It usually starts with silence. The kind of silence that feels full of potential. You step into your new home, still half in disbelief that the journey is over — solicitors, surveys, completion dates — and now this is yours. But that silence? It lingers. Because the walls are blank. The floors are bare. And you realise, with the weight of a thousand Pinterest boards on your shoulders, that making this house feel like home is the next chapter — and it won’t write itself.

Most people do what they think they’re supposed to do. They turn to the same palettes: greys, taupes, whites. Safe. Predictable. Easy to pair with anything, right? But here’s the thing: a home that feels like everyone’s can never really feel like yours. There’s a quiet rebellion in colour, a kind of magic that happens when you let boldness in. Not loudness for its own sake — but the kind of bold that knows its place. Imagine a dining room in stormy navy with brass details that catch the light just so. Picture a velvet sofa in moss green that invites more than just sitting — it invites storytelling. There’s emotion in colour. And when it’s done well, it doesn’t shout. It resonates.

The truth is, Irish homes — especially new ones — are crying out for personality. The northern light that spills through our windows isn’t harsh like elsewhere. It’s diffused, gentle. It flatters deep shades in a way Mediterranean sun never could. It was made for ochres, merlots, teals — for tone, texture, and transformation. Your blank canvas is not a restriction. It’s an invitation.

You didn’t buy your first home to blend in. So why decorate like you did?