Design picks: designer Aoife Mulvenna shares her favourite interiors finds
The art director and interior architectural designer on her favourite craftspeople, cities and creatives.
I love silver trinkets. I scour charity shops, polish them up and curate the shelves and coffee tables with them. Metal against a soft, warm timber is a beautiful balance. We’re on the hunt for a new house currently and I’d love to put in a stainless-steel kitchen with timber furnishings, but the trinkets keep that desire at bay for now!
Last year I designed Neighbourhood Café in Belfast after the original space suffered at the hands of a devastating fire. The turnaround was super-quick, just four weeks, but it all came together just before Christmas 2022. The café is now busier than ever, going from strength to strength.
I’m always inspired by Child Studio. Designers Alexy Kos and Che Huang work across hospitality, retail and residential interiors. Through a combination of pure, minimalistic colour palettes, iconic modernist furniture pieces, architectural detailing and eclectic heirlooms, they create
nostalgic and cinematic spaces.
At home, my favourite shops are Maven and Boünd Concept store in Belfast. Both stock the most fantastic brands; I’m obsessed! Abroad, I love Orior: Irish made, NYC based; Old Old Woods in London for iconic modernist furniture; and Soho Home for organically shaped, luxurious pieces.
The Audo in Copenhagen is on my wishlist of hotels to visit – I love any excuse to go to the capital of modernist design.
The Audo, Copenhagen
A project by Child Studio
I think anyone who follows me on Instagram knows of my love affair with the west coast of Ireland. I love its raw, rugged, untouched nature, the colours, textures, the moodiness. I come back home calm, inspired and feeling very much part of this island.
There are so many incredible Irish makers: for glassware, I love Waterford-based Criostal na Rinne; for ceramics, Belfast-based Annadale Brickworks; and Ceadogán Rugmakers for Irish textiles – their recent exhibition, Island, was phenomenal.
My favourite part of my work is the variation of my role. I jump from art direction to interiors to furniture design to socials – it keeps me busy, creative and excited to be in the studio.
I think my granny’s house is where my adoration for all things modernist and mid-century began and where my taste for high-quality furnishings started – her mid-century, teak mirror, sideboard and dining table set is one of my favourite possessions. I also have her to blame for my depleting bank balance
in that case!
This feature originally appeared in the spring/summer 2023 issue of IMAGE Interiors. Have you thought about becoming a subscriber? Find out more, and sign up here.
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