Wish List: Sustainable supplies and glam goodies to give your home a glow-up

Mary Cate Smith susses out eight super buys for every room

Bathroom behaviour

Dear toilet paper, I need you regularly, but discard you instantly. I’d like to improve our relationship as it’s simply not sustainable. Best regards, Desperately Seeking Sustainable Alternatives. I’m switching to B Corp-certified toilet paper brand, Who Gives a Crap, a brand that eschews virgin paper, which ultimately leads to deforestation. 

It’s a little bit cheeky; it’s design-forward, and it puts its money where our bottoms are. Such a small thing adds up, especially if we do it en masse. Did we already say a whopping 50% of profits are donated to clean water and sanitation non-profits? Sold? 

Prices start at €26.50 (rolls are bigger than the standard supermarket offerings), or you can sign up for a subscription at Yourpharmacy.ie.

Coffee time

Here in Ireland, we pride ourselves on having one of the richest traditions of storytelling and lore. A modern myth to transcend the ages is the nation’s collective grandad, the late Mícheál Ó Muircheartaigh, narrating his way through the process of making a ham sandwich. 

Talk about captivating the nation — this ordinary, everyday task turned magical with the lilt of a true seanchaí, slowed down to savour the finer details. 

Similarly, I like to think of the process of coffee making as a craft, not a convenience. The Strietman CT2 Lever Espresso Machine, €2600 (made to order), encourages exactly that. 

Forget the one-button drip we’ve become so accustomed to, this machine strips back to the core principles of pulling a shot manually, allowing you to control the flow, pressure and pre-infusion. 

Coffee isn’t something you grab; it’s something you wait for. And if you’re reading this, Mícheál, thank you for your service. Order at strietman.net; photo credit Falko Wehr.

Burning bright

Creating a wellbeing corner in your home doesn’t have to involve hammers, spanners or your handy brother-in-law. For proles like me, something low-key and inexpensive can be just as soothing. 

You can read all the literature on the parasympathetic nervous system, but the body knows the score. Light the Nunaïa Sacred Space candle, €32, a heady blend of calming lavender and grounding rose geranium. 

Even before it's lit, it makes its presence known. Amid the chaos of my messy locker, the scent rises, the mood shifts and before I know it, I’ve carved out a little spa-like sanctuary in my own small way. Shop the range at the gorgeous Irish brand’s website, Nunaia.com.

Pawn cocktail

Every writer remembers her first time reading The New Yorker, right? Whether it was Malcolm Gladwell’s The Tipping Point, Ronan Farrow's takedown of Harvey Weinstein or the unsettling prose of Kristen Roupenian’s Cat Person, the stories make an impact. 

If you collect the New Yorker for its aesthetic covers or its reflection on the zeitgeist, you’ll love its newest collaboration with Printworks. The New Yorker x Printworks chess set, €120, captures the iconic landmarks and characters of the world’s greatest city (sue me), where the Statue of Liberty is the queen and the pigeons are the knights. 

Illustrated by Christoph Niemann, the pen behind the first augmented-reality cover, it’s an absolute must-have piece for one’s study or living room. Oh, take me back to New York, where the cowboys are scantily clad, the sirens are loud, and the steam shoots up from the sewers like Gotham rising. Shop at Printworks.com.

Decadent dining

Forget the 90s mélange of biscuits on a plate; I’m a grown-up now, and I’ll use a fancy tray if I want to. Yes, my imagination ebbs toward the whimsical, but I couldn’t help but think of Gatsby when I laid eyes on the Squares Glass Tray by Ethnicraft, €169, at Pod Furniture. 

I’m imbibing my favourite tipple with friends while cosplaying someone with expensive taste — think almonds, olives and foie gras. With a silk-screen art deco-style printed glass, geometric shapes and a rich wooden edge, it’s a thing of beauty. Should I start entertaining? Shop the range at Podfurniture.ie.

Filter through

As someone with alopecia areata, I know I could lose my hair at any time — and have done in the past. I’ve honestly never thought about using a showerhead filter, but it makes so much sense. I wouldn’t bat an eyelid at spending €30 on a hair mask or treatment while completely overlooking the water I’m washing it in. 

The brainchild of environmental science graduate April McGrath, Irish-made Gaia filters reduce the chlorine, metals and contaminants that can be emitted through the water in your regular showerhead. Kinder to the skin, hair and the environment — what’s not to love. Get yours at Gaiafilters.ie.

Golden hour

If I were a casting director, who would I audition for the part of this lamp? Is its soft, diffused amber light giving totemic talisman or chic gnome dressed to impress? 

Whoever we’re seeing for the role, there’s no doubt the HK Living Glassfiber Soft Green Floor Lamp, €799, from Woo Design is the main character. Sitting comfortably in several design eras, the pistachio-green objet d’art blends effortlessly with natural textures and jewel tones. Available at Woodesign.ie.

Objects in space

Modular, minimalist, sculptural…don’t you just love Scandinavian design? These jaunty vases/storage pieces/decorative objects from the Deko collection by Studio Yolk at Normann Copenhagen are reminiscent of Duplo, and we are here for it. 

On sale now from just €12 at Finnish Design Shop, they’re the ideal stackable mantelpiece ornaments to set a playful tone in your space. 

Avoid personality clashes and keep them away from toile, marble and mahogany — the classics need not apply.