At home with Paula Cullen

lack wallpaper with prints of Oriental people on it, a rocking horse, teeth mouldings, and designer shoes in the shed? Welcome to the weird and wonderful home of The Chalets’ Paula Cullen.

As one of the city’s most sartorially-savvy musicians and a well-documented shoe lover, one would think that Paula might have a walk-in wardrobe to rival that of Imelda Marcos. Not so.
“I share a bedroom, so I’ve half a wardrobe and half a chest of drawers,” she admits. “I’ve a lot of stuff on the floor. Most of my stuff is in my parents’ house. I brought over to this place the stuff I wear all the time. In my parents house there are about 100 pairs of shoes and 100 bags, and over in this house I’ve about 20 of each to keep me going. Some of my shoes are in the wardrobe, some under the stairs, some are in the kitchen and living room, and some are in the shed.”
As an avid music fan, Paula also had to leave most of her CD collection behind too when she made the move to Walkinstown.
“I have most of my CDs still in my mum’s house,” she notes. “I have a terrible collection of bad ’80’s music. At the moment, I am listening to Steely Dan, Le Tigre, Peaches, Misfits and Devo. I have a manky load of CDs because I used to work in the music industry, so I used to get hundreds of free CDs. About 4 of them are worth listening to.”
The other half of Paula’s room belongs to Jenny, a workmate of Paula’s; an arrangement that appears to work well.
“It’s grand, we get on really well,” she insists. “Jenny’s very quiet so I have her shoved into one little corner! She’s very tidy, and I’m very not, but it tends to work out okay.”
How does it work when someone needs a little ‘privacy’?
“We’re both celibate, so it’s not a problem!” she laughs. “She goes home to Waterford every weekend, so I do have the place to myself on the weekends, but I’m really never there, so it’s not an issue. I practically live out of a bag!”
Co-habiting with two girls and two guys, one guesses, at least she has a ready-made focus group for new Chalets material, right?
“I could if I wanted to, but I don’t have any instruments in the house,” she admits. “I can’t see myself playing the Casio while Jenny’s in bed...it wouldn’t go down too well!”
If it all sounds a bit claustrophobic, there’s always a couple of backyard sheds and a dentist’s surgery attached to the house for sanctuary. No, seriously.
“Our house used to be a dentist’s surgery,” she explains. “There’s teeth moulds and stuff like that. There’s a dentist’s chair in there I think. The house belongs to an old couple who are related to one of the guys in the house, and the husband used to be a dentist. They’re in an old folks’ home now.”
If the décor is anything to go by, the previous owners of the house were certainly dedicated followers of interior fashion. About 30 years ago.
“The living room looks like it was decorated by someone who went senile just before they decorated,” she says. “The wallpaper is black with Chinese people on it, the couch is brown, the curtains are black and pink, and the carpet is pink. It’s got this willow pattern in blue and yellow and red, it’s so mental. People just come in and go, ‘Oh my god. What is going on with this room?’”
The so-uncool-it’s-cool décor aside, Paula’s home boasts many good qualities.
“One of the best things about the location is Charlie Chan’s takeaway at the end of the road,” she reveals. “It’s only €3.10 for a 3-in-1, and I have one every night for my dinner. I haven’t done a food shop in 2 months, so I’ve never any food in the house. I would do an online shop, but I’ve no computer! The best thing about the place itself is that it’s a real home. It’s like a family home. Because old people used to live there, it’s not in any way fancy. It’s nice and messy…it’s actually very cosy.”
Even if The Chalets were to sign a multi-million euro deal with a major label, Paula wouldn’t dream of upping sticks.
“What I would probably do is I would redecorate the shed, and live in there,” she muses. “I’d buy a Super Ser heater, a bit of carpet, and a futon. Actually, I would have the dentist’s chair so I could sleep on that. I could use the teeth moulds as ornaments. There’s also a wooden rocking horse, and I could use that as a chair for when guests come over. I could sit on the dentist’s chair and they could have the rocking chair whenever I’m entertaining.”