By contributor Lucretia McCarthy
As part of our series celebrating Interior Design talent, I’ve rounded up the best in the business from Ireland, outlining Staunton Henderson’s top three up and coming interior design studios. All pretty new formations, they are already making waves and without a doubt, deserve to be on everyone’s radar.
LyonsKelly
Lounge at Monkhouse by LyonsKelly
(image courtesy of lyonskelly.com)
LyonsKelly is a design dream team, founded by successful architect John Kelly and his partner Eoin Lyons, an interior designer who is known for his design books and journalism across a ton of key publications. Since starting out together in 2014, the studio has gone from strength to strength, proving the integration of their skills on both sides of the design divide really does create harmonious results. Their projects have gravitas, with the architecture and interiors cohering to a signature style of comfort, with a distinct sense of luxury and the unexpected through colour and shape that makes every space lively and unique. Most notable is their creation of bespoke items, from tables to TV units which highlight their commitment to absolute perfection in design; if there’s something the space would benefit from that doesn’t exist, they make it! For these guys, the devil is in the detail. They are probably best known for projects like The Orangery garden room and Donnybrook house, homes are their speciality. The Clyde 19th century townhouse typifies LyonsKelly’s style, seeing the team reconfigure a home with matching brick, steel and copper detailing, and surprise flourishes like the Narnia style wardrobes detailed with handprinted wallpaper, which lead from one room to another.
Narnia wardrobes at Clyde townhouse by LyonsKelly
(image courtesy of lyonskelly.com)
Courtney McDonnell
Fitter Faster Stronger gym by Courtney McDonnell
(image courtesy of courtneymcdonnell.com)
Courtney McDonnell was inspired to carve her own path in interior design and architecture ever since she was young, growing up in what she describes as a dark and dreary 1960s home in the West of Ireland. She was absolutely determined to transform the space, and since then, the will to transform just hasn’t let up! Founded in 2016, Courtney McDonnell’s studio is based on a distinct recognition of the effect of our surroundings on the way we feel and how we use a space, and this shines through in their designs from building fabric to furnishings. Her aim is to bridge the gap between architecture and interiors to create a seamless service, focusing on paired back structures alongside vibrant, colour filled decor. Her roots in the Georgian townhouse typology are notable, working with these spaces in cafes, workspaces and homes, to form a broad portfolio across sectors. Most notable are her designs for exercise and wellbeing, at FFS Yoga Studio and the Fitter Faster Stronger gym in particular, which work closely with the heritage of the buildings to create drama through contrast in colour, texture, and scale. These projects incorporate solid colour blocks, detailed cornicing, contrasting chainmail and bold way-finding. With Courtney McDonnell’s designs, expect the unexpected.
FFS Yoga Studio by Courtney McDonnell
(image courtesy of courtneymcdonnell.com)
Ruth Noble Interiors
Kitchen at Suburban Period Renovation by Ruth Noble Interiors
(image courtesy of ruthnobleinteriors.com)
Ruth Noble is the brains behind Ruth Noble Interiors, a studio founded in 2015 following covetable experience across the design industry which saw her working as an interior designer, as well as in posts covering editorial, buying, and merchandising. This end to end understanding of the creative process has left her with an enviable little black book of contacts as far and wide as Sothebys, Central Saint Martins, and a seam of creatives in the States, adding to her Ireland and London bases. The studio’s style is notably understated, centred on calming spaces that blend contemporary with a hint of country, always with respect to the fabric of a property. With a portfolio spanning a range of private residences from the Dublin penthouse apartment to the suburban period renovation, their speciality is clear: beautiful, thoughtful, and incredibly chic homes. A standout example is the ‘country home’, which shows off the studio’s way with colour, focused around palettes of blues and golds, which run throughout the scheme to offer a fully integrated design, combining form and function to perfection. Lucky for me, Ruth Noble Interiors’ services extend to furnishings available to buy through the website, so everyone can obtain a little slice of their style, with endorsement from those in the know.
Country home by Ruth Noble Interiors
(image courtesy of ruthnobleinteriors.com)
Who would make your ‘ones to watch’ list? Let us know in the comments below!