Clodagh Finn: Down with austere minimalism. Home is where the clutter is

We can admire those who have the storage space and discipline to keep their homes in a state of detritus-free living but we should embrace the things that mean something to us, and rehabilitate the word ‘clutter'

Actor Camille Lucy Ross said her home made her feel happy and calm. ‘There is always gold dots to paint on things,’ she added on ‘Home of the Year’.

WHEN Home of the Year judges entered a refurbished cottage in Longford in the first episode of a new series aired on RTÉ last night, the camera homed in on a sign that read: “Did I just roll my eyes out loud?”

There wasn’t a better phrase to sum up my reaction to architect, judge, and minimalist disciplinarian Amanda Bone when she dismissed the previous home — a playful, colourful 1900s artisan cottage — as an “eclectic, aesthetic riot”. It was “visual noise”, she added, with that pained look she has when surrounded by the flotsam and jetsam of daily life.