Hello All and Happy Monday!
How was everyone's weekend? Well, I had a SUPER virtual weekend teaching an Interior Design class on Saturday and socialising with the family on Sunday all online.. You know what, if you haven't taken part in any of the online platforms for chatting with friends or even some yoga and fitness classes I would highly recommend that you do. it really does give you a feeling of escaping the madness and little break from your home...
For today we are back with another Design Talk. We are going to be chatting to the lovely Lisa one half of the super fabulous interior studio Dust Design. Dust Design is a Dublin based design studio that was founded in 2015 by Sarah Drumm & Lisa Marconi. Not afraid to use lots of colour and bold pattern this studio has come out with some of the most eye-catching interiors in the past few years. We will actually not just delve into the world of interior design but also virtual design, which I am a huge huge fan of.
So as always lovelies sit back relax and let's see what Lisa has to tell us about Interior Design :) xxx
Enjoy xx
1: So Lisa :) Can you tell me a little more about your Design House and how you got into interior design?
Our design studio came about quite organically. Sarah and I knew each other from London and she had recently moved back after working as an Interior Designer over there. My background was as a documentary director but I’d always had a love for Interior Design. I retrained and we decided to open our design studio together, initially opening a shop alongside it to showcase our design style and bring all our favourite designers to Dublin.
2: What has been your favourite interior project you have worked on and why? :)
I have to say designing my own home has been one of my favourites, just because I had free reign to do what I want! It was great being able to put all the ideas I had in my head into action, even though I could only do a facelift at this point as we’re saving for the big reno. I loved being able to put colour everywhere and try things out. I tend to use my own home as a place to experiment, which my long suffering husband loves!
Although we’re working on two beautiful period homes at the moment which I’m really looking forward to seeing finished.
3: What was the inspiration behind this interior?
Glam rock! I like having fun when I’m designing and creating a bit of drama. I used a Ziggy Stardust lightning motif throughout the house, starting with our Bolt from Mars wallpaper and then added in art that complemented that. I saturated the house with colour using a combination of dark, deep colours and warm, soft colours.
4: What do you think makes a great interior?
I think the main thing that makes a great interior is the element of surprise. Adding in something unexpected creates that wow factor that makes someone stop and stare. Whether that’s playing with scale with an oversized chandelier or mirror, creating a colour or pattern clash, or mixing styles. It can be anything really but I think it’s what elevates an interior.
5: What are your go-to interior shops and why?
I love CA Design, we use her in so many projects, she has a gorgeous, stylish edit.
Lamb Design is our go to source for more bohemian furniture and accessories.
Curated.ie have some really beautiful pieces at the higher end.
Pieces.ie have a really interesting range that is very well priced.
6: Who is your interior design crush at the moment?
My enduring interior design crush (and girl crush!) is Kelly Wearstler. She is just style personified in every way! She really knows how to have fun when she designs and has an almost encyclopaedic knowledge of design which is what makes the spaces she makes so fascinating to look at. She can pull from any era or style and make it work.
7: Finally, Lisa as we have now stepped into a very uncertain and different world due to Covid19 how do you feel this will affect design and interior design?
I think there will be an initial period of uncertainty whilst everyone adapts to the new world order but potentially after that, this could make it possible for design studios to be more global. For the moment, design is going online and remote. If this self-isolation period goes on for a protracted time, more and more people will start using designers this way and it might make it become more mainstream. Obviously, remote design means a design studio can design anywhere in the world so it might mean their client base is suddenly hugely opened up!
We actually started designing remotely last year, someone from London wanted us to design their home but the budget didn’t stretch to flying us back and forth for all the meetings. So we trialled designing remotely for this client and it worked so well we decided to put it on our website this year. We’ve found it a really positive process. The technology out there is so great that we haven’t found clients miss out by us not physically being there with them.
Lisa I so so agree with you about Online Interior Design. I have been doing it for the past 3 years and only ever found it to be a positive experience. I actually think it is the future of interior design :)
So lovely readers I hope you loved today's little chat with Lisa. To keep up to date with Dust Design follow them on Instagram here and take a sneak at their website here. :)
On Wednesday I will be chatting with Paul Murphy also known as Phonebox man for the final post from my little Interiors & Quarantine mini-series.
Chat to you then lovelies and stay safe xxx
Style So Simple - Aoife xx
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Absolutely as a book cover designer I loved this Design Talk! Lisa Marconi's insights into interior design and her creative process are so inspiring. The idea of using your own home as an experimental space really resonates with me! Can't wait to see more of Dust Design's vibrant projects. Keep up the amazing work, Lisa and Sarah!