Ivory Tower

I am a woman who loves fairy tales!  My house is a realm of romantic enchantment and pagan magic.  From the outside it looks just like any other house; but inside it is a pop-up picture book of delights.  Step inside...let me show you around, but first know this - all I say is truth, not fantasy...and it has taken a long time and lots of hard work for me to create the ivory tower in which I live.  In this tour I hope to inspire you to begin creating your own enchanted realm...my book How to Create a Magical Home available on Amazon Kindle, can help you achieve this. In brackets are the fairy-tales I associate with each piece I am going to show you.

All my rooms have subtle themes, with a fairy tale magic running throughout.  The hallway and staircase is Gothic - at the foot of the stairs stands a large wood carving of a howling wolf and a berry red velvet cloak hangs nearby (Red Riding Hood).  At the top of the stairs the head of a fire-breathing dragon hangs from the wall, guarding the sleeping chambers beyond (Dragon Heart).

My kitchen/dining area is pure Celtic magic with knot work carvings and lanterns, Celtic crosses, royal lions of Scotland and thistle design crockery.  I have lots of Gothic arch shaped mirrors dotted around my home - they remind me of castle windows/arrow slits! - with the biggest one being hung by the dining table.  The table itself is round, of course (Camelot) and standing in a crystal bud vase in the center is a long-stemmed full blown rose of pure silver (Beauty & the Beast).

The lounge is a cozy haven of Victoriana - here you will find the rainbow glow of Tiffany style lamps gently illuminating the sheet music set out on the piano.  A chaise lounge of deep red wine with matching velvet throws and cousins invites you to rest a while; or perhaps you prefer to dream in the rocking chair carved with  oak leaves, putting your feet up before the glowing coals of the fireplace.  Dotted around this room are oak leaf men candle holders, bowls and wind-chimes (Sherwood Forest) and beautiful pagan stags which remind me of Scotland, Herne the Hunter and Cernnunos. A pair of red ballet slippers sits by the hearth (The Red Shoes/Wizard of Oz), while a 5 foot tall three-fold tea-light screen of silver leaves and two 6 foot tall pewter trees designed to hold pillar candles cast a spooky forest filigree upon the walls (Hansel & Gretel/ Sleepy Hollow).

As I work from home as a writer I have a small study, complete with an escritoire writing desk that has pigeon holes.  I am a bibliophile and my childhood dream was to own a room full of books - I have achieved that dream in my study which houses more than 2000 books, carefully collected over many years.  This is the quietest room in the house, so I have my microphone/studio etc set up in a corner and I record vocals for my albums here. My love of horses is plain in the books, statues and wall tapestry. I wish my study had a secret door/passage hidden behind wooden paneling, but alas it is not to be! 

My bedroom is a box of feminine delights! French furniture, gold scroll work, the frothy cream lace canopy of my four poster bed which is my pride and joy..  it's quite a high bed and it reminds me of the Princess & the Pea! I adore my bed, it brings me the sweetest dreams (Sleeping Beauty). In this room knights in armor look down from the walls (Camelot again!) - my favorite art prints in this room are Sir Frank Dicksee's La Belle Dame Sans Merci and I'm hoping to get Frederick Burton's The Meeting on the Turret Stairs. Figures of Lancelot and Guinevere are displayed in this room too.


On the dressing table sits a crystal glass slipper (Cinderella) and a red apple perfume bottle (Snow White).  Pink wrought iron roses, designed to hold tea-light candles, 'grow' up the side of the door (Rapunzel) while my pagan tools and Book of Shadows sit upon a mermaid lamp table in the corner(The Little Mermaid) .

Beneath a full length French magical mirror (Snow White)  are a pair of sparkling silver ballet slippers (Cinderella), while a snowy white tutu hangs close by, and make-up items are kept in little swan planters (Swan Lake).  A collection of ice and snow fairies stand on the window sill (Snow Queen) along with a turreted pink castle that lights up and flickers with fiber optics (Disney!)

The bathroom is so tiny, but even here magic happens! Sea shell light shades and mobiles hang from the ceiling, fine art prints of mermaids and sirens hang on the walls and lovely bath and body products are kept in a carved wooden pirate's chest (Treasure Island)!  I have a large collection of Lord of the Rings goblets, which are dotted all around my home - every room has at least two, with the exception of the bathroom, which has one - the City of Tirion goblet holds my toothbrush!

As I said - this really is my home, but it has taken many years to put together and to build up such a collection of fairy tale items. I had a very clear image of what I wanted my house to look and feel like, and the magical atmosphere I wanted to create. People who visit always say the same thing "It's like stepping into another world!"  Mission accomplished then :)  I hope this post has inspired you to bring some magic into your own home. It is almost the witching hour and I am going to climb into my four poster bed with a book, so from the enchanted realm of my Ivory Tower I bid you goodnight and the sweetest of dreams. Blessed be x