May in the Mournes

The Bird Box

The Bird Box is a magical AirBnb in Donegal and it’s the third incredible home designed and created by Pete and Anna. Their other homes include The Hide and The Cow Shed.

I’ve always loved treehouses and had dreams of staying in one. Who hasn’t?! During a visit to The Hide we spotted Pete building what looked like the early stages of a treehouse. I couldn’t believe it! We spent the next year or so checking in regularly with their AirBnb profile to see if the treehouse was available for booking. When we least expected it and at a moment when we were really in need of a treat, it suddenly became available. We booked a break immediately. Keeping an eye on things paid off as all of Pete and Anna’s homes are usually booked out really far in advance.

When we arrived, it did not disappoint! There was no mistaking the entrance and as we started walking we soon spotted the treehouse nestled between the trees. It was stunning. The little walk to it was an experience in itself too. We had to cross a suspended rope bridge in order to get to it; the stuff of dreams!

This is the view that met us on the other side of the treehouse…

After marvelling at the view we lit a fire, poured a couple of beers, put our comfies on and had a proper look around the treehouse itself.

As expected, it was so beautiful and cosy inside. The hosts have fantastic taste in furnishings/decor and everything is crafted so cleverly. You can find all that you need in the treehouse too; a fridge, hob, microwave/oven, sink, toilet, shower, bed, storage, lounge area, table, chairs and a mini wood burner. It’s unbelievable what they’ve built into the space.

Then there’s the trademark way in which Pete and Anna frame the views with their brilliant placement of windows. The front of the treehouse is completely made up of windows. You’re just surrounded by trees and mountains. Even the tree branches are shaped in such a way that they frame the mountain peaks!

Another lovely thing about all of their homes is that there is little to no phone signal, so you really can detach from the world there. We spent every evening eating, drinking, chatting and just staring at the sun setting over the mesmerising landscape. Much better than staring at screens!

It was surreal to wake up high amongst the trees every morning; an absolute feast for the eyes.

I treated myself to a nice new Moleskine pocket sketchbook just before the trip. I knew it would be a break worth documenting in sketches.

It’s impossible not to relax and recharge in Pete and Anna’s homes. The hammock was particularly good for this and very comfortable for a nap!

I’d like to have produced a few more sketches during our visit, but we’ll be back again very soon. It was great to just be still and soak up the newness of this special place on our first visit.

Book your own visit here.

Belfast Design Week 2019

Belfast Design Week is an annual design festival which celebrates local and international design in venues across the city. It was absolutely incredible this year!

Each year has a different theme and this one was my favourite so far.

I had the pleasure of being involved with the marketing of BDW this year, on social media. This worked out very well, as I was able to keep well up to date with events I was interested in!

I particularly enjoyed Womenfolk- Getting Retail Ready. It was so insightful and inspiring to hear from Patricia from Woven, Emma from Hunter Paper Co and Dollybirds Art.

I also had the pleasure of facilitating my own interactive live design event; Let’s Paint a Picture of Belfast, as part of The Big Draw In. This took place on Cotton Court Square in Belfast City Centre.

It was added to and coloured in throughout the Big Design Day Out by children, adults and visitors to Belfast, showing what Belfast means to them and what they would like to see in the city centre in the future.

The day was a success! I couldn’t have done it without the help from my Womenfolk mentee, Kathryn McGrane and Christine James, from BDW and Blick Studios. I was impressed by the turnout, in spite of the torrential rain and heavy winds.

Glenveagh Day

I visited Glenveagh National Park in Donegal for the first time recently. It’s the second largest National Park in Ireland; full of rugged Derryveagh Mountains, lakes, woodland and a castle which was originally built as a hunting lodge in the late 19th century. How this was only my first visit at this point, I do not know!

We had been in Donegal for a lovely AirBnb cabin break and decided we would take a little detour to Glenveagh on our way back home. Our hosts recommended a great driving route to get there.

The drive was quite something, but we were even more blown away by the view when we arrived at the park. It was one of those beautiful days where the clouds were so dramatic that they didn’t quite look real. We could have been anywhere in the world. What a day for exploring!

We set off in the direction of the castle, alongside the lake. We walked further into the mountains and the views became more dramatic with every step we took. The walk was about 3.5 km and should have taken around 40 minutes at a casual pace. We were in no hurry though.

Days like these are magical and just when we thought it couldn’t get any better we found a small, isolated patch of pebbly land right next to the lake where we could dip our toes.

We met no one else there. We just had ourselves and the wonderful sound of the water to break the peaceful silence. It turned out to be a bit of a sun trap there too, so we ended up spending most of the afternoon on this little piece of paradise.

It was an ideal moment to grab my pencils and sketchbook.

Hannah did some more exploring and foraging while I was sketching. She gathered some lovely pebbles and driftwood to take home.

We could have stayed there all day, but time was ticking on and we needed to get back home to prepare for work the following day. We still managed a quick visit to the castle, gardens and cafe though. It would have been lovely to spend a bit more time exploring the grounds, but we were both happy to have prioritised our walk and the little spot next to the lake.