Home Front: thinking pink

Pink diamonds

There must be something in the air – or perhaps the water this year – for the colour pink and its kaleidoscope of colours, hues and tones, from translucent peach, shocking bubble-gum all the way to deep magenta.

The 2019 Pantone colour of the year is Living Coral – evocative of how our much threatened coral reefs provide such a chromatic display of this delicate colour. Of all the diamonds mined, only .0001 per cent are pink, making this colour the most highly sought after coloured diamond.

May's Fine Jewel, Watches and Silver sale at O'Reilly's on Francis Street features a number of pink- and coral-hued rings. "We are finding that our customers are more daring with their jewellery choices recently. Gemstones such as morganite, pink sapphires and pink topaz are becoming increasingly popular," according to Rachel Healy, gemmologist at O'Reillys.

The splendid and tragic history of Irish country houses

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Lots to look forward to on the new homes front in Wicklow

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Dwell in marble halls in Foxrock for €3.5m

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There is also a trend moving away from solitaire diamonds as engagement rings – perhaps fuelled by the antics of actors and singers across the pond. Actor Orlando Bloom is reported to have spent $5 million on his pink engagement ring for singer Katy Perry and now their entourage of fans cannot get enough, launching pink gems into the limelight. For the rest of us, estimates for pink rings at O'Reilly's auction on May 22nd range from €140 to €7,000.

The power of flowers

Forget hot yoga or mindfulness, the modern way to switch off is to take up floristry. Anna Potter of Sheffield-based Swallows & Damsons takes the fusty subject back to its natural origins, weaving beautiful arrangements that step way outside the basic bouquet format to wow both your visual and olfactory senses. Her fine-art training shows in her designs for they look like veritable still life works, worthy of being framed. They echo distinctly the work of classic British florist Constance Spry who ruled the flower world in the 1950s. These big blowsy blush colours are the perfect way to herald the garden indoors. But to really master her craft you need to put down your device and tap into the influencer's thinking in a new book, The Flower Fix: Modern Arrangements for a Daily Dose of Nature, by White Lion Publishing. You can spread open it on a table and read the instructions without constantly having to scroll a screen. Published on May 30th, it's the new old way to relax. swallowsanddamsons.com

Keeping things calm at home

Interior designer Denise O'Connor of Optimise Home is continuing to focus on creating interiors that flow both in terms of layout and colour. Executed properly, an improved flow can significantly improve the wellbeing of the people living in it. This is the view of behavioural neuroscientist Dr Michael Keane, who says design has a fundamental role to play in the quality of our day-to-day lives. "Our brains are designed to keep us safe. Feeling safe is controlled by the emotional motor system and this part of the brain needs to get a lot of reassurance to feel safe. A threat to this feeling of safety is over-stimulation," says Keane. He claims that cluttered, poorly lit homes can subliminally increase stress. These and other insights on how to execute a well-designed home improvement project will be shared at an Optimise Home event hosted by Denise O'Connor. She who will be joined by Keane and colour expert Niamh Coffey of Dulux Ireland. The event will take place on May 21st at the Dean Hotel on Harcourt Street in Dublin 2 . For tickets see eventbrite.ie