Five spellbinding ideas to add sparkle to your living space

From the magic of mud and fire conjured by Cork potters and ceramicists, to minimalist paint, we check out cool designs

GREY MATTERS 

Billed as a modern neutral grey, Temperance adds fifty shades of zing to any room. 

From Irish paint brand Colourtrend, it's light yet earthy — and it simply exudes minimalism. 

Temperance can be used to brighten your dining room, as illustrated here, and as it has no yellow undertones it should work equally well as an all-over wash, say the colour pros at Colourtrend. 

CLIMATE & SUSTAINABILITY HUB

Prices start at €35 per litre. See Colourtrend.

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CLAY TIME

Shopping for a one-off piece for your home or a festive gift? Check out Láib agus Tine, Mud and Fire, the winter exhibition staged by the Cork Potters and Ceramic Artists. 

The display opens in the Pig’s Back Café & Deli, St Patrick’s Mill, Douglas, Cork, at 6pm on November 18 and runs until January 14. 

It is a celebration of contemporary Irish art through the medium of clay and features work by ceramic artists such as Brendan Ryan, Catherine Ryan, Jim Kelleher, whose piece is pictured here, Martha Cashman, Patricia McCoy, Cillian Gibbons, Clare Greene and Bernadette Tuite. 

Martha also organises eco-awareness workshops highlighting the importance of sustainability in a project called More Clay, Less Plastic Ireland.

SNUGGLE UP 

Look at this for a stunning set-up for scoring bedtime stories. 

Roald Dahl’s creations, such as Fantastic Mr Fox, are always a hit with anyone we know who likes to hear or tell a tale or two — and here comes yet another Mr Fox to inspires the bedlinen that caught our eye. 

This soft grey cotton duvet and pillowcase set is overlaid with a festive version of the eponymous four-legged hero, to create a seasonal design theme. 

The single duvet set, with a red pattern reverse, is priced at €50 from Meadows & Byrne in-store and online at Meadowsandbyrne. 

TIME OF OUR LIVES 

Hunting down a smartwatch that tracks your movements as you tackle chores — even if all that entails is watering the plants? 

Inspire 3 is a fun, easy-to-use tracker from Fitbit. 

It’s a snazzy entry-level device, at an accessible price point, €99.95. 

The smartwatch offers a rich colour display that can track important metrics and, best of all, has 10 days of battery life. 

Like all Fitbit devices, it includes a six-month Fitbit Premium membership for deeper insights and guidance. To buy visit Fitbit or participating retailers.

GET CREATIVE 

The Reimagine community group in Headford, Co Galway. 

Who among us hasn’t taken a fresh look at our communities and surroundings in the past few years? Now we’re getting an opportunity to reimagine them. 

Nathalie Weadick, director of the Irish Architecture Foundation, says: 'Since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic and the advent of widespread working from home, many people have left cities to return to their hometowns or other towns and villages across the country.'  

The Irish Architecture Foundation (IAF) is calling on community groups and their local architects to partner together to develop projects for regenerating their local town or village centres, as part of a new initiative called ‘Hometown Architect’. 

Five successful projects will be awarded €10,000 each towards developing their proposal further. 

See ReimaginePlace.ie/open-call. The deadline for submissions is January 16, 2023.