Editor’s Welcome: the Autumn/Winter 2022 issue of IMAGE Interiors magazine is out now

I think anyone who lives with a dog will recognise the particular expression on our canine cover star, Mr Scruff’s, face. It’s the “…and just where do you think you’re going?” look as you’re spotted throwing on your coat and heading out the door – without them. How could you?

But the upside to leaving is the inevitable returning – and there is simply no welcome home like the one you get from a dog. Certainly, in my house you’d be lucky to get a grunt from the teenagers, sprawled on the sofa, eyes glued to the phone, whereas Buster, our 4-year-old cockapoo, literally hurls himself at you, his entire body wagging like one of those wiggle snake toys as he madly tries to lick any limb he can reach. His, often-neurotic, but always affectionate, energy has become such an integral part of what I think of as “home” now.

What I enjoyed most about working on this particular issue was delving into all the different ways people make a space feel like home – for them. For film director John Butler, it’s apartment living all the way. “It’s small,” he says, “but, to me, it represents a way of life. Houses are heteronormative. I don’t have a family, so why would I need lots of empty rooms?” Apartment living is still underappreciated in Ireland. But when you see what John and architect Cliona Dempsey have achieved on page 121, it’s clear that design ambition and attention to detail are not limited by square footage.

DIY guru Harrison Gardner concurs, “We don’t believe in a one-size-fits-all solution for housing” which is why he has created the Common Knowledge programme to empower people to build their own. Starting with their ingenious Tigín – a (teeny) tiny house, on wheels, whose inventive 20-square-metre design you’ll find photographed on page 108.

Harrison also goes on to assert, “We’re hoping to make 2023 the year of the stone cottage.” We couldn’t agree more, just one look at the Lost Cottage in Kerry, on page 64, and any doubts you might have about the potential of Ireland’s traditional cottages to be reimagined as a 21st century home will be quashed.

While others find their sense of home rooted in the land rather than the building. For Lesley Tumulty on page 156, it’s the “beautiful mess” of her garden, “once summer has faded like an old photograph”, which gives her endless joy.

But I love budding self-builder Lauren Tuite’s take on it best, who says on page 112, “I’ve had lots of offers of help for when my build gets started. DIY is great but it’s more fun to Do It Together.”

It’s this collaborative attitude that moves us every issue. All the people we meet during the production of the magazine, and each one, from homeowners to architects and designers, openly sharing their experience, ideas and expertise with such generosity.

Ensuring we can all make the most of whatever space we choose to call home.

Want to get in touch? We’d love to hear from you – editorial@image.ie

IMAGE Interiors Autumn/Winter 2022 is on sale now, shop here.