, insurance company chill.ie looked at one of the great Irish TV series of all time, the unequalled Father Ted, and reimagined it its setting and decor using with some interior design trends from previous decades. My favourite of these is the midcentury design look.
Spring and summer are a celebration of nature, so natural elements from foraged foliage to a bouquet of pampas grass or a single big sunflower are great ways to bring the outdoors in without spending much or anything at all.
What is IKEA's 'DEMOCRACTIC DESIGN' and what it means to us as interiors consumers?
A new, serene Scandi style focused on rich colours, interesting shapes and sustainable materials will be dominating interiors for the rest summer ...
One of my favourite trends of all time is Scandinavian Maximalism, also known as bohemian minimalism or modern boho. Here are my thoughts on how to pimp up your Scandi decor...
The colours of the year 2019 have been revealed. Here are some of the hues that are going to feature in home decor and commercial interiors next year.
Samples of my writing: https://diana-valentine.com/2015/01/01/image-interiors-living-magazine-ireland/ https://diana-valentine.com/2017/03/14/2017-interior-trends-spring-home-decor/ https://diana-valentine.com/2015/05/01/the-gloss-magazine-may-2015/ https://diana-valentine.com/house-and-home-interiors-magazine-ireland/ https://diana-valentine.com/portfolio/garden-heaven-magazine/
Recently I was interviewed by the Irish Indepedent's Nathalie Marquez Courtney for an article on foliage vs flora for home decor. Here are my tips on creating a relaxing nature-like haven that oozes lush luxuriousness and elegance with natural foliage and plant patterns...
Woven rattan furniture is available almost everywhere and fits in nicely with the Bohemian look, preferably if it hangs from the ceiling.
Don’t let the larger furniture pieces dictate the style of the room. Choose your sofas and armchairs in neutral colours and simple shapes, and go as big as the room allows. This space is for lounging, a playroom for adults, really, so bring in the element of comfort but steer clear of bold patterns or faddy designs for your seating.
What a great honour to be featured in the Irish Independent on Saturday Gardening Supplement this weekend. Irish Independent, 10 Mar 2018 ME AND MY GARDEN Irish Independent DIANA VALENTINE is the owner of interiors store home-lust.com. She grows a container garden on the balcony of her fourth-floor apartment in Booterstown, Dublin. She says: “I … Continue reading URBAN GARDEN: Small can be beautiful
Trying to make the most of our homes’ available space we've all had to deal with sharp corners, oddly-shaped alcoves and cramped corridors.
Welcome guests into your abode with a room that is stylishly decorated and features all the comforts of home …
My interview with House and Home Magazine at the Ideal Home Show, Spring 2017 in the RDS, Dublin where I designed and exhibited a garden room in the Colourtrend Interior Design Forum. Join me @idealhomedublin in the RDS Simmonscourt, Dublin this Friday to Sunday, 21-23 April 2017. I'd love for you to visit my interior … Continue reading Spring/Summer Interior Trends 2017: Flora & Fauna
Even the smallest urban space can become a blooming outdoor oasis if you approach it in the right way ...
Spring has finally sprung, and it’s time to embrace its happy hues and beauteous botanical patterns. Here are four ways to introduce green into your home, and where you can stock up on emerald home accessories and living greens in Ireland…
Welcome spring 2017's New Romantic look with these 10 tantalising décor trends…
Spring has finally sprung, and it’s time to embrace its happy hues and beauteous botanical patterns. Here are four ways to introduce green into your home ...
Creating a work space that is both pretty and practical is not easy. Taking inspiration from the latest 2017 interior trends such as decorating with moody blues and luxurious living greens, I've come up with this impression of my perfect creative space in the home ... Creative Space by homelust
Come autumn, everyone is looking to cosy up and embrace rustic charm and warmth. But how do you combine those with your modern amenities and contemporary interiors?
Looking for a truly hideous Halloween? Here are some horror-show hand-outs that are cheap, fun, easy to make, and … prepare to be shocked ... hauntingly healthy! I know, frightening!!!
When the summer holiday is still a long way away, we look at ways to bring that wanderlusty holiday feel into the home ...
My take on this combination is a sparse Scandinavian space, terrifically textured textiles, dark clay and stone homewares, North African or Middle Eastern furnishings, reclaimed or distressed wood...
THE LOOK If you love the sumptuous feel of smooth, velvety textiles between your fingertips or the tasteful opulence of a vintage sparkling chandelier in your home, you probably love the luxe look. So do I! This luxe decor moodboard is inspired by the retro interiors of cinematic experiences such as I Am Love and The Great Beauty. There, vintage furniture … Continue reading Retro Luxe
Every year I try to do a Valentine's day blog post, if only because my name IS Valentine, so here is my 2016 little guide on Valentine things to do in Dublin and Ireland, from special events to go to with your special one, to Valentine's Day for singles, families and charities, because "love is all around us" and Valentine's Day is for all.
