EACH WEEK, WE ask an Irish person with a passion for interiors to share one photo of their favourite spot in their home.

Lorraine O’Connor is a married mum-of-two, who has lived in her home in Greystones, Co Wicklow for just over 20 years.

“Each room has seen different styles, colours and purposes. It has evolved with us,” says Lorraine.

I’ve been stripping for over 25 years… furniture, that is!

“I’m really interested in all DIY; be it painting, restoring and giving new life to things that would otherwise be discarded. When I get the time I find it really helps me take my mind off a lot of the things that life throws at you daily.”

Relatively new to Instagram, Lorraine plans on using her account (@lorraine.oconnor.5686)  to share how she converted her parents’ house into a wheelchair accessible home within 12 weeks. “Maybe it will help someone else in the same situation,” she says.

She chatted us through her favourite spot in her home: her living room.

Lorraine O'Connor Lorraine O'Connor

What do you love about this part of your home?

This room is part of an open-plan space including the kitchen and a big dining table. It is the whole heart of the house where everyone congregates. It’s lovely and bright and I can see into the whole garden, which I’ve recently done a bit of work on. On sunny days the doors open out and it brings the inside out and vice versa.

I love it on winter nights too as it’s so cosy with the stove lighting and, of course, candles. It’s a great comfy place to curl up with fleeces and throws, including our little dog Louis, to watch the TV. It’s also a great spot for dinner parties as everyone is all together at the kitchen island or at the table. Many a good night has been had here over the years and hopefully more in the future.

What was your inspiration when you were putting the space together?

It kind of evolved, to be honest. The main thing we started off with was the stove. The couches were next to arrive – and the cushions change all the time.

Instagram is great for discovering other people’s styles and tastes, although at times I’m tempted to just start over all again with decorating our own house. But if I did, what would I do with all the accumulated stuff from over the years, the stuff that holds all those memories? 

Talk us through some of the objects in the photo.

Firstly, there’s Louis the dog. He’s not an object as such, but he is part of every room. It’s hard to get a photo without him in it as he just wants to be where we all are.  I’ve also always loved the black and white framed photo, which I bought for around €30 in a sho house sale a long time ago.  

We only got around to putting up the shade recently. I didn’t know what I wanted and we use side lamps and the down-lighters mostly, but the shade really makes the room.

How well does this photo reflect the rest of your home?

Design-wise, the photo doesn’t really reflect the rest of our home, because we don’t really have a theme throughout. For example, the front room (or “the good room” as my mum used to call it) is a completely different style. Each room is different and reflects a lot of memories through the furniture and photos.

Be honest: how much tidying did you do before taking this photo?

Well, I had to go out in the lashing rain and wipe the bird poo off the windows. I also hoovered up the dead flies behind the couch and cleaned the glass in the stove and the ashes all around it. I re-folded the throws, popped the flowers in the vase and hid more throws behind the couch (now free of dead flies).

Do you have a spot in your home that you’re particularly proud of? Do you enjoy styling the different rooms in your house? Are you always adding and changing little things to make your space stand out? If so, we want to hear from you! Email amy@thejournal.ie with a few lines about yourself and your home for a chance to feature in My Home in One Photo. 

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