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Welcome to IMAGE.ie’s new Look Inside series. It’s all about real people’s real homes – our favourite part of our home and why we like that particular space so much. Every week, we’ll catch up with Irish creatives to learn about their favourite corner of their house; this week, it’s Carol-Anne Leyden, co-founder of CA Design.
Having noticed a real niche in the interiors market for mid-century furniture, Carol-Anne set up her company CA Design in 2012. Her creative eye and passion for interiors led the business to become the go-to destination for home furnishings.
Not only is Carol-Anne behind some of Ireland’s most stylish homes with unique interiors pieces; she also offers everything from residential design consultancy and showroom interior design. All that in mind, we were eager to learn more about the space she calls home.
“My personal style is like the ethos of the CA Design itself,” Carol-Anne says. “It’s a fusion of pared-back Scandi-cool with an appreciation for retro, mid-century design classics with lots of colour thrown in,”
“I like every piece of furniture to have something that really makes it stand out. I think every piece of furniture in a room should almost make you do a double-take.”
As for her favourite space in her Rathgar home – not far from CA Design’s Dunville Avenue flagship store – Carol-Anne chooses to leave behind the madness of everyday life and retreat to serenity. “I adore this little reading corner. The wishbone-inspired chair is possibly one of my all-time favourite chairs, so I love to sit in it and read in the evenings.
“There are no TV distractions,” she adds, “so it really is a nice little escape when the kids are asleep. The great thing about this chair is that it marries well with antique pieces, like the bookcase that’s been passed down through the family.”
“I love everything about mid-20th-century design, Charles and Ray Eames, and, of course, our very own Eileen Gray. I also have a leaning towards the post-war, American art movements, from abstract expressionism to pop art. These days, I’m inspired by interior design blog and Instagram page, Green and Mustard and Midcenturyeverything. But really, I get inspiration from all around me – it could be contemporary architecture, or even walking around a city appreciating its varied design and aesthetics.”
CA Design is launching ‘CA Design Studio’ on Avenue Road, Portobello in the coming months – so watch this space…
Top photo: Carol-Anne Leyden