The new Dylan Bar.

Enjoy some delicious light bites at the newly redesigned Dylan Bar…

.. in Dublin’s leading boutique hotel.

“Open for light bites and mouth-watering pastries all day long.

Rich in tones and textures, the redesign of Dylan Bar has walnut paneling, which perfectly complements a beautiful tonal colour palette of orange, slate and mustard with subtle scene-setting lighting to create atmospheric silhouettes.
A striking portrait, by Cian McLoughlin, is one of the many beautiful pieces of artwork that adorn the Dylan Bar…

.. while the centrepiece, the walnut fronted bar.”

“Dylan Hotel believes in treating yourself to the finer things in life…

.. that’s why we offer the best 5-star afternoon tea in Dublin.

Served in the modern surroundings of the Dylan Bar, each afternoon tea is a retreat into luxury. The tower of decadent delights is served while you relax into crushed velvet couches, deep upholstered seats. Whether you’d like to indulge with friends, family, or take time out for yourself, you can be assured of a fine dining experience.

Imagine your visit now…

.. by seeing what mouth-watering delights are on offer.”

Bright, light and comfortable, the Dylan Bar is ideal for morning meetings, lunch with friends…

.. or an evening get together with delicious drinks and moreish bites.

The newly redesigned Dylan Bar…

.. in Dublin’s leading boutique hotel… and the creating of those images by Dianne, Claudio, Ivan & me at ampimage.com

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New for Old

Is the title of our latest published work which can be seen on the cover and in the May 2019 issue of Ireland’s Homes Interiors & Living magazine…

.. on pages 74 to 85 – featuring John Wilson’s new-build house in the County Down seaside village of Ballyhalbert.

“When John could not find a barn to convert he created his own old-style new build using contemporary style open plan living set against reclaimed materials.”

Which I talked about shooting here: Favourite shot has to be the Michael Jordan one.

So once again congratulations to John here…

.. for not only making it into this beautifully printed magazine but for also making it onto the cover too – from Marie, Mandi and me

Quiet Please!

Because we are working in…

… at the Dylan Hotel in Dublin

Former Glory

Is the title of our latest published work which can be seen on the cover and in the April 2019 issue of Ireland’s Homes Interiors & Living magazine…

.. on pages 58 to 69 – featuring Jacqui and Peter’s Victorian rectory in the County Down town of Bangor.

”Peering through a tangle of overgrown trees to catch a glimpse of a lofty Victorian rectory, nestling on the side of a hill, and boasting spectacular, panoramic views over Belfast Lough, Jacqui’s interest was instantly piqued.”

Which we talked about shooting here: Classic design that stands the test of time.

So once again congratulations to Peter and Jacqui here…

.. for not only making it into this beautifully printed magazine but for also making it onto the cover too – from Janet, Dianne, Ivan and me

Hidden Depths

Is the title of our latest published work in the February 2019 issue of 25 Beautiful Homes magazine…

.. on pages 10 to 15 – which features Peggy and Phil Bell’s Victorian terrace which overlooks Ballyholme Bay in County Down.

”When Peggy saw a terraced house overlooking the sea, she knew it had the potential to be a special family home.”

Which I talked about shooting here: Black Friday.

So congratulations once again to Phil and Peggy here…

.. for making it into this beautiful national magazine that features more inspirational homes than any other, from Sean, Dianne & me

New beginnings

Is the title of our latest published work in the January 2019 issue of Homes & Gardens magazine…

.. on pages 107 to 113 – which features Jacqui and Peter Kirk’s Victorian rectory in the County Down town of Bangor.

“By respecting the heritage and reconfiguring the layout of their Victorian rectory, Jacqui and Peter Kirk have created a magnificent family home.”

Which we talked about shooting here: Classic design that stands the test of time.

So a HUGE congratulations to Peter and Jacqui here…

.. for making it into this beautiful magazine, which is currently celebrating 100 years of style – as we wishing you all a Merry Christmas too – from Janet, Dianne, Ivan and me

The perfect gift this Christmas.

This was one of my favorite images of 2017…

.. which we talked about shooting here: The new & the old – but as you can see from the quick shots I recently took…

.. they were in the poscess of making some changes…

.. and so that meant a new image was required.

