Tag: design blogs

The latest colour within our gemstone-inspired series of colour blogs is definitely one to read about.  Today’s colour is purple and inspired by the gemstone Amethyst, a jewel tone that screams loyalty and luxury.

Purple, in its pure form, is made up of red and blue and its shades include violet, lavender, lilac, wine, eggplant, periwinkle, plum and grape amongst others. In fact, Ultra Violet is Pantone’s colour of the year for 2018.

A dramatically provocative and thoughtful purple shade, “PANTONE 18-3838 Ultra Violet communicates originality, ingenuity, and visionary thinking that points us toward the future.”

Purple has always been associated with royalty, a favourite colour of aristocrats, who obtained it by combining blue and red. As it appears very rarely in nature the colour purple was exclusive and expensive and conveyed power. In fact, Queen Elizabeth I forbad anyone except close members of the royal family to wear it.

As mixture of passionate red and reliable blue, purple invokes many strong emotions, is quite dominant and can quite often affect mood. Therefore, deeper purples can better serve by complementing other colours rather than dominating a room.

Purple can be a perfect colour for chairs, ornaments, tables, in fact any furniture or fitting in your room and because of that aristocratic connotation, nothing screams opulence like lush deep purple velvet texture.

DFS Spring/Summer 2017

Purple is also quite versatile, and can easily manipulated through shade adjustment and combination with other colours. Therefore, it is always important to know what goes with purple.

Used tastefully and selectively purple can really make your home look like a million dollars.

Referring back to the pantone colour of the year Ultra Violet, the Pantone website tells us it is nuanced and full of emotion, “the depth of PANTONE 18-3838 Ultra Violet symbolizes experimentation and non-conformity, spurring individuals to imagine their unique mark on the world, and push boundaries through creative outlets.”

Paint Options

At KLD we use Fleetwood Paints for a majority of our work. Here is a selection of our favourite purple inspired shades!

Amethyst & The Purple Family

Go bold and add the colour purple  to your life.

Note: Colours may appear differently on screen than in person. We always recommend looking at a physical paint sample prior to selecting a specific paint colour.

Today is the day we ‘hand back the keys’ so to speak on one of our most special projects of 2018. A beautiful renovation on a charming house in Dublin 4. This has been a huge project which started on site in April this year after months of planning and designing.

This is my first complete project since joining KLD last November, and what a journey and joy it has been to help oversee the renovation and rejuvenation of this stunning three-storey house.

At KLD we like to create something totally unique and personal for our clients. We collaborate with all our clients throughout the design process, particularly on residential, to create that extra personal touch.

Our client for this project is well travelled and carried a passion for bold colours and prints inspired by the vast amount of countries visited. This is reflected throughout the house. It is always exciting to work with such a spirited client who trusts us to push boundaries and create something beautifully unique, which is what I believe design to be all about.

The design is exquisitely curated with many customised pieces including carefully designed joinery, floors, furniture and a richly toned colour palette. My favourite must be the dreamy, luxurious master ensuite with pigmented plaster walls accompanied by a customised concrete vanity, hand painted tiles and of course a giant chandelier floating above the free-standing bath, encapsulating the beauty of a Moroccan haven. The attention to detail is second to none. Nothing is as exciting as seeing the entire project coming together especially when different pieces of carefully sourced furniture arrive or a custom marble floor is pieced together.

Bathroom of Dreams

This particular afternoon it was all hands-on deck for final styling, hanging, sweeping, mopping, and polishing, preparing the house for the owner to move in. We all chip in on the glamourous and not so glamorous jobs. One of the last things we do as designers on a project is walk around the space, pen and paper in hand, and look at everything with the most critical eye. This is one of the most important aspects of the job. The dreaded (for some) but essential snag list.

It is a hallmark of KLD that when we hand over any project to the client it has been through the most stringent quality control. Sometimes this can be a painful process, but it is vitally important that the product is delivered as promised and at KLD we do not compromise on anything.

With just 24 hours to go this hyperlapse video gives you an idea of what was going on in the last push to get everything ready.

Like many jobs a great deal of design and subsequent project management is problem solving. There will always be issues, and it is about how to deal with them, how to solve them and how to keep something moving forward. If something can go wrong, it usually will. Also, things you never thought about will crop up. It is so important to deal with problems quickly and effectively. It’s important to not let stress ever get in the way. Most problems can be solved with a bit of thought, ingenuity, creativity and imagination. So today is particularly sweet considering the amount of time,  effort, hours and creative thinking that have gone into the project.

