This Dublin city centre apartment has been filled with colour and character

by Megan Burns
07th Mar 2024

The design by Stone + Beige Interiors put the owner’s collection of art and antiques at the centre of the design, helping her to downsize while still having a home that felt true to her personality.

When downsizing, it can be hard to know what to do with artwork and furniture collected over many years. Yes, it may be treasured, but often it simply doesn’t work in a new, smaller home, and so people end up starting again when it comes to these kinds of pieces.

However, when the owner of this city centre Dublin apartment contacted Stone + Beige Interiors, they helped her to incorporate favourite pieces from her previous home into a colourful new design.

“Having viewed our client’s previous period home in Limerick, it was full of character and was an explosion of colour,” Mark Phelan of Stone + Beige explains.

“This apartment had a different feeling, and was very much in need of love and rethinking of the space and layout. Our client is an avid collector of amazing artworks and statement antiques, so this was something we needed to build into the concept, but mixing it with modern, new pieces.”

One requirement the owner had was for the space to feel open, and for the rooms to feel connected. “Her collection of art and sculptural pieces that she collected from all around the world had to be showcased as the centrepiece of the design,” Mark says.

“She wanted her home to be an entertainment space for her and friends, but we also had to include a sanctuary space for her to relax and enjoy her book collection.”

The project involved reorganising the layout to make the most of the space. “We wanted to have areas of the home to be multi-functional, with this in mind we built a library wall with hidden shelving for all her book collection, and the sliding panelled wall was the focal point for the beautiful art piece.”

When it came to choosing a colour palette, inspiration also came from their client’s collection. “She had this beautiful armchair that was in her home when she lived in America. The fabric design was a stunning floral pattern with vibrant colours which we took for the colour palette which consisted of deep greens and strong raspberry reds for the hallway.”

A vibrant colour palette gives each space a distinctive feel, yet connections are seen throughout the rooms, such as black panelling. Different tones of the same colour were also used to create zones within spaces.