Home. The place we love. The place where we not only spend our time but also share memorable moments with our family and friends. Where we laugh, eat, work, celebrate successes or look for comfort when the things don’t really go our way. 

It is only natural that the place that means so much to us fits us in a way that suits our needs and our taste. Maybe you are an essential worker looking forward to getting home after a long day of serving our community. You’d certainly like to come to a nice, cozy space that is designed to help you relax.

Or maybe you have a large family and are always looking for ways to make your home functional and yet beautiful for everyone who lives there.

Because our homes matter and we enjoy living in nice spaces, we decided to talk to our Dun Laoghaire interior designer experts. They were delighted to share their expert tips for our interiors, so let’s dive in!

Brian S Nolan

The company was founded in 1983 by Brian and his father who had previously 30 years of experience in  home furnishing business prior to starting his own business. As Brian mentioned: “Furnishing is in our genes”.

With almost a seventy  years of  tradition you know they are your reliable, go-to interior designers. Their whole life is around materials and furnishing peoples’ homes.

Tips for your home

When we asked Brian about some interior design tips that would make our homes beautiful he explained that before we start doing anything we should think about the purpose of the space. Who will use it – children, adults , teenagers or would it be multipurpose? Is it for work, for relaxing, dining, cooking? So establish the purpose of the space and whom in your household will be using the space .Then we should think about the key elements that we want to design around. For example you can work around a view to a garden or is there an item of furniture that will be in the room.

“Stick to your taste and do things you like before you start picking the fabrics and materials.”

Brian P Nolan

Trends

If you are tired of all the whites and greys you see around everyone’s homes, you’d be happy to know that Brian told us that this neutral trend is slowly passing. Neutrals and greys are still here but colors are coming back. More people became brave and put style, colors, and patterns into their homes. We say, YAY for colors! 

More About Brian S Nolan

Brian S Nolan doesn’t have a set of style as no one glove fits all. They look at the clients and address their tastes and style. True to their beliefs, they are developing around clients’ personal needs and style rather than the latest trends.

Because the needs and tastes are so different they have a vast range of offerings and adjust to all targets whether it is modern, traditional, or classic. They can adjust to all tastes and suit all budgets.

Here’s where you can find Brian S Nolan shop:

102 George’s Street Upper, Dún Laoghaire

(01) 280 0564

Website

Google Reviews for Brian S Nolan

Yours Personally

If you are a local then you certainly know that you can find top quality hand designed and made sofas in Yours Personally. A family owned business with a 35 years long tradition, Yours Personally is a true Irish brand. Not only do they provide interior design services, but all the furniture is manufactured right here in Dun Laoghaire. You’ve got to love that. 

We asked them to provide some insider information about the trends and we’ve got some great news for you.

Trends

Wallpapers are coming back. They come like complete wall coverings but the range is much better now than it was in the past. Now you can see murals, or grass on the wall, not just creme or neutral colors. People are more adventurous when choosing the wallpapers. 

People want unique pieces in their house. They want when someone comes to their house to see what no one else has. 

Kathtrina Furlong

So when it comes to the wallpapers, there are no safe colors, people are giving characters to their walls.

More About Yours Personally

What makes Your Personally special is the fact that you can go through the whole process of creating your dream house with them, from picking the colors to placing the furniture in your home. They will help you to select your fabrics, rugs, wallpapers, curtains, blinds, design your sofa, help with accessories, AND make the furniture for you.

Here’s where you can find Yours Personally shop:

15 – 16 George’s Street Lower, Dún Laoghaire

(01) 230 1260

Website

Google Reviews for Yours Personally

Home Focus

Everyone knows Home Focus and Hickeys Fabrics because they have been serving home owners needs for generations. Their story started in the 1940’s when Edmund Donnelly obtained a general merchants store in North Earl Street. Today Edmund’s grandson Ian is proudly leading this Irish brand with 16 stores throughout the country.

Longevity and tradition is very important for their brand, but they are making sure to keep it strong with exceptional service and product knowledge. 

Tips and Trends

When we spoke to their team they reassured us about one thing:

Trusting your own taste is one of the most important things.

Ursula, Dun Laoghaire Manager

We shouldn’t be afraid of colors. Yes, greys are big at the moment, but colors are coming in again. Especially rich, dual, tropical colors that you can see displayed on the Home Focus shop windows. Ochers and pinks are also coming back. 

More About Home Focus

If you need material for your curtains, upholstery fabrics, blinds, bedding, craft supplies, or poles Home Focus is a place to go. They will do on the shop floor consultations with you and help you to pick, measure and fit the fabrics for your home. 

In Dun Laoghaire you can find them in Lower George’s Street or you can locate one of their stores in other parts of Ireland.

73 George’s Street Lower, Dún Laoghaire

(01) 284 5079

Website

Google Reviews for Hickey Home Focus

TJ Interiors

Introducing Tracy and Tj Interiors, located on the top floor of the Dun Laoghaire shopping centre. Although the business is young and they’ve just celebrated their 1st anniversary, Tj Interiors already have a fanbase of happy customers who are drawn to the warm and informal atmosphere for a regular browse around the ever changing items on sale.

