Helen Turkington is recognised by the industry and press as one of Ireland's leading interior designers. With a career spanning over 30 years, Helen has worked on some of the most prestigious properties in Ireland, the UK, Portugal and further afield and her 12,000 square ft lifestyle store in Spruce Avenue, Dublin, is a must-see destination for interior lovers.
Helen has always been synonymous with quiet luxury, long before it became a widely used phrase. Her signature style of understated but unmistakable opulence and elegance, manages to marry effortless sophistication with comfort and cosiness for enduring, elevated, timeless design.
As the daughter of an interior designer raised in a fabric obsessed business, interior design is in her DNA. What really distinguishes Helen, however, is her passion for ensuring a space is not just beautiful, but a functioning, welcoming and soothing home. Helen and her team are so excited to work with MyHome.ie so that everyone searching for a new home can share that passion with us so follow along as we share some tips and tricks in our home decorating tip series.
For our first post, we are, naturally given the time of year, going to start off with some festive decorating.
For many of us the fireplace is the focal point of our room, so it’s important to make sure it looks magical. If you don't have a mantle, the same tips will work for a console.
Start with a great garland for your base - for extra length or a luxe full look you may want to use two or more! You can easily entwine them or tie them together with green pipe cleaners or use a ribbon across your fireplace with a garland tied to each end to secure.
For an opulent look, layer – more is more! Use baubles, decorations, stems, candles, bells and, of course, bows to add interest, varied height and texture.
Gold, brass or silver metallics decorations will really warm up the green and reflect twinkling lights.
A well decorated mantelpiece can make a room stand out
Groupings of three or five are particularly pleasing to the eye and clusters make a real impact so try threading three baubles together on a pipe cleaner and attach to your mantle garland.
Go foraging for foliage such as ivy, holly, rosehip, birch and pinecones to add organic texture or use some fabulous faux stems for dimensional drama.
Remember, symmetrical styling tends to look more traditional, while an asymmetric look is more contemporary. Your garland doesn’t have to be draped with equal tail lengths at each side of your fireplace (symmetrical). You can instead choose to start at one end of the mantlepiece and “flood” the other side, ie let the garland drape to the floor on one side only (asymmetric).
A decorated mantelpiece
Baubles are not just for trees! They can be used anywhere you want to inject a little Christmas sparkle, from layering them on your kitchen island to tying them from a ribbon from a door handle or wall light! Our bauble box is a fabulous foundation present for yourself or anyone you know who might be experiencing their first Christmas in a new home! Featuring a bespoke colour theme with some matching decorations and a fabulous tree-topping ribbon, they are bound to become a beloved part of a family’s Christmas tradition.
We are delighted to offer a red bauble box (RRP over €250) to mark our first competition with MyHome.ie. To enter simple log on to their Facebook or Instagram channels and like and share for a chance to win.
We hope you’ve found this blog of help and we’d love to see what you’ve done with your place so please post your pictures on social and don’t forget to tag us - @myhome.ie and @helenturkingtondesign
