Modern Heritage: Inside fabric designer Juliet O’Carroll’s wonderfully patterned home

Photography Benedicte Drummond  Words Ciara Elliott

Want an antidote to the dreariness of the darkest days of the year? Make sure your home feels extra stylish,
colourful and comfortable. This was the remit for homeowner Juliet O’Carroll, who decided to use her London home as a blank canvas to showcase her own-designed fabrics and wallpapers she has formulated along with business partner Nancy Parker for their textiles company Parker and Jules, known for its modern colour palettes and timeless patterns.

“As soon as I walked in for our first viewing, I loved the energy of this house,” says Juliet. “It felt so homely and had so many of its original features: the sash windows, turn-of-the-century staircase and original cornicing. I knew we’d be able to put our stamp on it and was so excited to get planning the project.” Juliet, who lives here with her husband Dero O’Carroll, whom she met while studying at Trinity College Dublin, and their two children, Lyra, 18 and Oscar, 15, is no stranger to colour and pattern, having spent her early career in fashion. “I studied philosophy, and then went from there to a fashion label and then into homewares, setting up my own brand that was stocked in Liberty London, Brown Thomas and Le Bon Marché in Paris.” For years, Juliet ran a gift and small homewares shop in Ranelagh called Magpie with Dubliner Laura Bradshaw, before returning to London in 2015.

At that point, she made a move to study interiors. Having previously worked for Henri Fitzwilliam-Lay in the UK when the couple returned from Dublin, Juliet took a course in the History of Interiors and the Decorative Arts (furniture and home
furnishings) at the Wallace Collection Museum in London.

This article originally appeared in the Winter 2024 issue of IMAGE.

IMAGE Winter 2024

The Winter issue of IMAGE is here, and from luxe layering to stylish staycations and easy entertaining, you’ll find everything you need for the months ahead. Plus: * Daytime sequins * Merlot moodboard * In studio with Irish designer Jennifer Slattery * Irish storytelling * Winter joys * Curating your tribe * Futuristic beauty * Modern motherhood * Festive feasting * Maximalist stays * and so much more…

Find IMAGE Winter in stores, or click here to buy online. Have you thought about becoming an IMAGE subscriber? Our Print & Digital Magazine subscribers receive all four issues of IMAGE Magazine and two issues of IMAGE Interiors directly to their door along with digital access to all digital magazines and our full digital archive plus a gorgeous welcome gift worth €75 from Max Benjamin. Visit here to find out more about our IMAGE subscription packages.