Fireplace countdown
October 3, 2009
So as I mentioned we are preparing for OPEN HOUSE next Sunday and so we are busy cleaning, decluttering and mowing. The lettuces have gone to seed and been neglected and high level dusting (ladder in hand) needs doing(don’t look too close)!
There are a few items which were never finished and put on the long finger. And so these occaisons put priority on certain things. The one thing which there was no excuse for was the fireplace which has never been lit. The reason for this is that there was an issue with the detail of the fan on the roof which vents the smoke. This has now been resolved . The work is in hand and it is my hope that the fire will be lighting on the day!
The Carlow limestone fireplace is like a piece of sulpture in the main living room, a tall black shiny block contrasted by the matt concrete and rich iroko panelling. We custom designed the grate/firebox ourselves and it was crafted by Church Art Metals. It is made up of 3 peices and they all sit into a hole in the stone hearth. The 3 pieces are removable and the firebox can be emptied by lifting it out.
Lets hope it all goes to plan……..Watch this space!
OPEN HOUSE – come and visit…..
October 3, 2009
We are involved in OPEN HOUSE again this year. OPEN HOUSE is organized by the IRISH ARCHITECTURE FOUNDATION and aims to raise the profile of architecture and this year is promoting a new generation of Architects and innovative designs. We will be opening our home and office to the public on Sunday the 11th of October from 2 to 5pm. It is free and on a first come basis. Our involvement and aim is to promote contemporary arcitecture and encourage people to consider modern Architecture when commisioning work. We want people to experience a contemporary home that is warm and comfortable. Maybe we will see you there 🙂
Alternative lives – House swop
August 25, 2009
This year we did a house swop with my french college friend who lives in Paris with her family. We have’nt met in over 20 years but were put in touch again by a mutual friend when the idea of a house swop came up. It was a great success on both sides. It was interesting living in someones home because in a way you feel you get to know the owers by living in their footsteps. Unfortunately we did’nt actually get to meet up as our paths crossed at both ends of the journey. It was a beautiful old french house near Saint-Germaine on Laye in the suburbs of Paris, 10 minutes from the city centre by train and close to a pool and small town centre. 
Summer partytime
July 27, 2009
We decided to do the entertainment for Saoirses birthday in house….! When I suggested a cake decorating party all were in favour and Uncle Denis booked his flight from London to come and help (culinary expert in the family very usefull 🙂 Results -great fun, lots of sprinkles under foot and probably a few too many e-numbers, ah well you are only 8 once!
Mini me
July 22, 2009
Donal always builds a model of his designs as it helps visualize things in 3D. Somehow it shows more than a 3D computer walk through, maybe because you can lift it up and look at it from whatever angle you choose yourself. It is also great for showing light at different times of the day and year by shining a lamp at different angles thru it. This model goes back to the design stage process of Nuns’ Lane. You can see some changes from what we actually built :
The office was originally to step down but we changed it to ground level as a cost saving excercise.
There is now a toilet in the “link” between the two buildings. Originally there was no physical link, we had steps here into the back courtyard but one of the planning conditions stated that the 2 blocks should visually link. It worked out well anyway as we needed a toilet on the ground floor!
The vertical screening in the glazing was omitted. These were to provide shade and would have opened and closed. I think these were omitted in the design simplification process.
Other than that the design was pretty much set in stone (or should I say concrete…. sorry!!!)
The non-conformist
July 22, 2009
Our “non-conformist chair” by Eileen Gray sits comfortably against the iroko timber. Its my best friends choice of chair in our house especially when she was pregnant! Eileen Gray said “An armrest was omitted in order to leave the body more freedom in movement and to allow it to bend forward or to turn to the other side unrestricted.”
Frame of chromium-plated steel tubing. Seat of beech frame with rubber webbing. Upholstery: polyurethane with polyester filling. Cover in leather.
Kathleen Eileen Moray Gray(August 9,1878 – October 21,1976) was an Irish furniture designer and architect and a pioneer of the Modern Movement in architecture. She was born in Enniscorthy, Co.Wexford.
Side table from Ikea.
“The rip off ends here!”
July 17, 2009
In the middle of the celtic tiger I visited the Neptune Gallery in town who sell old maps and pictures. They had a sign on the wall saying ‘The rip off ends here’. The owner was ranting about the cost of things and was determined that he was not jumping on the band wagon. It was a great lesson – things really got over priced and we WERE being ripped off.
Our experience when we bought our sanitary fittings for Nuns’ Lane was interesting. We compared prices on line with Reuter Badshop in Germany versus 3 different suppliers in Ireland. There was a huge difference in cost for exactly the same fittings even including delivery. So we had all our sanitary fittings delivered directly from Germany, http://www.reuter-badshop.com. The web site was in english and they also spoke to us in english by phone. The service was excellent. We want to buy Irish but we don’t want to be taken advantage of so…….
Just priced our washbasin here with a large irish supplier of sanitary fittings and Reuter Badshop
Large Irish Supplier €320 (no delivery)
Reuter Badshop €177.11 (no delivery) €266.70 delivered from Germany (so if you were buying a number of items it would be even cheaper)
Donals homemade pizza
July 11, 2009
Pizza Dough
[From The Balymaloe Bread Book page 66]
Makes 6 to 8 pizza bases.
680g Strong white flour
50g butter
1 packet of fast acting yeast
2 level tablespoons salt
15g sugar
4 tablespoons olive oil
350-400ml lukewarm water.
Sieve the flour into a large bowl with the salt and sugar. Rub in the butter. Add the yeast. Add the water and mix to a loose dough.
Allow rest for 5 minutes on a floured surface.
Knead the dough for about 10 minutes until silky smooth and springy. [If you have a food processor with a dough hook all the ingredients can be mixed together with 5 minutes processing you will achieve a similar result.]
Leave the dough relax for about ten minutes then split into 6-8 balls brush lightly with olive oil and chill.
Roll out each ball into a 250mm disc.
[I have found that pre-cooking the base for 5-8 minutes at 240F on a heavy baking tray gives a good result for domestic cookers. Put desired fillings onto the base and place in a 240F oven until cooked usually takes 8-12 minutes]
Be sparing with the toppings for a crispy base.
Topping combination are.
Buffalo Mozzarella, Asparagus,Parma ham.
Buffalo Mozzarella, Spinach, ham and an egg placed in the centre.
Buffalo Mozzarella, Cherry tomatoes, rocket, Parmigiano Reggiano shavings.
(Whole Mozzarella 59c from Aldi over €3.50 from Supervalu)
Bonsai Guru
July 7, 2009
Oh yes we are well connected , you see my Dad is the man for the Bonsais. He dedicated over 20 years to the craft and has some beauties. Fortunately for us he was happy to pass some on to us. They are notoriously difficult to keep – the watering is the key, believe me I’ve lost a few but learnt my lesson. Not a good idea for a present – unless you are sure they will be loved and cared for.
Ken and Bonsai expert Gerry
Modern Antiques
June 25, 2009
We sourced these original Arne Jacobsen/Fritz Hansen stacking chairs from Roxy Klassik in Denmark. The whole transaction was done on line with absolutely no hastle. Roxy Klassik specializes in mid-century design from architects such as Kaare Klint, Ole Wancher, Hans J Wegner, Finn Juhl and Arne Jacobsen to designers like Verner Panton, Charles & Ray Eames and Poul Henningsen. They also sell furniture, lighting, carpets and ceramics as well as arts & crafts objects from the golden period of Scandinavian Design.
Table designed by Fionuala Lennon and made by John O’ Connell Furniture
1 Nuns Lane 