Coastal View

For this project I converted a small one bedroom cottage on a cliff top overlooking the sea into a fresh contemporary home for the owner.  By redesigning the interior architecture I opened out the internal space to incorporate the kitchen, dining and living space, which ensured that all activities within the space could be enjoyed with a sea view through the large windows to the front. 

 

Using light earthy Farrow & Ball paint colours, reconstituted wooden floor and ivory finish for the kitchen units the finish is simple and elegant. 

 

 



Contemporary Living Room

Hotel Design & Fit Out

I revamped the 4 star Kilkenny River Court Hotel in 2008.  The scope included forty two bedrooms, two floors of lift lobbies and corridors, dining room and function room as well as lounge and reception.  The style is classical and elegant.

 

In the dining room I used elegant beaded Ulf Moritz pearl wallpaper and Sanderson fabric for the curtains in a rich burgundy colour.

 

Durable materials in practical colours and finishes were used in the bedrooms, to ensure a fresh and clean finish with every turnover of guests. 

 

 I designed all the carpets myself in swirling leafy patterns to reflect the classical patterns in the Zoffany wallpapers.

 

 

 

Detail

 

 

 

SHOW HOUSE

This is a large show house I designed and fitted in Waterford.   The property is situated on a beautiful site by the Suir River overlooking Waterford Castle on the Island.

 

 

  

Hotel Ballroom Design

 

Fit out progress of Slaney Ballroom for Talbot Hotel, Wexford, Ireland. 

Due to availability of the room fit out was complete within  13 days.

 

 

Slaney Ballroom - ready for wedding function



Slaney Ballroom Complete

 

 

Curtain detail

 

Carpet design detail

 

Fitting the carpet

Décor & Lighting Complete

  

Closed curtain detail



Crystal Chandeliers fitted

 

Clearing the Function Room & Electrical upgrade

 

Old Slaney Function Room

 

 

Nest Egg

This is an article I wrote for Comhnasc, The Quarterly Journal of the RTAI, Retired Teachers Association of Ireland, September 2011

The Nest Egg, that little pot of money you have worked for all these years, sitting waiting for its glory day!

Nesting conjures images of a luxurious comfortable home with cosy corners in which to sit and while away an afternoon reading or napping, a busy fragrant kitchen with seating for good friends to enjoy a glass of wine or cup of tea while you cook up a little light lunch or dinner, and most important of all, the well feathered nest will have the comfiest of bedrooms.  The egg in your nest egg is the rejuvenation and rebirth of something, perhaps the redecoration of your home, and finally getting it to be the place of comfort and relaxation that you always wanted it to be but were too busy to do… until now.

Making this dream come true is an exciting challenge, however if you are not used to it, decorating decisions can weigh heavily on your mind.  Costly mistakes in an area where you are not experienced are a big worry and can cause much stress.  Be gentle on yourself and get help from an expert.  An experienced designer such as myself will listen carefully to what you want to achieve, observe your lifestyle, and come up with a design solution that brings to you the stylish home you desire and that you are proud of, while working to your budget.

In the meantime, there are some simple improvements you can make yourself.

A major declutter and a lick of paint will revamp your room with instant results.  Create a calming background using neutral shades of creams and beiges, and then you can use accent colour in your accessories throughout the room.  For example, use a pale blue to create a cool, calm and elegant ambience.

Have fun adding to your scheme as time goes on.  Pick up beautiful souvenirs from wonderful day trips or trips to the sun, such as paintings of local scenery, cushions in your accent colour, shells from the beach, handful’s of lavender from Provence and of course take lots of photos of happy times and memories.  Put them into beautiful frames and layer them on side tables around the room to remind you on a daily basis of good times and loved ones.

Throw out your old chipped tea set and glasses and invest in new china and stemware or dust off your best Wedgewood and Waterford and use them more often.  Use your best table cloths and linen for elegant dinner parties or afternoon tea, and fill your crystal bowls with interesting nibbles (chocolates, sweets or dips) or fresh fruit.
 
Always treat yourself to fresh flowers, even if it’s a little posy from your garden or stolen from the local hedgerow. 
They are sure to make you smile.

Inspirational

I have always been fascinated by hotels.  By good fortune my first job after college was working on the construction of the five star Hotel des Artes in Barcelona. A magnificent erection in Barceloneta, the hotel parallels the Mapfre building standing beside it, creating a visual ladder to the heavens on the seafront of Barcelona.  Back then there was nothing but an unkempt beach and tiny streets.  The area has since been developed into an amazing tourist area, lush with seafood restaurants, clubs and bars spread around a marina of happily bobbing expensive white yachts. 

Nothing gave me more pleasure years later than to return to the place of my initiation into the world of construction, and the place of me learning to curse, well that's Kentz and building sites for you!  I enjoyed a champagne cocktail or two in the hotel bar overlooking the sparkling gold fish and the blue sea!  For €18, the little slender glass of bubbles arrived with juicy strawberries dipped in choclate.  No doubt it cost almost the same as my first days pay there those years ago.   

As a buyer with Kentz on the project, my aquisitions varied from electrical cables, ducting, sanitaryware, generators, electrical tools and huge overhead cranes that needed a permit, to more luxurious materials like the gold taps and fittings for the elegant bathrooms.  One beautiful light fitted in the hotels shopping arena stays in my mind.  Over a sweeping fairytale staircase hung one solitary light fitting in the shape of a daisy.  Beautiful long white glass petals met in the gold centre. 

My fascination with interior design was born.  

http://www.hotelartsbarcelona.com/