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Meet Patricia McGinnis, a Belfast-based interior design consultant with an eye for creating exquisite spaces where beauty marries functionality. Along with her sister, Catherine, she runs interior and lifestyle boutique Maven in Belfast – the go-to destination for well-crafted, design-led furniture and homewares from global design brands and smaller independent makers alike.
Here she provides her top tips on how to make considered design decisions without falling for fads you may later regret.
The most interesting rooms are those that cannot be read with one glance but rather keep giving you little moments of interest through shape, colour and layers. For me, this means mixing things up and taking inspiration from a range of sources. Experiment and play a little, there is always room for whimsy and playfulness in a room. There is no reason why vintage and contemporary cannot sit comfortably side by side. In my own home, a mid-century dining table sits on an antique rug and is flanked by contemporary Scandinavian dining chairs and a Japanese-inspired pendant lamp lights the whole scene up.
Paint your room whatever colour you want to. Quite often we talk ourselves out of doing what we really want to, for fear of future regret. But if you really love something or some colour, chances are Future You will still love it and the only regret you’ll have is that you didn’t follow your heart. In the same vein, don’t let tradespeople talk you out of things – the number of times I’ve had painters try and discourage me from using a particular colour, only for them to absolutely love it in the end and share photos of it with other clients!
If you can’t afford the piece you love right now, I’d always recommend waiting and saving for it, rather than compromising. This is especially true for sofas, dining chairs and tables, things that you’ll spend a lot of time on or around.
Quality pieces stand the test of time. That’s something we’re particularly proud of at Maven; curating collections of special pieces that people love and will want to have in their homes for a very long time, potentially even passing on to the next generation, like modern heirlooms.
My advice would be to try to not be totally led by what’s trending on Instagram. The downside of replicating trends is that you end up in a home that’s full of cliches, dates quickly and doesn’t feel authentic or personal.
Obviously, it’s impossible to be completely immune to trends as we don’t exist in a vacuum, and there is a place for those trends and trending pieces that you genuinely really love and that work with your space. The key is to balance these with timeless pieces that create an enduring aesthetic that’s personal to you. Your home should be a reflection of you, not a carbon copy of someone else’s Instagram feed.
Think of yourself as a chef, putting together a great dish in the kitchen. You start with the main components of the dish but add the little extras like spices and seasonings that elevate it into something really special. Layering in interiors is the key to a room that’s full of depth. You can do this by incorporating multiple textures, tones, shapes and colours, and not forgetting lighting.
If you’re spending a significant amount of money on an investment piece that you hope to enjoy for years to come, be sure to be prudent with the tape measure. As well as making sure it will fit well in your room, be sure to make sure it will fit through doorways or awkward corners on the way into the room.
Maven is located in the landmark former Bank of Ireland building on Belfast’s bustling Lisburn Road. The popular store features an eclectic collection of contemporary homewares and furniture, sourced from some of Europe’s leading interiors brands. Brands including Hay, & Tradition, Carl Hansen & Son, Flos and Gubi, sit alongside smaller independent makers such as Annadale Brickworks and Field Day.
For further information and to shop online visit wearemaven.ie or connect with Maven on Instagram.