Creating the perfect interiors moodboard with 4 Irish designers

Some of our favourite Irish interior designers share their dream combinations.

Styling Olivia Keating – Photography Mark Duggan

Egon Walesch of Egon Design

‘A sense of fun and not taking things too seriously is key for me in interiors. I like to use unexpected colour combinations, materials that aren’t quite what they seem, and fabrics and wallpapers that convey a zest for life. It stops things being a bit safe and predictable.

I tend to paint walls in neutral shades, then add colour with furniture, textiles and accessories, which dress the room and avoid it appearing too staid. I love the bright colour combinations of these Farrow & Ball hues, especially when contrasted with dark brooding railings.

For fabric, I love the sense of fun in Mark Hearld’s designs. His latest design for St Jude’s is based on a visit to the famous Cirque d’Hiver in Paris with its equestrian spectacle conveying all the fun and excitement of a visit to the circus.’

1 Cirque D’Hiver fabric by Mark Hearld around €98 per metre, St Jude’s 2 Albion wallpaper by Christopher Brown, around €77 per 10 metre roll, St Jude’s 3 Azure Mono reclaimed oak in a pale blue binder, POA, Foresso 4 Ellipse encaustic tile in yellow, around €14 per 20cm tile,Lindsey Lang 5 Vegetable Tree fabric by Josef Frank, €120, Svenskt Tenn 6 Under Ekvatorn fabric by Josef Frank, €160, Svenskt Tenn 7 Charlotte’s Locks, €8.50, Farrow & Ball 8 Arsenic, €8.50, Farrow & Ball 9 Wild yellow flower, €4.95, Meadows & Byrne

Sarah Drumm and Lisa Marconi of Dust

‘We love playful interiors, especially in summer when there’s an opportunity to have some fun with your home. We wanted to choose colours that are evocative of this time of year and so went with a palette that is predominantly blue and green. Graphic bright prints and vibrant colours are a perfect way of ushering in the new season.

We also like to have fun with textures when we’re designing and so our scheme includes a nod to luxury by using contrasting black and white marble with brass accents.’

1 Aurora Tulum wallpaper, around €300 per square metre, Calico Wallpaper 2 Northmore Minor fabric in Teal by Flock, €90 per metre, Dust 3 Blue on Turquoise wool fabric by Flock, €120 per metre, Dust 4 Dark Green on Pale wool fabric by Flock, €120 per metre, Dust 5 Marvel Carrara Pure marble effect porcelain tile, €86.10 per square metre, National Tile 6 Marvel Nero Marquina marble effect porcelain tile, €86.10 per square metre, National Tile 7 Azure Pencil Salon tile, from €198 per square metre, Bert & May 8 Plain navy blue tile, €190 per square metre, Bert & May 9 Elstra D handle in brushed brass, from around €2.75 each, Quality Fittings 10 Dark grey matte emulsion by Dulux €59.99 for 5 litres, MRCB 11 3mm black acrylic sheeting, €32 per square metre, Gold Star Plastics 12 3mm opal acrylic sheeting, €32 per square metre, Gold Star Plastics 13 Gold spoon, €4.19, S’strene Grene

Emily Maher of Lost Weekend

“This fun-inspired summer palette sees a return of pattern and colour. Large-scale botanical prints, splashes of tropical tones and strong, leafy greens are softened with natural smooth leather, pastel linens and textured wools. Orange and terracotta are tempered by shades of coral and powder pink.

At the moment there’s a welcome return to nature with earth, clay and wood complementing the green trend. I like to create interesting schemes by mixing classic and contemporary elements. I believe it’s more aesthetically pleasing to blend elements, from the present and the past, that cohesively mix. As such, I like tactile surfaces to include a mix of textures.”

1 Black marble Enoki side table, €1,014, E15 2 Oak stool by Backenzahn, €719, E15 3 Metal Helsinki table, €647, Desalto 4 CH 163 sofa in nude leather, €6,870, Carl Hansen 5 Papagayo linen, €142 per metre, Pierre Frey 6 Dark green rug, from €600 per metre, Cc-tapis 7 Mint rug, from €600 per metre, Cc-tapis 8 Coral rug, from €600 per metre, Cc-tapis 9 Cleo sideboard in light grey wood, – 733, Novamobili 10 Balder 3 in 542 orange and pink fabric, €148 per metre, Kvadrat 11 Balder 3 in 612 fabric in nude, €148 per metre, Kvadrat 12 PK33 stool in black leather, – 3,430, Fritz Hansen 13 Orchid leaves, €4.95, Meadows & Byrne 14 Artisan brush by Harris, €5.99, MRCB 15 Flat brush, €1.99, S’strene Grene 16 Oak dot, €20, Muuto

Julianne Kelly of Kevin Kelly Interiors

“I wanted to create a scheme that was light-enhancing, elegant and calming. I was drawn to pink, which features a lot in the new collections, and I created an edited scheme by picking materials that would look on trend now and beautiful in a few years, too. A lot of the fabrics used, such as velvet, silk and wood, are timeless.

This is a scheme for someone who wants to subtly introduce pink into their home. The palette has a femininity and lightness to it, but by introducing darker purple, wood flooring and white leather, the scheme takes on a layered, grown-up feel. The spectrum of pinks, combined with the more interesting fabrics such as the padded fabric and tiles, creates a tactile look. Rather than neutral palettes which can be quite two-dimensional, all the subtle tones and textured materials here will create a beautiful, calming and luxurious interior where you will want to linger.”

1 Dark wood, POA, Floorensics 2 Light wood, POA, Floorensics 3 Encaustic tiles, €120, Fossil Stone 4 Matara white leather effect fabric, €60 per metre, Designers Guild 5 Cloud 3D quilted velvet in Porcelain, €170 per metre, Kirkby Design 6 Pewter rug, €803 per square metre, Zoffany 7 Smoulder carpet, €76 per square metre, Westex 8 Glass faux shagreen, POA, RV Astley 9 Emilie fabric by Jane Churchill, €90 per metre, Colefax and Fowler 10 Peony Gogo fabric, €93 per 315cm metre, Aldeco 11 Suede paint, from €41, Zoffany 12 Carrara paint, from €41, Zoffany 13 Flat brush (set of five) by Harris, €7.99, MRCB. All items are available to buy from Kevin Kelly Interiors