However, even on the morning of the shoot…

.. after having looked at it from various angles the night before as well, we still weren’t 100% sure about which was the best single angle…

.. to show this newly refurbished reception area…

.. but in the end, we decided it was basically from the front door this time – looking over their new furniture towards the front desk…

.. and so having all finally agreed on that – the lights went up…

.. and the Christmas tree decorations naturally had to come down…

.. at least until we had finished.

And so once again I was very glad I had brought the full team along to help…

.. which these pictures clearly show they did…

.. in their own special way

Seriously though, one of the things I love to look at afterward is these ‘behind the scenes’ pictures…

.. especially the ones which Claudio takes – like this series…

.. of us trying to reduce the marks on the carpet…

.. as it’s easy to forget how much work goes into each of these images…

.. or how many people are actually involved sometimes…

.. or even stopping to ask “where did that outfit come from?”…

.. because if you are like me, then I’m sure you already noticed that she wasn’t wearing that before

Which in a way is a good thing, because that’s obviously not what we want anyone to notice or even talk about when they look at this final image…

.. of their new reception area.

Still, all this helps remind me as to why it takes so long to pack the wagon…

.. which just leaves me to say a big thanks to everyone at the Dunboyne Castle Hotel for “The Perfect Gift This Christmas”…

from all of us

New bar and lounge area.

Two of the busiest areas in any hotel is the reception area and the lounge area – plus with the days being very short at this time of year – then bringing the full team along to help…

.. seemed to make sense – because a few days before we were due to shoot this was how the terrace lounge area looked…

.. at the Dunboyne Castle Hotel in County Meath – as it was being refurbished and a new bar was also being built…

.. behind the ‘false wall’ at the back.

And I was glad I did, as the first image appeared on screen…

.. because it was “a bit of a grey old day”, as they would say here in Ireland – which means we didn’t have that lovely sun-lit feel, which one would naturally see on a good day, due to the large windows along the left and skylight windows (above) on the right.

So 3k’s up…

.. as the guys reckoned a bank of these would do the trick…

.. and then we ran through the various “ where to put the people” options…

.. before our models arrived to take up their positions…

.. which was naturally followed by a few more quick shots…

.. and there you have it – the new image of the ​Terrace Lounge & Bar area…

.. at the Dunboyne Castle Hotel – once the top and bottom had been added to make it a square – because it’s easy to crop but hard to add on…

.. especially afterward

House of Fun.

Is the title of our latest published work in the November 2018 issue of Ireland’s Homes Interiors & Living magazine…

.. on pages 82 to 93 – which features Deborah and Graham’s semi-detached house in the Belmont area of Belfast.

“Deborah and Graham took a classic base, added a dash of vintage blended with quirkiness and colour to create a uniquely happy home in Belfast.”

Which we talked about shooting here: No ordinary house will make it.

So congratulations to Deborah and Graham here…

.. for this time making it into Ireland’s largest selling monthly interiors and lifestyle magazine – from Marie and Stuart…

.. plus Mandi and me

Classic design that stands the test of time.

Homes & Gardens is one of Britain’s oldest decorating magazines, which has been in circulation since 1919.

“Aspirational yet accessible, stylish, sophisticated and indulgent, Homes & Gardens showcases classic design that stands the test of time.”

Back in 2015 Jacqui and her husband, Peter, returned to Ireland and bought this large, derelict house…

.. as a renovation project.

Unoccupied for a while it seems, therefore in a terrible state of repair – so they totally stripped it back to brick…

.. and removed virtually all the woodwork apart from the staircase – as it seems they really did want a challenge

Anyway, after receiving a call from Janet McMeekin, a London based writer who also once lived here, we were recently invited to take a look – and the rest is now history, as they would say…

.. because before very long Ivan had the lights up and Dianne had everything, including Jacqui here…

.. looking like something you would see in a magazine.
But not just any old magazine, because yes I’m delighted to say, that 100 years after Homes & Gardens was first launched, you will now be able to see our work in that magazine too

So a big thanks to Ivan & Dianne here…

.. as well as to Janet, because it was “great teamwork” like you said – but most importantly I’d like to congratulate Jacqui and Peter, because if the icing on the cake was winning a heritage award, then this has got to be the cherry on top of that

One to look out for at the start of next year…

.. in Britain’s oldest decorating magazines which showcases classic design that stands the test of time