AO at Home giving a*r some serious LOVE!

We're big fans of the AO at Home blog... it's just plain gorgeous, and the mix of articles and interviews is fab! It's editor, in case you don't know, is the super lovely Kimberly Hughes of Swoon Worthy blog fame... (honestly, her house is to die for...I've been following her kitchen and bathroom renovations recently, and cannot wait to see the finished result). 

Kimberly interviewed us for the AO at Home blog a few weeks ago. You can read the interview with us, right here. We love the layout and graphics that Kimberly created for the layout, it's really gorgeous.

Just the other day, Kimberly put together this pretty buying guide for a Feminine Home Office. We were delighted she chose our Rose Flamingo Wallpaper for the scheme, and think it would be a stunning space to work in - I'm secretly dreaming of creating this at home, but sadly we don't have the room as my 'office space' is now 'storage space' for lots of Wallpaper! - and I would just love to see it come to life.

Click here to see the full post, and buying guide.

Thanks so much for all the a*r love recently Kimberly, so happy to have met you!

Abigail x

Ireland's Homes Interiors & Living Magazine...

We were delighted to be contacted a few months ago by the editor of Ireland's Homes Interiors and Living magazine... one of our favourites for Irish home news!

They were putting together a special decorating feature, and in addition to wanting to include our new Rose Flamingo Wallpaper, they wanted me to write a short article about how to use Wallpaper in your home... well, this is a topic I can wax QUITE lyrically about, so much so, my 'expert opinion' wouldn't fit in one of the little text boxes, and instead, filled a page. Woops!

Anyway, here's what I had to say about using Paper and Pattern in the home!

"When it comes to decorating, at abigail*ryan, we are big fans of the maximalist look. We combine bold Wallpapers with matching or clashing fabrics, prints and cushions for a strong editorial look. For us, bright and bold colour play is key. It makes our home feel alive and welcoming. We always have lots of art and prints, and like to utilise picture shelves, so we can curate vignettes with our favourite pieces, ornaments and finds without damaging our Wallpaper. This means you can move your art as your collection evolves without having holes in your paper.

For us, layering pattern upon pattern within a home is what really creates impact and uniqueness, but it’s not the only way to use Wallpaper successfully!

Though ‘The Feature Wall’ has been around for a while, it remains an excellent way to create a strong focal point in a room and really experiment with print and pattern.  Both in terms of budget, and look, this is a lighter option and one that still looks fantastic. A feature wall (also good on a fire-breast wall) looks great in a neutral colour-scheme, but equally, consider picking out one of the more unusual secondary colours from the paper for your paint choice, or perhaps the darkest colour (often only an accent colour, or line-work) and create a really den-like feel. People tend to think it will really close in a room, but it doesn’t have to. If you have a period home, with high ceilings, consider painting your doors and skirting the same colour as your walls to emphasise the height of your room and really make your feature Wallpaper pop. A dark colour can actually make a room feel spacious, as it diffuses the corners, making it feel like a large cocoon of colour, so it’s a great choice for smaller homes or modern spaces.

On a tight budget, or for those nervous about committing to papering an entire room or wall, there are still great ways to bring pattern in to the home. Using Wallpaper in the smallest room in the house (often the downstairs WC!) makes a really fun statement. Paper the inside of your kitchen cabinets, and you will have a flash of colour and pattern every time you open the door. This is also a great project for your walk-in wardrobe or pantry, especially for people who find Wallpaper a little busy, but like it’s on trend feel. You can close the door, but still feel you have that nod to fashion in your home. For this, chose a really bold paper with a big statement print. Be brave!

Finally, if your budget is really tight, create a Wallpaper gallery – somewhere like your hall stairway is great for this. Most Wallpaper companies will sell Samples of their paper (from 50 pence to a few pounds). Order a few different patterns, or pick up some pieces from the DIY store (where you can tear off a piece to take home). Really mix and match and go for clash, in colour, scale and design. Or, chose one colour scheme, and stick to papers in one palette for a more harmonious look. You can then place the pieces of Wallpaper in found, mismatched or vintage frames you’ve painted a colour of your choice. Then, hang! This shows off Wallpaper as Art in your home. Lastly, you can create a patchwork of paper pieces… this would be a more permanent look, as you would paste them on to a wall, but a really eclectic and fun one! Perfect for a Child’s play space, perhaps?"

We hope you can pick up a copy, which is on newsstands now... and don't forget, our Wallpaper is available to order online, in our shop.

Abigail x

Pooch and Mutt Dog Treats...

