Cork home interiors guru shares secrets to creating festive magic

From trees to tablescapes, Helen Coughlan of Meadows & Byrne has seasonal looks sussed. She talks to Home Editor Eve Kelliher

Helen Coughlan, Meadows & Byrne. Pictures: Miki Barlok

I'm a sucker for the “one and done” idea — I’m looking at you, super-blendable shimmering eye pencils that double up as smoky winter shadows.

Fine, I wouldn’t go so far as the friend of a friend who marks mid-December by levering down his clingfilm-covered Christmas tree from the attic to dodge decorating it every year (hacks for this practice are shared by many on YouTube) but I’m in love with interiors guru Helen Coughlan’s seasonal savvy. “To really pull a well-thought-through look together, it’s a matter of sticking to one theme,” says the Cork businesswoman.