I recently returned from a skiing holiday, and I am missing the snow. To recover from the post-holiday January blues, I've put this little post together for home-lust.com on how to create a winter haven at home ... image: home-lust.com The cold weather and dark nights are the perfect excuse to justify snuggling up on the sofa preferably … Continue reading How To Create A Cosy Home in Winter
With an established arts and antiques quarter on Francis Street, beautiful and imaginative vintage shops all around town, as well as new fleamarkets and vintage fairs popping up every year, we have a lot going on, and it’s only getting better.
Some two weeks ago, in the aftermath of Aylan Kurdi's death, I was writing about those boats, about how the refugees are coming and why, and wondered what was going to happen to them and with us all, once they are here. A lot has happened since then. Lots more people died, including lots of … Continue reading ABOUT THESE GERMANS
On image.ie
In today’s home gallery I look at traditional and country-style interiors…
With our renewed interest in traditional local products, a resurgence in old Irish craft techniques, and the eternally inviting appeal of a cottage-style property, no wonder people are falling for trad again. Snug interiors, patterned wallpapers, traditional rugs, woollen blankets, sumptuous curtains… what’s not to like?
Here’s a selection of the best traditional house tours featured in Image Interiors & Living and my pick of the best products to recreate this cosy look:
A QUICK'N'EASY SUPERCHARGED RECIPE FOR the school lunchbox
This new store showcases an impressive and eclectic range of high-end furniture, sumptuous textiles, out-of-this-world lighting, ceramic wares and sweet prints and more. A nice touch are the lovely quotes from the makers themselves which accompany the product descriptions, so that you learn a new story when you buy one of these beautiful pieces.
There is more to Scandinavian crime lit than just morally-complex and exceptionally-dark stories – the decor inspiration and iconic design it brings are also to die for (see what I did there?).
I confess: I find coils of wire intensely appealing ...
The time has come to get the school gear together, and I’ve browsed around for some cool items your little ones and older kids should not go without this September.
HOUSE TOUR: An old Ranelagh redbrick turns into a warm and welcoming Scandi-inspired home…
Remember children’s parties? They used to be easy. You knew what to expect. Everybody seemed to have fun. No one ended up broke after those three to four hours of silly fun. Kids were generally happy with their presents. There were no special dietary requests, no gift suggestions sent weeks in advance, no fancy stationery … Continue reading Kids’ Parties – What To Do and Not To Do
You can’t really prepare to be a mum and nothing can really prepare you for what motherhood throws at you. Best advice I ever got: “Expect the unexpected!” This is a realist’s guide to expectant motherhood, which might – or might not – help you keep your sanity after birth and beyond. Your newborn will … Continue reading Agony & Ecstasy: A Realist’s Guide to First-Time Motherhood
City guide coming soon ... This is Belgrade for lovers or architecture and design... Places to see AMBAR COMMUNALE DIJAGONALA FRIDA GALDOLFINI IGUANA KRAN LABORATORIJA MIKSER HOUSE RADIONICA SAKURA SOFA PLAY SUPERMARKET TORO SMOKVICA
Published on: THE DAILY GLOSS ART | METHOD & FORM, April 25 In collaboration with the Dublin Decorative and Fine Arts Society, the National Museum of Ireland, Collins Barracks will host an afternoon of talks exploring how past and present come together in contemporary Irish applied arts. The event will take place in the magnificent The Palatine Room and the … Continue reading Culture Guide: 20–30 April
Published on: THE DAILY GLOSS Sunny evenings prompt a cultural reawakening. Plan your week around a daily shot of art and culture. MUSIC Record Store Day | Friday April 18 Celebrate the 7th World Record Store Day 2015 in Ireland in your local independent store around the country. Commandeered by David Grohl, #RSD15 has prepared an impressive celebratory … Continue reading Culture Guide: 10-20 April 2015
Published on: http://booksgosocial.com/2015/03/27/the-celtic-myths/ Miranda Aldhouse-Green is Professor Emeritus at Cardiff University. She specializes in the study of shamanism and archaeology of the Iron Age. She has published widely on the Celts and their world, including: Celtic Goddesses: Warriors, Virgins and Mothers, Dictionary of Celtic Myth and Legend, and Exploring the World of the Druids. Tell us about … Continue reading Interview: Miranda Aldhouse Green
On services4authors.com, @KayACairns and @_DianaValentine compile their top tips on how authors can promote books around and over the holidays … Valentine’s Day is behind us, and soon comes Mother’s Day, International Women’s Day, Easter, the Summer Solstice, etc. Plenty of public and bank holidays – plenty of opportunities to get your book out and marketed. But … Continue reading Promoting Your Books
I want to read Ulysses, but I need to finish the Internet first. Anonymous, quoted here In the the old world – circa fifteen years ago – B was for books. In our world, B is for bytes, beta, back-up, big data, bitcoin… You know all of those – they are our daily reality, where we need … Continue reading Return of the Book
Diana Valentine Design 