It's long been a slightly embarrassing aspect of my personality, that I am a huge sucker for good packaging. Like a moth to a flame, I will gravitate towards lovely font, gorgeous illustration, matt finishes, embossed text, foiling, the works. Right there, and then, I am pretty much sold. There doesn't need to be any more conversation. I believe if people care enough to put their product in good packaging, the product will be good. Right or wrong, (and I haven't been, yet) that's my mantra.

So, today we were making our regular pilgrimage to Pets at Home for dog food and some treats for Angus and Hamish, the hungry wee things, and imagine my surprise when I spotted these *gorgeous* tubes...

They turned out to be the new range of dog biscuits by Pooch and Mutt, whom I hadn't come across before, and, as it turned out, the contents are every bit as appealing as the packaging! Ethical (they won an Ethical Award!), Made in the UK, Natural, Low Calorie, Gluten-Free, Hand-Baked and with the tag-line 'approx 150 ways to bond with your dog" I was sold on these little bone shaped biscuits!

I bought two flavours today: the Puppy Development ones, which have chicken, linseed and chicory to help cognitive development in growing Hamish. The Omega3 oils should help him develop concentration as we're training him! He loves them, and has already scoffed a few. For Angus (and Hamish in a few weeks) I chose the Calm & Relaxed ones... he's been a little stressed lately, with the addition of his little brother, and all the frenetic play time, so I thought the lamb and chamomile combination would soothe his nerves, and also Hamish, when Angus needs a little rest. He really enjoyed these ones, and he's a pretty fussy customer.

My mother in law bought the Active Mobility ones for their King Charles Spaniel, Sonny, who is pretty old now and a little creaky... so I'm sure he will enjoy those, too.

Angus and Hamish scampering around after their Pooch and Mutt treats...

It's nice to know you're feeding something to your pooches that is tailored to their needs (we love them, so of course we want the best for them!), which are tasty and they manage look great on the counter, I had been decanting until now. It's a winning situation for everyone. I really couldn't keep these lovely treats, and their fabulous packaging design to myself, as I know a lot of our friends and readers have pups, too...

Hope you all pick up some of these soon, we would highly recommend them!

Abigail @ abigail*ryan

p.s. Angus is currently collapsed asleep at Ryan's feet after eating a few relaxing treats. Happy coincidence? Hmm, I wonder. ;)

Decorating with abigail*ryan Wallpaper...

Okay... I'm having FAR too much fun with this virtual decorating lark and starting to feel a little disillusioned when I look around my own bedroom! Anyway, onward to scheme number three...

Today, I've had fun decorating a bedroom space with our Cosmo Maraschino papers, and cushions (I would also choose curtains in our matching fabric, but that's an aside). I love eclectic and maximalist interiors, and really enjoyed playing up the deep blue in the Maraschino print - the line work is a lovely vibrant navy - and adding pops of orange which further compliments the blue. The gorgeous boucherouite rug, a huge trend right now, has enough colours in it that you could play up any number of other hues to avoid everything feeling too 'matchy matchy', but, I loved mixing in lots of vibrant neon pinks, along with the blue and orange, as this Wallpaper really does wake up a room and I wanted the pink to remain the star!

It's tricky to find unusual bedroom furniture, especially gorgeous bed-heads, so I have been obsessed with this one ever, and the matching chair, since finding it on Pinterest. Well worth shipping from Australia, right? That's what I'm trying to convince Ryan of, anyway...

I think I would pick out the wet concrete grey colour from the Cosmo flower backgrounds as my paint or woodwork colour (Farrow and Ball do especially gorgeous eggshell paint, which is beautiful for woodwork)...

What do you think? Would you like this paper as an accent behind your bed, or would you be brave and go ALL OVER?!

Hope you're enjoying this little series and it's inspiring you to consider a*r Wallpaper for your home!
More, soon.

Abigail x


Credits - Clockwise from TOP: Bedhead - The Family Love Tree, Down that Little Lane / Gloss Orange Mirror - In Style Decor / For Like Ever - Super Rural / Siren by Jean Pierre Brown at Made / Cosmo Maraschino Cushions, in Florimetric and Rotunda - abigail*ryan / Navy Bedding - John Lewis / Pink Parrot - Linea House of Fraser  (I just picked this up myself, it's on sale!) / Boucherouite Rug (for similar, try HERE) / Peacock Chair - The Family Love Tree, Down that Little Lane / Cosmo Maraschino Floribunda Cushion - abigail*ryan / Faux Bamboo Dresser - Redford House / Marie Antoinette Poster, pimped up with spray paint (found on Pinterest, source unknown) / Orange Lacquer Boxes - In Style Decor / Cosmo Marschino Wallpaper - abigail*ryan