Tag: create by kld

Róisín Lafferty to design House of Peroni 2019 at Royal Hibernian Academy in Dublin this August.

We have been waiting for quite a while to share some amazing news with you. Earlier in the year our KLD Creative Director, Róisín Lafferty, was asked to design the House of Peroni installation which will be feature at the RHA in August 2019.  House of Peroni is returning to Dublin this summer for its fourth instalment, from Thursday, 22nd August, until Sunday, 1st September, 2019. Part of a global House of Peroni series, which includes events in Barcelona, Paris, Stockholm, Santiago and Johannesburg, this year’s Dublin residency will see the Royal Hibernian Academy on Ely Place, Dublin 2, transformed into a stylish Peroni inspired experience.

Earlier in spring, Peroni Nastro Azzurro took nine creatives, known as the Creative Council, on a trip to Puglia in Italy, including three Irish creatives – KLD’s Roisin Lafferty, multi award winning designer; Killian Crowley, chef de partie at Michelin-starred Aniar restaurant in Galway, and Kev Freeney, creative director of Algorithm, who are widely known for their highly technical and creative productions. They were immersed in the style of Peroni along with the beauty of authentic Italian design, culture, architecture, food and craftsmanship, and will bring this inspiration back to Dublin to create this year’s House of Peroni residency experience.

Roisin Lafferty will be tasked with designing the aesthetics of the RHA interior. Following her trip to Puglia, Roisin commented:

‘Brimming with sophistication and elegance, Puglia’s aesthetic of refined arches, understated whites, and glistening jewel seascapes, framed the chilled and inviting environment. I am really excited to capture some of its charm and character in this year’s House of Peroni design’.

In Italy, Roisin stayed in Masseria Ceravolo, a farm house steeped in history and tradition that was lovingly restored and now is an elegant country house. Rosin will combine the style of Peroni with the beauty of Puglia in her creation. To say this is exciting is an understatement, all of us at KLD are looking forward to working with these great talents to create something incredible, and in such an amazing location the RHA.

The following is a short video we made behind the scenes at a promo shoot for House of Peroni at the RHA.

The House of Peroni is open to the public from Thursday, 22nd August, until Sunday, 1st September, 2019, in the Royal Hibernian Academy on Ely Place, Dublin 2. No admission fee and no booking required for general entry. Over 18s only.

The London Residence is a completed residential project by KLD in a trendy, young area of London.

The brief was to create a cooking/dining experience that felt like a buzzing restaurant. The aim of the kitchen/dining area design is to add some excitement, fun and design flair within the existing walls of the house.

To read more about this project visit our London Residence Project Page

DFS launched their So Simple… range in London last week and we sent our intrepid CREATE by kld designer Vicki McGahon to check out what So Simple… is all about.

CREATE by kld is Kingston Lafferty Design’s new tailored interior design and decoration service and is available across Ireland now.

Hi, Vicki here, I am just back from London and the launch of a very exciting new range from DFS, So Simple…. With new lifestyles and smaller spaces, DFS have come up with a new way of buying sofas, easy as 1,2,3.  Let’s face it apart from your kitchen the next show off thing in our homes is the sofa. Over style, comfort comes first when choosing a sofa but DFS have certainly put both together here.

To briefly go through the concept, it’s a 3-step process

1. Choose your style (8 to choose from)
2. Choose your size (3-seater, 2-seater and armchair)
3. Choose your Fabric (27 to choose from comprising of wool, velvet, linen and leather look)

Every So Simple… sofa is then designed and handmade to order. And what’s more, the DFS designers, makers, stitchers and shapers deliver the goods with a 15-year guarantee.

Sofa shopping made easy. But to help a little further I’m going to walk through my top 3 from the event.

Personally, my favourite styles were The Tom, The Mya and The Guy.

The Tom was by far my favourite, it looks compact and neat but what surprised me was that you did sink into it so definitely wins on both style and comfort. It was on display in a leather look, but I think it would have been amazing to see it in the wools or linens, my choice would have been the peacock teal wool.

The Mya was a big hit with everyone there and stunning in the pink linen. Pink is everywhere and it’s losing that tag of just being feminine. KLD recently created a stand for Fleetwood and used the Betsy 1920 palette from Fleetwood’s Vogue range and it was all kinds of sophistication, but a room for everyone. But back to the Mya, A perfect nod to a traditional chesterfield sofa but sleeker with thinner arms making it easier to fit into all sized spaces.

The Guy is definitely the winner for that lounge experience. You literally sink into it. It was displayed in the natural earth velvet which was super soft and luxurious.

I can’t wait to help our CREATE by kld clients see the options in this range. My top tip would be don’t be afraid to mix the styles.  I can certainly see a 3-seater Tom positioned alongside two Mya chairs. And play around with the colours and fabrics, the velvets would be lovely mixed with the wools.

I want to say a special thank you to DFS for having us all over and to Niamh O’Carroll from O’Carroll Consulting who organised the Irish contingency and looked after us while we were there.

Thumbs up to DFS for creating this oh so simple way to shop for that all important sofa. A perfect option for folk who find themselves with smaller spaces to furnish.

Here is a short video montage of the the launch and the So Simple… range

You can check out the full range of So Simple… sofas, sizes and choices here

Bye for now,

Vicki

A Fleetwood Feast of Colour at House 2019

Well that was a blast. We are still in recovery from House 2019, it was a fantastic weekend and an incredible effort by all to bring the Fleetwood Paints stand to life. This year we had four room sets as opposed to last year’s two, doubling the size, doubling the effort and doubling the colour.

