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

Carol Shaw lives on the outskirts of Rathfarnham, Co Dublin with her husband.

“I’ve always had an interest in interiors but fell in love with our home again two years ago when we took on a big renovation and built a new kitchen/dining and living room at the back of the house,” says Carol.

“We constantly have family and friends staying and with our sons, who live abroad, coming home on a regular basis, this has really changed how we now live.”

This week, Carol (@living_with_carolshaw) chatted us through her favourite spot in her home: her front room.

Carol Shaw Carol Shaw

What do you love about this part of your home?

For 22 years, this was our main living room so it has so many fond family memories for me. I love the fireplace and the alcoves. Although it doesn’t get a lot of natural light, we fitted pocket doors from the new living area so that we can have one huge open space when we have all the extended family over. We have created light though our choice of colours (Farrow and Ball oxford stone) but also have a room that feels cosy and airy.

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

When we moved into this this house 22 years ago, interiors were all about colour. We have been through all the colours of rainbow in the house, so it’s nice now at this stage to have a calm environment. I like an elegant, timeless and homely interior and this was my inspiration.

If I’m honest, there was very little thought put into this room during the renovation. We already had the furniture and I just gave everything a fresh coat of paint. We put new flooring downstairs so we had a cohesive look and painted the same colour throughout. This room came together so well and I just love it!

Talk us through some of the objects in the photo.

The mirror above the fireplace is as old as the house and was pine when I bought it. When I painted the fireplace about 13 years ago, I updated it by giving it a gold leaf finish. I recently gave it a refresh and I love it. One of my closest friends who is a dab hand with flowers made the full faux flower arrangement for me, which adds real drama to the fireplace.

In the last couple of years I’ve started to collect some blue and white pieces of china – I found a lot of these at the St Vincent de Paul charity shop in Terenure, along with the large teal wide vase. The rug was bought at our parish sale four years ago for a bargain at €6. I also love buying prints and my latest two purchases have been from artist Brenda O’Connor, one of which is leaning on the fireplace to the right.

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

Subconsciously, this room really does reflect my style throughout the rest of the house. I’m drawn to Hamptons-style interior with a cottage feel, and dark floors as I feel they remain timeless. 

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

I gave the fireplace a good shine with some baby oil as that hasn’t been done in a while, and I faffed around with some of my blue and white china.

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.

More: ‘Many a good night has been had in here’: Lorraine shares her beloved black-and-white living room