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LIFESTYLE
Fresh, cool and calming; we've got a dose of the blues, in a good way

BLUE MOOD M&S

Think spring is all about
powdery pastels? Not for
us it isn’t. We are firmly in
the bigger, bolder, better
camp when it comes to our
interiors and are plumping
for this moody blue. Petrol
is a super hue for our cool
northern light while cobalt
and electric work really
well in warmer climes. Pair
this shade with ice white to
make it pop, and layer it with
earthy tones like cinnamon,
rust and olive. This is a colour
palette that works well in a
minimalist scheme - think
wood and wool accents to
keep things cosy – but we
love this art deco take on it,
as per M&S. Want to get the
look? Add lattice patterns
and mix your elements.

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1 Tangle vase, €89, Article 2 Oval marble wall clock, €46.96, Oliver Bonas 3 Tray, €19.99, H&M 4 Diamond table, €289, BoConcept
5 Keep Walking signed print, €30, by Mark Haybyrne @ Jam Art Factory

HOUSE OF FRASER Feeling HOUSE OF HACKNEY

FLORAL

Hello flower power tropicals -
we’re delighted to see you

HOUSE OF HACKNEY HOUSE OF HACKNEY Quirky

The days are getting longer which RYAN LO FLORAL
means we can start thinking about
spring and florals. Yes, we know Miranda OSMAN There is a fine line
RYANLO
Priestley wouldn’t be having any of it (“Florals? For between hip floral and old
spring? Ground breaking.”), but after a truly dark
and dreary winter, we’re brightening up our houses English lady floral. Move
with bright and botanical designs. We were all for the
Scandi-style minimalism, comfort and lots of grey- away from the country
toned cushions but to be quite honest, we’re getting
a bit sick of looking at our minimalist living rooms, cottage look towards
especially now the decorations are gone. So much
grey. So much bland. So much meh. clashing, loud floral prints.

So we’ve vowed to shake things up a bit and you Still confused? Read on…
know what they say, a bit of feng shui is good for the
soul. If anything, lighter and brighter interiors will 1Do keep the walls a nice,
surely lift our mood. And, as if we need to convince bright, white and work
ourselves any more, we’ve already mentally bought around that. We’re all for
every pink, floral candle in the vicinity and as for printed wallpaper but if you’re
ditsy wallpaper? We have rolls of it on pre-order! sticking to a floral theme, a
flower-printed wallpaper might
We Want be slight overkill.

1 23 45 2Don’t buy the exact same
pieces. When it comes to
1. Complete Bliss candle, €54, NEOM 2. Lily arrangement, €8, George Home @ ASDA 3. Cushion, €20, decorating your living room,
Next 4. Teaspoons, €15, HomeSense 5. Jug, €35, Littlewoods Ireland buy a mismatch of different
cushions. In the kitchen, buy
different coloured candles and
dot them around the place.
Instant injections of cool.

3Do get inspiration from
Pinterest. The source of all
cool-interiors inspo!

4Don’t aim for too much
symmetry, most interior
designers follow the rule of
three, meaning there’ll always
be an odd number of things
in a room. Mostly to keep the
eye moving and the room
interesting.

5Do opt for one signature
piece. If you’re doing a
floral wall keep the furniture
modern; if you’re doing a floral
chair and assorted cushions opt
for clean lines and block colours.

6Don’t go outside your
colour palette. The key to
clashing, be it interiors or
outfits, is that the palette needs
to be the same to stop the
patterns hurting your brain.

Soba Noodles Chicken
with Wasabi and Chorizo
Garlic Prawns
Paella
February = 1 tbsp wasabi
Foodie Month 3 tbsp soy sauce 2 garlic cloves
1 garlic clove 1 onion
The poverty and the gluttony 150g soba noodles 1 carrot
hangover com 50g butter 15g fresh flat-leaf parsley
180g king prawns 70g quality chorizo
Yep, we’ve just decided this and you know why? 4 spring onions 2 skinless, boneless chicken thighs
December is all about the food - the roast turkeys, the Olive oil
Mix the wasabi, soy sauce and crushed 1 teaspoon sweet smoked paprika
plates of stuffing, the tins of Roses, the overflowing cheese boards garlic in a bowl. 1 red pepper
and the bucket loads of gravy. Then January comes around and with 1 tablespoon tomato purée
that, the overriding guilt that just maybe you over-ate a wee bit at Put the noodles on the hob in boiling 1 organic chicken stock cube
Christmas (ignore those thoughts, that’s your inner evil self talking). water and cook according to the packet 300g paella rice
But then February rolls in and you start to feel like yourself again instructions. 100g frozen peas
and indulging in some tasty, comforting meals doesn’t seem so bad 200g frozen peeled cooked
any more. So this month, we’ve made it a challenge to try out a few Meanwhile, heat the butter in a frying pan prawns
new (and wild) dishes. Two new dishes doesn’t seem so hard now, and throw in the raw prawns. Cook for five 1 lemon
does it? And it will sure as hell make a nice change from that spag minutes. Toss in the wasabi, soy sauce and
bol you’ve been eating for three nights in a row. garlic mixture. Drain the noodles, throw Chop the garlic, onion and carrot and finely
them in the pan with the spring onions and chop the parsley. Then roughly chop the
leave on heat for a further two minutes. chorizo and chicken thighs.
Then serve up!
Put a glug of oil into a deep pan on a
Difficulty factor - 2/10 medium heat - add the garlic, onion, carrot,
Pricing Factor - € parsley stalks, chorizo, chicken and paprika,
and fry for around 5 minutes.
Wine Pairing Suggestions
Chop up the pepper and throw it in too.
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Stir in the tomato purée and crumble in the
1. Penusco Reserva Rioja 2005, €11.99, Aldi 2. Cono Sur Bicicleta Cabernet Savignon 2014, €11.99, from stores nationwide 3. Limoux Chardonnay 2015, €9.99, from stock cube and then add the rice and stir for
Aldi 4.Torres Viña Sol 2015, €10.99 (discounted in some stores to €9), from stores nationwide 5. B Secco, €6.49, at stores nationwide a couple of minutes.

Pour in 750ml of boiling water and add a
pinch of salt and black pepper. Pop the lid
on and bring to the boil, then reduce to a
simmer for a further 15 minutes.

Stir in the peas and prawns and cook for a
further 5 minutes.

Season to perfection and serve with a
wedge of lime you fancy pants!

Difficulty factor - 5/10
Pricing Factor - €€