From an Artists Studio to HOME

Caroline Flannery, founder and creative director of Interiors By Caroline is widely noted for her original yet classic style and her extremely personal service. With her passion and natural flair for interiors Caroline has built many life long relationships with her clients who call upon her professional services as their lifestyles and needs change.

Caroline’s down to earth, positive and cre-ative approach to interior design ensures she is constantly in demand in both Ireland and overseas. Here, Ms Flannery talks to us about her gorgeous home in Clontarf.
“It took me a long time to find this house as I had a num-ber of very specific requirements which limited my search quite a bit,’’ said Caroline Flannery.

“I wanted somewhere close to a beach, it had to have an outdoor space for my gorgeous doggy Val and it had to be a doer upper. I feel very fortunate indeed to have found a house which ticked all of my boxes and more, those long dreary evenings spent searching for my perfect home are thankfully finally a distant memory. The house was originally designed by an architect as an artist’s studio with its own exhibition space so the light was phenomenal and was the first thing I noticed when I walked in to view it,’’ added Ms Flannery.

“The layout was open plan, it was essentially a shell with just one internal wall to house the bathroom which was perfect for me as it would allow me to put my own personal stamp on it. I knew within five minutes that it was the one for me and I made an offer on it within hours.

“I decided to live in the space as it was for a while so I could get a feeling for the light and how best to design the layout to suit my lifestyle. 

I wanted the interior to feel open and light but also cosy and intimate so I used colour and lighting to define specific areas within the same space,’’ enthused Caroline.

“I use mirrors a lot when I am designing for my clients as I like to play with reflections and perspective and I used this technique exten-sively in the design of my own home. You can see my garden from every single seat even when you have your back to it!

“As an interior designer I am constantly made aware of the latest trends in all things related to the home. Suppliers send me swatches of the latest paint colours, wallpaper and textile designs usually before they have even been lau-nched onto the retail market and every year my and team and I will visit a number of interna-tional furniture and lighting trade shows.

Whilst this is very inspiring I am careful about the trends I select for my projects as they can appear dated in a very short amount of time. I am a huge fan of Haussman’s classic Pa-risian interiors and appreciate how excellent craftmanship and quality materials and fur-niture have a timeless appeal., enthused Ms Flannery.

“With the larger investment pieces such as the sofa and joinery I kept the design classic contemporary whilst the paint colours, accessories are more trend focu-sed and will no doubt be changed every few years.

“I like the idea of changing the look and feel of your home every few years by sim-ply re painting and changing the cushions and accessories, it makes sense as the pain-ting will generally have to be done anyway and is one of the least expensive outlays.

It is something to look forward to, I must admit that I am thinking about my next palette already,’’ she added.

“My favourite spot in the house is my dining table, I entertain a lot and enjoy having my friends and family over to visit often. My house if very much a home, pets and children are all welcome and if something gets broken or dama-ged it’s a good excuse to go shopping again as if I need one,’’
concluded Caroline Flannery.