Natasha and Stephen: the most important piece of equipment is the 900mm Waterford range cooker

The chefs' kitchen: Stephen Gibson and Natasha MacGowan


Too many cooks supposedly spoil the broth, but chefs Stephen Gibson and Natasha MacGowan have a pretty smooth recipe for harmonious home cooking – and none of those Hell's Kitchen histrionics. Both work at Pichet, where Donegal native Stephen is head chef while girlfriend Natasha from Leitrim is pastry chef.


That Leitrim connection was a factor in the renovation and extension of their south-city Dublin home which they bought three years ago – Natasha's father and relatives came down, rolled up the sleeves and spent weekends getting stuck in to the heavy building work. The kitchen could do with a little extending, everyone agreed. "There was such a huge garden, 120ft of it, that I knew we could extend in to and create a decent kitchen and dining room," says Stephen. A carpenter from Galway custom-built the cream kitchen cabinets to the couple's design. The units run in an L-shape, culminating in a breakfast bar combining storage, a generous work-top and informal eating area.


For Stephen, the most important piece of equipment is the 900mm Waterford range cooker in stainless steel; for Natasha, it's the gleaming Kitchen Aid mixer. There are no mouldering toasters or pulp-encrusted juicers languishing unused in this ultra-functional room; maximising storage space was a crucial element of the design for the two chefs. The cabinets don't have swing doors, but pull out entirely with racks of wire storage trays. "In my mother's house, I had all of my baking stuff in one press," says Natasha. She has replicated that here with one cabinet dedicated to all the ingredients and accoutrements necessary for the professional pastry chef. Both are strict at policing the cupboards, she says, discarding out-of-date and unused stuff regularly. But their kitchen isn't all about function; this is also the room in the house where they spend most of their time relaxing. A joint favourite piece is their big extendable dining table seating up to 12, while the bench seating also allows an extra guest or two to squeeze in.


What's the easiest and quickest dinner party dish? "If I have people over, I'll do a nice roast beef or leg of lamb, gratin potatoes, steamed veg – really keeping it very simple," says Stephen. He also has a passion for pasta, and it's potato-ey Italian cousin, gnocchi, all of which he insists is really therapeutic to make fresh. But free evenings and weekends are a rarity; a normal day in the restaurant for Stephen is starting work at 7.30, finishing up at 12.45am. But cooking remains a pleasure, whether at home or at work, insists pastry guru Natasha. Melt-in-the – mouth apple pies, warm from the home oven, are testament to her skills – and testing for the Sunday Tribune's will power. As Peter Kay might say: "Home-made apple pies – they're the future. We've tasted them. " VS


The stylist's wardrobe: Aisling Farinella


Do stylists ever have days when, as per the rest of the female population, they look at their wardrobes and wail that they have nothing to wear? "Well, no," says Aisling Farinella. "That's not saying I don't have bad days – but I don't think they really have anything to do with the selection of what you have to wear!"


Sparkles, sequins and vintage feature heavily in her wardrobe, as does a lot of black. "My wardrobe is extensive but it's not vast. I keep everything and repair or take a scissors to it if needed. I'm very conscious about what I'm buying and who I'm buying from – I invest in good pieces and avoid disposable fashion." Those good pieces include a John Rocha coat ("It's a really beautiful cotton drill dress coat – I got it in a sample sale and it looks cool with jeans as well as being perfect for fancy events") and a stripy vintage sailor top.


Anything she never wears? "A pair of Miu Miu heels that are just that little bit too high to do anything except stand in them so they're in great condition. They do get worn – they're good for weddings – but I have to hold onto my boyfriend's arm," she admits.


Farinella, whose styling credits range from the Blizzards to Louise Kennedy photo shoots and Barry's Tea commercials says that people think she ends up buying something every time she does a shoot, which, of course, she doesn't. "I would never go shopping on my day off, although friends and family like to avail of my professional services often enough," she says. Her working uniform is a black jersey dress. "It's my wardrobe staple. I work long hours so I'll choose pumps or a pair of Converse," she says. "If I'm working at a show or a boutique, I'll wear something from the client."


While she's not into accessorising so much ("It's more that I have some pieces of jewellery that I never take off"), she does love hats, having recently fallen in love with a little bobble hat by Christophe Coppens, who designs hats for Roisín Murphy. Then, of course, there's that section in her wardrobe containing items she's picked up, thinking they would look amazing in a shoot. "I've a checkerboard ice-skating costume from a vintage shop in San Francisco but it's a little bit too much for everyday wear." COM


The DJ's library: Cillian McDonnell


Cillian McDonnell spends some of his time playing in bands and DJing, and lots of it collecting records. The obsession began as a child, when he explored his parents' extensive collection of vinyl, and gathered pace when his brother brought records by the likes of the Pixies, Bauhaus and My Bloody Valentine home from college. "The first time I bought my own records was when I was 12 or 13," McDonnell says. "I remember buying a few seven inches – New Order, the Cure and, unfortunately, Def Leppard."


