about me
A visit to an historic property in my early teens proved to be my first immersive experience in beauty; up until then I had only ever thought of it as an aesthetic, something to be admired or looked at but never to be experienced or enjoyed. Riverstown House, Co. Cork (built in 1602 and owned by the grandfather of a friend), sparked that first emotive response in me and a love affair with buildings ever since.
I had so far enjoyed drawing and making, but never looked at art beyond an image or a process. I was immediately captivated by every detail and finish, recalling how I wanted to touch everything.
Through the years I realised that apart from their aesthetic value, I was equally drawn to the essence that these old houses instilled and on reflection, it was that intangible ‘feeling’ of someone else having lived there which absorbed me in those memory moments.
These experiences I realised were being created from the fabric of the building through their considered material choice; from those initial first sound of steps on old flags to creaking floorboards, raindrops falling on leaded glass, magnified absorbing you in that moment; each immersive familiarity was more than just visual but a collective of sensory moments.
The permeating old build smell and faded appearance of fabric from years of sunlight adding those extra layers of poignancy. Memories and stories passed down through generations, interwoven, crafting interior spaces unique to each home and its occupants I visited .
This gradual awakening through learning and practice is what finally brought me to interior design, my craft of choice, when seeking to create each unique home experience on my projects.
My areas of expertise include;
*dip. architecture technology MTU, Cork 1990 *bfa, painting MTU, Cork 1997 *h.dip in arts administration, UCD, Belfield 1999
*kitchen design with Siematic, germany 2002 *dip in applied project management, smurfit UCD 2007 *dip in interior design, IDI, Dublin 2016
it began with a classical learning, a fundamental understanding for the ‘line’ and an introduction to modernism, ingrained in me a love for detail and precision I bring to my daily work practice. Incredibly fortunate to have worked in pioneering and award-winning architectural practices in both Dublin and Cork. www.stewartannnottstudioarchitects.ie www.wilsonarchitecture.ie
*bfa, painting MTU, Cork 1997
Back to pursue painting with foundry. Looked to the Quattrocento, 20th Irish painting and American abstract expressionism for guidance. Beautiful old building full of sensory moments and memory smell of oil paint.
h. dip in arts administration, UCD, Belfield 1999
An opportunity to experience some of the american greats up close and personal every day at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art lead to both a work placement and position at the Green On Red Gallery, Dublin. One of the city’s most formidable contemporary art gallery space had me experience working with some of the country’s most well respected and emerging visual art talent including Eilis O Connell, Alice Maher, Fergus Martin and John Graham, to name but a few. www.greenonredgallery.com
Kitchen Design, Dublin 2002
A change in direction saw me return to the drawing board. An opportunity to design and train with Siematic, the leading, German engineered kitchen brand would bring me back to site. www.siematic.com
dip in applied proj. management, UCD, Smurfit School of Business, Dublin 2007.
Felt like the next obvious competence to acquire being back on site which eventually brought me back to cork to roll out 211 high-end kitchens on behalf of OFC at the Elysian, Cork City.
dip in Interior design, IDI (Institute of Interior Design) Dublin 2016
Finally joining the dots and amalgamating my skillset before setting up practice and establishing tigh design (Cork 2017) to ‘create spaces that speak of you’.