Because we are working in…
… at the Dylan Hotel in Dublin 
March 24, 2019
March 1, 2019
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
January 4, 2019
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
December 14, 2018
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
December 12, 2018
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
December 9, 2018
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
October 3, 2018
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
September 18, 2018
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
September 1, 2018
Try Before You Buy!
Is the title of our latest published work in the October 2018 issue of Ireland’s Homes Interiors & Living magazine…
.. on pages 78 to 89 – which features Lisa and Conor McCann’s 1930s detached villa in south Belfast.
“Lisa and Conor used subtle neutrals and pops of colour to create a cool contemporary home in their Belfast city villa.”
Which we talked about shooting here: Straight forward.
So congratulations once again to Conor and Lisa here…
.. for this time making it into Ireland’s largest selling monthly interiors and lifestyle magazine – from Marie, Mandi, Claudio and me
August 10, 2018
Lane 5.
Each year on the University of Houston swimming & diving team there would have been around 40 of us in total – approximately 10 would have been divers – so in the pool that would have meant there would have been about 5 of us in each of the 6 lanes during training.
Lane 5 was the lane I remember swimming in – along with Billy, who I recently talked about meeting here: Billy, it’s Ashley and Ashley – and Andrew Gray, who was a very good long-distance swimmer from South Africa, who can be seen here…
.. with Christina from Sweden – who I remember we called the “Strawberry Girl” – but don’t ask me why, as my memory isn’t that good
Anyway, since signing up to Facebook back in 2009 and saying “Hi” once again to many of those who were on that team, Christina was obviously someone who I became “Friends” with and have followed ever since – especially since she was clearly still swimming, which in turn (unknown to her) inspired me to get back into the pool as well.
So naturally when she wrote to say that she (along with her husband, Bjorn Hörbäck, sister, Annis, and her husband, Philip Josefson) would be coming to Ireland for a few days, the answer was: “Yes, I would love to meet up” even before she asked
And where better to meet than at McDonald’s…
.. because besides occasionally looking at all the pictures I took of everyone back then – many of which I have posted here on Facebook: University of Houston swim team 1979 to 1983 – nothing reminds me more of all the wonderful times we had together, than seeing those Golden Arches.
Anyway, after booking them into the Europa Hotel – which this book that my work can be seen in…
.. tells the story about how it was once known as the “most bombed hotel in the world” – they all piled into the Land Rover and I drove them along the scenic Antrim Coast Road towards the Giant’s Causeway – where I enjoyed taking lots of pictures of them…
.. taking pictures of themselves…
.. as well as of the Causeway itself …
.. before heading to the Dark Hedges…
.. which has been used as a location in HBO’s popular television series Game of Thrones…
.. as that was on the road back to Belfast. Were we enjoyed a lovely meal in the Europa, before heading across the road to the Crown Bar, as a few pints of Hop House 13 awaited
Next day I first drove Christina and her sister, Annis, to see the Peace Wall…
.. which separates the nationalist Falls Road and unionist Shankill Road areas of West Belfast…
.. which I hadn’t actually seen myself before – even though it’s now a major tourist attraction – before taking them to Titanic Belfast – which is a monument to Belfast’s maritime heritage on the site of the former Harland & Wolff shipyard in the city’s Titanic Quarter where the RMS Titanic was built…
.. where one can hear the many stories about the ill-fated Titanic, which (as you probably already know) hit an iceberg and sank during her maiden voyage in 1912.
Anyway, something which I had completely forgotten (and/or couldn’t have told you), was who else swam in ‘Lane 5’ besides Billy, Andrew and myself.
Well now I know, as it was none other than the unforgettable Christina…
.. a.k.a. the ‘Strawberry Girl’ or ‘Wonder Woman’ – which she was also sometimes known as.
Anyway, just wanted to post this to thank her here for the past few days, as it was not only lovely to see her again…
.. but it was also lovely to be able to show her this wee part of the world where it’s believed giants once used to play…
.. which I call my home