After working in music retail for 10 years, and now with record labels, McDonnell's collection has expanded to over 4,000 records, most of which are stored in purpose-built shelves in his apartment. "We are blessed with a large apartment and living-room that houses the majority of my collection, and the recent acquisition of several shelves means I'm able to store the collection in a relatively compact manner now." He has gone through several filing systems in the past – alphabetical, by genre or by label – but right now it's a little more random than that.


"All albums are grouped together in no order whatsoever – this makes it far more interesting and spontaneous when flicking through the collection now, as you get to unearth lost/hidden gems regularly."


McDonnell still buys vinyl regularly, but at a slightly less hectic rate than previously. "My vinyl collecting has slowed down somewhat in recent years. I don't work in music retail anymore, so I'm not constantly surrounded by temptation on a daily basis. Also, it's not financially viable to spend as much money on vinyl anymore, and I don't purchase as many singles these days since I'm not DJing that much.


"I receive a lot of CDs and mp3s through work now, which generally sates my appetite for music consumption, but I still manage to get out and purchase nearly everything on vinyl that I want throughout the year.


"Having spent 10 years behind record-store counters, it's now really nice to return to being a consumer, and spending some time in shops digging through racks of vinyl." - Una Mullally


The interior stylist's home: Blanaid Hennessy


Kilkenny-based interiors stylist and consummate blogger Blanaid Hennessy is several mouse clicks away from the conventional designers of the boom years. The crucial thing about any home, she says, is not that it looks like a showhouse, but that it's welcoming and informal. And nowhere more evident than at her own place. "I'm not Ms Hospital Corners," she says, indicating her unorthodox seating arrangement – instead of a sofa, she has two beds.


"I know leather sofas were a big trend, but I would love to meet anyone who genuinely finds them comfortable or inviting. I wanted really generous seating here, but I couldn't find a really comfy sofa and instead transformed two single divan beds by re-covering them in fabric from Ikea which I stapled on."


Vintage suitcases serve as a coffee table between the seating. There's an interesting-looking cream chair: "I got it in a car boot sale for €15." A favourite hunting ground for vintage furniture and bric a brac is Michael Larkin's store in Templetouhy. "That's where I got the antique desk and the two comfy armchairs."


Displayed on one wall is a hand-painted gold coat from India. A favourite poster bears her daily mission: 'Work Hard and Be Nice To People'.


Currently renting, Blanaid is not tempted by the whole drive to 'get your foot on the property ladder'. As someone who has moved 14 times already in her short life, she has plenty to say about styling sterile spaces – and inexpensively while she's at it. Her ultimate interior design weapon is, she says, a 10-litre bucket of Woodies DIY paint. "The first thing I do with any space I'm unhappy with is to pare everything back, paint the walls white, and then live with it for a while." As very much a style-on-a-shoestring kind of gal, what would she go for if she had thousands of euro to spend on decor? A designer kitchen? A state of the art sound system?


"I would find something secondhand, dress it up, and spend the money on a fab holiday instead." - Valerie Shanley


The gardener's garden: Fiann Ó Nualláin


He has won various awards for his conceptual gardens which have appeared on BBC's Gardener's World and magazines across Europe. His public spaces are beautifully planted and aesthetically alluring, but if you're expecting Fiann Ó Nualláin's own garden to be the lushest, most tranquil and well-manicured garden in Ireland, you'd be wrong. "The reality is me falling over crates of plants earmarked for a sensory garden," Ó Nualláin says.


His garden is primarily a workspace, with nothing aesthetic about it other than corners given over to set ups where he trials a layout for a project. The rest of it consists of rows of plants, predominantly native and very often endangered, that he is growing for various projects. Ó Nualláin's background is in sculpture, photography and fine art and he has a company called Inspiring Gardens but he also works as a horticultural therapist, with children at risk and adults in recovery, including groups like the Oliver Bond Community Addiction Programme.


Out in Dublin 12, there's the Bluebell project where thousands of bluebells have been planted around the Luas stop by local school kids. He's also finishing a garden in Our Lady's Children's Hospital filled with tactile plants that is both functional and fun for children to look at. "A garden has the potential to deliver a message or serve a function and be beautiful at the same time," he says.


He spends several hours a day in his own garden and of its functional appearance he says, "It's not even a case of the plumber with the leaky tap, it's more a case of the mechanic with the car on the blocks in the driveway. My work and my pastime is the one thing. A job is nine-to-five, a career is every waking hour but a compulsion like art or gardening invades even your dreams." COM