Wish List: Plates with presence, outdoor stoves and ice baths
The Solo Stove/Pizza Oven Prime, top; the Serax Feast serving plate, below left; one of artist Emma Colbert's pet portraits, and the Flexera, right.
Recently, I met a miniature dachshund named Cosmo; it was love at first sight. As I held him on my lap, I started to notice each tiny detail that made him unique; his beautiful balayage auburn hair, his long velvety ears and curious, damp little nose.
Artist Emma Colbert captures this detail in her pet portraits, available to order through her website at Emmacolbertart.com. Each painting captures the essence of your anima in hyper-realistic detail, as just the head, shoulders or the full dog.
If you feel one photo is not enough to capture your precious Jimmy Chew, Emma will look through a composite of photos and create a new image.
From Cosmo's lush coat and sausage silhouette to his squoval-shaped toenails, it's all immortalised in a keepsake you'll have for years. Contact Emma at info@emmacolbertart.com or fill in the contact form on her website.
She takes up space, knows her worth and will still be there when your children are strawberry picking in Australia. She's the Main Character Energy — she's a pilates machine. Anyone who has attended a pain management clinic will recognise the benefits of the reformer; it was my first port of call after recovering from spinal surgery.
Classes are quite expensive, especially one-on-one, which was recommended to me for rehabilitation. With enough experience and advise of a medical professional, an at-home reformer is the dream.
Cue Irish-owned brand Flexera, a durable, stable reformer with solid oak and premium leather, so it doesn't jar with your interior's aesthetic. For compact spaces, there's a flexible machine which can fold up neatly, €2000 and a rigid design for €2750.
Unlike the bike that goes nowhere that tolled the death knell for Mr Big, Pilates is a doctor/physio recommended practice, and the Flexera comes with access to an app with expert-led classes from certified instructors. Shop at Joinflexera.com.
Is it just me, or do birds trigger your inner storyteller? There's the newly-divorced hen debuting a punk hairstyle, Little Lord Fauntleroy the pigeon swanning around like he owns your crips or the emo crows with sideswept fringes and smudged eyeliner soundtracked by My Chemical Romance.
People-watching is great, but bird-watching is a lot more wholesome. So when I came across Floral and Fred's embroidered wooden hoops with cheeky little chaffinches and blue tits, my mind had already begun whimsical narratives about their inner lives.
The artist, Grace, takes commissions from garden flowers to beloved pets. Each piece takes 8-10 hours to make and is stitched into calico fabric and ready to hang. Prices start at €130. To commission a piece, visit the website at Floralandfred.my.canva.site and email floralandfred@gmail.com
Who would you invite to your dream dinner party? What about scones in the garden? Mine has to be a tea party with Maggie Smith, and I think she would approve of this beautiful bench, drawing inspiration from both Victorian and art-nouveau eras.
The Amalfi high-back garden bench, €495, is made from rust-free coated cast aluminium, making it a more durable, practical alternative to cast iron. Available at Hanley's Furniture Centre, Cork, the botanical-inspired piece will add a timeless, classic appeal to your garden.
A close-knit two-seater with weather-ready cushions that can be left out in the rain, this is the perfect piece to usher in the summer. Available at Hanleysofcork.com.
The first rule of having friends over to an Irish household is to have at least one plate of food to which your guests can refuse up to three times before accepting. Whether you're keeping it simple with crackers or evoking old-world luxury with a plate of Cuban cigars, the Serax Feast serving plate by Yotam Ottolenghi will step it up a notch in the design stakes. Available for €65 at The Drapery Haus, Cork, this would look classy on its own or as part of the set. Shop in store on Emmet Place or online at Thedraperyhaus.ie.
In some circles, I'm lauded for my style credentials. The poor postman would never know. After years of answering the door dressed as a damp tea towel, I'm ready to dump the lint trap formerly known as my dressing gown and enter my hotel energy era.
The Jasmine Silk dressing gown from Top Drawer in the Fota Retail Park, €240, is positively luscious.
A butter-smooth Mulberry silk full-length gown, the details are exquisite, namely the mother-of-pearl buttons. From now on, I will be referring to it as my peignoir. Where's the Bollinger? Available online at Topdrawer.ie.
Getting your skin flayed alive by the wind may feel more like punishment than wellness, but an at-home plunge bath? That's a wellness ritual I can get behind. Overstimulated by phones, smallies and endless Teams meetings?
Imagine having a space in your home where you can completely submerge yourself in icy water, reset your nervous system and emerge ready for the day ahead.
Sauna and ice bath-maker Tribe Health & Wellness now offers its products on the lower ground floor at Arnotts. Plunge baths range from €595 to €3,995, while this sleek Boost style comes in at €1,995. And honestly, who understands the power of hot-and-cold therapy better than a perimenopausal woman? Available in-store at Arnotts, Henry Street, Dublin.
You know you're in deep when the staff at your local pizza place know you on a first-name basis. While it's lovely to get takeaway now and then, when the habit is costing you €30 a week, perhaps it's time to invest in something with a bit more longevity.
The Pizza Oven Prime is a propane-powered outdoor oven made to last years outdoors. I am ready to step away from the processed cheese and rubbery ham and build better habits with fresh mozzarella, basil and maybe even some prosciutto.
This Solo Stove from The Orchard pre-heats in 15 minutes and turns out a pizza in 90 seconds. Perhaps my doctor would like to sponsor me? Available instore at The Orchard, Celbridge, or online at Theorchard.ie.
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