Inside Karen’s Cork Home - Her Made-to-Measure Roman Blind Story
Karen, known on Instagram as Absolutely Gorgeous Designs, has spent the past four years shaping her family home in Cork into a warm, timeless space filled with personality. She lives here with her husband and two children, and from the moment you step inside, it’s clear the house has been designed with intention, comfort, and long-term living in mind.
“The style of our home is very much a traditional style with a modern twist,” she explains. With a thoughtful mix of old and new pieces, Karen wanted each room to honour the era of the house while still feeling fresh. “I wanted my home to flow from room to room. The traditional with the modern style runs through the whole home.”
The Heart of the Home
The open-plan kitchen, living, and dining space is where the family spends most of their time. It’s a room filled with natural light, layered textures, and soft, neutral tones - a calm backdrop for busy family life.
“I wanted to create a warm, welcoming room,” Karen says. “A touch of elegance and luxury, but still somewhere we could relax every day.”
Her colour palette stays deliberately neutral, allowing her to add small pops of colour that can be changed as the seasons, and her inspirations, evolve. As this is their forever home, she chooses pieces carefully and intentionally.
Choosing a Roman Blind That Will Stand the Test of Time
When it came to dressing the window in the dining area, Karen knew exactly what she wanted: a window treatment that would feel classic, high-quality, and long-lasting.
“I wanted to inject some elegance and luxury into the area,” she says. After ordering fabric samples and viewing them in the natural light of her home — a step she found incredibly helpful, she chose the Marela Herringbone Two-Tone Grey fabric paired with the Tuscany Greige braid.
The result is beautifully refined. The subtle herringbone brings depth and softness to the space, while the braid adds a tailored finish, a detail Karen immediately loved. “The fabric is a beautiful neutral tone, and I feel it will stand the test of time. In 10 years, it will still look beautiful.”
A Simple, Seamless Process
Like many customers, Karen started online by ordering samples through the Material World website. “I found the whole process very easy from start to finish,” she says. “The samples arrived in the post, and I was able to see and feel them in the room they were going to be in.”
Once she placed her order, the made-to-measure blind arrived within weeks. Her husband installed it with ease, another detail that made the experience smooth from beginning to end.
“It just looks beautiful in the room,” she says, smiling. “I’m so happy with it.”
Karen’s Advice for Choosing Window Dressings
As someone with a strong eye for design, Karen has a clear approach to styling her home and her advice is refreshingly simple:
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Choose quality pieces that will last.
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Avoid trend-based fabrics or colours you may fall out of love with.
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Pick something that will work with your room now and years from now.
“Go with something you truly love,” she says. “Think about how it will feel in 10 years. That’s what guided me.”
Looking Ahead
Working with Material World has only strengthened Karen’s passion for creating thoughtful spaces. “Their quality is absolutely outstanding,” she says. “I would highly recommend them as a company, and I really look forward to dressing more windows with them in the future.”
Need window dressings of your own?
Call +353(0)45 879 663, email info@materialworldireland.com, or visit us in-store to learn more about our made-to-measure Roman Blind service. We’d love to chat.