Having just completed the interior we are now creating an exterior on par with the interior. Full of character it will be an extension of the interior. A secret, wild garden with as many surprising, hidden gems in each corner as one will find in the interior.

What is most important is for the client to have trust in the designer. Sometimes we as designers can see the visual, but it may be hard for a client to visualise. Luckily, with this project we had the privilege of working with a client who is as bold and open minded as we are at KLD. There is nothing more satisfying than the client loving the project as much as you do. It is incredibly rewarding helping people to create their dream home! Your home is the most important place in the world.

Fiona Stone joined KLD last November having spent the last 7 years on the road with Lord of the Dance. Bursting with creativity and energy, we are so delighted Fiona has decided to return to design with us as at KLD. And we are also delighted Fiona still dances from time to time.

It’s beginning to look a lot like the United Nations at KLD with our newest addition, Trine Davidsen, hailing from Norway.  A graduate of Griffith College Dublin, she holds a bachelors degree in Interior Architecture and Design. Trine also has a diploma in Interior Design from Oslo where she lived and studied for 3 years before arriving in Dublin. Welcome Trine, we look forward to seeing your wonderful creations.

1. What could you not live without?
Emotions.

2. Where would be your ideal weekend break? 
Italy! My boyfriend is Italian and his family lives there. So right now I´m thinking his mom’s house in Lodi which is located just twenty minutes outside of Milan would be the ideal weekend break. The atmosphere there is so relaxing!

3. Who is your favourite interior designer in the world?
Kelly Wearstler has been long-time favourite.

4. What do you love about interior design?
I love the ability that interior design has to create spaces that impacts people both physically and mentally.
Whether people notice it or not, interior design affects us every day and it is interesting to see how great designs and functionality play a huge role in people´s lives. Since we are all unique the design should be the same!

5. What’s on your bucket list? 
Design and own my own home one day.
But right now it´s to see a KLD project I´ve been a part of come to fruition!

6. How would you describe yourself in 3 words? 
Unpredictable, curious and creative.

7. What’s your stress reliever? 
Take a bath or watch a series.

8. Who would you happily be stranded on a desert island with?
My love.

9. Where’s your favourite place to eat in Oslo?
Villa Paradiso, Dinner, Sudoest.

10. What inspired you to start your interior career?
I have been drawing, painting and creating as long as I can remember and I always wanted to pursue a career in a creative field. My love for interior design emerged when I started working in an interior shop and moved into my first own apartment. I wanted to become an interior designer because it´s interesting to me how a space can affect people’s feelings and how it can change people’s use of a space through planning.

11. Favourite hotel? 
I haven’t stayed there yet but I recently discovered Hotel Sanders in Copenhagen designed by Lind + Almond. Copenhagen is one of my favorite cities in Scandinavia so I definitely have to plan a trip there very soon.

12. What’s in your handbag? 
Purse, iPhone, USB flash drive, notebook and pens. Pressed powder, face mist, dry shampoo and at least 5 different lipsticks at all times.

13. What’s your favourite movie?
This is the hardest question because I have so many. Latest hang up is watching 90´s movies!! So to mention a good mix I will say Léon, Selena, Pretty Woman. I also really enjoy all movies based on a true story. The last two films I saw were Wonder and I, Tonya, which starred the beautiful and talented Margot Robbie, who also produced.

14. Your favourite gadget or app?
Favourite gadget is my beloved MacBook. App(s) would without doubt be Instagram, Pinterest and mytaxi.

15. What would be the last meal you’d want to eat? 
My mom’s fish balls with white sauce, potatoes and curry!

17. Favourite country you’ve visited?
It is impossible to choose one. Top 3 places would be New York City, USA; Copenhagen, Denmark and Milan, Italy. One of a thousand reasons to put Italy on this list self-explained in the photo below.

18. How would you describe your style?
I always dress for which mood I am in. I would say I have an eclectic style. Some days I wear something edgy and monochrome, the next day I can be feminine and colourful but always comfortable.
Everyone is nicer when they like their outfit!

19. If you could make one rule that everyone had to follow, what rule would you make?
Everyone has to be willing to at least accept other cultures.

20. What’s on your to-do list for 2018? 
Do my best as a part of the KLD team, learn new things every day and to evolve as a designer.