The colours were hand-picked by KLD Creative Director and Fleetwood Ambassador,  Róisín Lafferty, and offer just a small sample of what Fleetwood has to offer.

Thanks to Moore O’Gorman Joinery who once again made the beautiful Fleetwood stand and to Brendan for the amazing paint job.

Here is a little bit about the colours used for each room set.

ROTHKO RED
Inspired by the depth and lustrous reds in artist Rothko’s evocative artworks, this strong tone creates a sense of drama and passion. Soften and layer with tones of dusty pink for a warm + intimate environment.

BOFIN FERN
Drawn from the beautiful natural landscape of InishBofin, Bofin fern is a soft and inviting green that summons feelings of freshness, outdoors and works beautifully with dusty grey green tones.

WYNWOOD
Inspired by Miami’s Wynwood Walls, this versatile hue is a KLD favourite. Combining navy and grey, this makes for a cocooning colour when used on walls and ceilings. It provides a warm and cozy environment to curl up in.

SIDE CAR
Inspired by the infamous side car cocktail, this rich, jewel toned colour has a historic quality that adds sophistication to any room. Pair with pastel hues for a sense of fun or rich greys for a more elegant result.

Here is a short slow motion video of the last minute preparation of the Fleetwood stand:

And here is 360° motion look at the stand:

Visit the Fleetwood Paints website to find out more about the ranges of paint and colours they have on offer. Find them at www.fleetwood.ie.

Finally, we also want to thank Pieces.ie for helping us furnish the Fleetwood stand and to Woo Design for their  beautiful arm chairs for the Inspiration Stage.

Thanks also to Mullan Lighting for the beautiful chandeliers that added that extra touch of class to Fleetwood Stand.

Check out the rest of the photos of the Fleetwood Stand by photographer Al Higgins here.

Thanks to everyone who helped make House 2019 happen. It is always a huge team effort to both set up and break down and we appreciate the time, effort and commitment that went into making the stand outstanding.

Before and After Video: Ballsbridge Residence, Dublin.

The Ballsbridge Residence was a large residential project completed in 2015. KLD were appointed to manage the project both in terms of interior architecture and interior design.

The brief for this space was to combine two adjoining properties and completely reconfigure the interior space. The project also involved an extension to the rear of the building to create a more contemporary, spacious family home. 

To find out more about this project visit the Ballsbridge Residence Project Page

Photography by Barbara Corsico.

In our modern world with the advent of technology, people want things yesterday. There is a growing expectation for immediacy across the board. The more technology advances, the less patient we become. This creates a whole other set of issues and potentially lethal narratives.

Working across both commercial and residential sectors within construction, I can safely say that the same pitfalls and issues arise across the board. Taking on board learnings and common issues faced during commercial and residential construction, I want to highlight where it is worth slowing down and taking your time to avoid the long-term impact of poor, rushed decisions that will haunt you for years to come in this fast paced industry.

1. “Rome wasn’t built in a day”

Layout and configuration are arguably the most important aspect of the interior of any building. It stands to reason that taking time to critically assess the requirements, wants and needs to ensure the layout best reflects them is extremely beneficial. Often this process can be rushed in order to get works started on the ground. However, it is worth spending an additional month or two analysing and tweaking this with the design team prior to detailing or beginning any construction works.

2. “The details are not the details, they make the design” – Charles Eames

A lot of the beauty of a finished space is in the selection of materials, finishes and fittings. Depending on how long a construction stage is, this can be over looked and rushed, with seemingly endless decisions needing to be made. No one wants to be responsible for delaying a project and with so many decisions need to be made along the way, it can be daunting. My advice would be to take the time to decide what you want and request a timeline from the contractor setting out when decisions need to be made.

3. “If you pay peanuts, you get monkeys”

Even with the best design team and architectural drawings, any build is heavily reliant on the skilled contractors and trades implementing them. It is crucial to get this right and to appoint the right team for your project. Make sure to get recommendations from experienced experts, as well as seeing completed works and speaking to previous clients before appointing trades to carry out your work.

4. “We live in a culture full of hares; but the tortoise always wins”

Skill and craftmanship is slow and steady, much like the tortoise. Quality takes time. Shortcuts are shortcuts. If you want the best result, it is worth waiting for. Countless times, this is ignored, and a high-end design is put at risk and often accidentally sabotaged by overpromising teams that have overlooked the detail involved.

5. “Buy less, choose well and make it last” – Vivienne Westwood

When planning the key items for your home or commercial project, try to have a reason for every single thing. In the words of William Morris “Have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful”
Less is more and sometimes investing in one item that you will love for years to come is more worthwhile than cluttering up your space with fleeting trends.

6. “Keep calm, Christmas is around the corner”

Construction has many pressures, but Christmas looming is one of the biggest.
If you are not in by the end of October, accept that being in for Christmas may not be an option. It is an extremely emotionally charged time for people, adding a construction project to the mix only increases tensions and stress levels.

In general, for your own sanity and peace of mind, add in a couple of weeks to your estimated timeline to avoid starting off on a negative footing in your new space. After investing your hard-earned time and money into a construction project, the end goal should always be excitement and happiness!

To sum up, it is undoubtedly worth the time and effort to slow down and take your time with your construction project. As with most things in life, to achieve the best result takes careful consideration, planning and strategic implementation. Try not to lose sight of the overall vision along the way and it will all pay off!

This blog post is an edited version of an article first written by Róisín for The Sunday Business Post on 17 March 2019. Click here to view the full article in its entirety.