When Tracy unexpectedly became redundant from her previous job, a world away from an interiors shop, herself and her partner fast forwarded their long term plans and opened up Tj Interiors sooner rather than later. So while Tracy’s partner travels around Europe – France, Belgium, England – sourcing the antiques and furniture, Tracy holds the fort back at base, where she prefers to look after the logistics of retail and their social media presence.

In their large, spacious store, beautifully lit by the 20 plus chandeliers on display, they have a mix of old and not so old furniture for sale. Victorian or Edwardian pieces, Mahogony wardrobes, dining tables and dressers. Brightly coloured or classical French design chairs, Victorian Design overmantle mirrors, gilted gold French design mirrors, hall or oval mirrors, antique chandeliers, cut crystal and glass lighting and gilt brass chandeliers of various sizes and styles, sparkling with eye-catching crystals.

Tips

Keep in mind one thing:

Designs and patterns change from season to season, colours and fabrics too, but good quality and value is what keeps people coming back and also then telling their friends and family about our shop

Tracy, owner TJ Interiors 

As pieces are sold, they are replaced, ever-changing colors and fabrics and features, but “good quality and value for money is one of our core values”, says Tracy, adding “that, and the customer leaving with a warm happy feeling”.

More About Tj Interiors

“People can relax here,” Tracy says “we have a nice big space and people can come in, walk around and sit down if they like. We encourage people to take photos of something if they like it, we take measurements, talk about their room, look at their photos, and explore options. We know alot of our customers by name and vise versa , …” Tracy said. “they think of us when they notice something they need for their home, what more could you ask for, I love that!”

Here’s where you can find TJ Interiors shop:

Dún Laoghaire Shopping Centre

087 114 9144

Facebook Page

Lost Weekend

If there’s a person who lives and breathes interior design in Dun Laoghaire, that’s certainly Emily, the creative mind behind Lost Weekend. Emily has always been creating things. Even as a child she was making things and gifts for her family and now her designs could be found all over Ireland.

Lost Weekend can help you to make your home functional and beautiful. Most importantly they will discuss your needs, goals, and budget to make a solution you’d be happy with.

Tips

When Emily is speaking about a good design she means form, function, beauty, and practicality – as well as endurance. She said that the best piece of advice she’s ever received was to

Never buy a piece of furniture or textiles as a stopgap until you can get what you really want. You’ll be stuck with it forever.

Emily – Owner Lost Weekend

The best piece of design advice she’s given happened recently. A couple with a young family (three kids under six) came looking for a sofa, but were concerned it wasn’t the time to invest in a good piece. Her answer was: now is exactly the time to have a good sofa. Lost Weekend sofas are guaranteed for 15 years, and now is the time for you to snuggle up as a family; in 10-15 years, the kids won’t be sitting with you on the sofa.

Also, the best way to quickly update a room is by using the correct paint colour, which can be transformative. Also, good lighting will enhance any space; sometimes it’s as simple as introducing a few lamps. (From image.ie interview)

More About Lost Weekend

Lost Weekend provides a full range of services. Their team of experts will take care of everything – from the initial meeting right through to supplying, delivering and installing your items. This way, they take care of the entire supply process to your home.

Here’s where you can find Lost Weekend shop:

Saint Helen’s Court, 2 George’s Street Lower, Dún Laoghaire

(01) 214 0711

Website

Google Reviews for Lost Weekend

Bespoke Sofa

Meet our friends at Bespoke Sofa. Together with their owner Jerry Wilson they proved that it is possible to offer hand-crafted sofas at reasonable prices. Visitors in their showrooms are encouraged to bring with themselves any design ideas or photographs which may help in the selection of a perfect sofa for their home. Bespoke sofa is creating relaxing, stylish, functional sofas, in size that fits customer’s room.

Tips

When it comes to sofas then you certainly get what you pay for. The choice is simple, either you’ll go with a handmade luxury or something mass produced. We hope you’d choose luxury. Even then choose carefully. You should pick a sofa or a chair that will be in your room for generations. So create that perfect dream sofa that will suit you.

It is important to purchase not only quality and the correct size, but equally to buy what you will enjoy in years to come.

Vivienne, manager Bespoke Sofa

More About Bespoke Sofa

All of sofas and chairs are handcrafted using sustainably sourced hardwood timber frames, all of which are guaranteed for 25 years. Using local Irish Craftsmanship, they pride themselves on their manufacturing practices and a steadfast commitment to quality. Their buying experience is modern, flexible and exceptional.

Here’s where you can find Bespoke Sofa shop:

Unit 1 & 2, The Lighthouse, George’s Street Lower, Dun Laoghaire

(01) 663 6364

Website

Google Reviews for Bespoke Sofa

Conclusion

We learned a lot about interiors from our fantastic Dun Laoghaire interior experts. We couldn’t help but notice that they were happy to see colours slowly coming back. We guess we all need a bit of colour in these uncertain times. We also learned how important it is to listen to our own hearts when it comes to picking the pieces that will suit our homes. After all, we and our family are the ones that will spend the most time there. With a few expert prompts, we can certainly make it wonderful.

Thank you for supporting our Dun Laoghaire business community!

Please note that all participants in the above photos kindly temporarily removed their face masks to pose for the photos.