Tag: kingston lafftery design

Joining us from the United States, our latest outstanding design intern is Toree Schulte, from North Dakota State University. Welcome, Toree, and we can’t wait to see what work you create with us!

1. What could you not live without?
Music.

2. Where would be your ideal weekend break?
Any new city where I’m able to aimlessly wander and meet new people.

3. Who is your favourite interior designer in the world?
India Mahdavi is one of my many favourites.

4. Where’s your favourite place to visit in the United States?
By far Los Angeles, CA. My sister lives there, and I absolutely love how it’s a city of opportunity, creativity, endless adventures, dreams, diversity, and culture.

5. What do you love about interior design?
I love how interior design encompasses a creative world of free imagination. Designing a built environment that is able to promote healing and evoke varying emotions to the users in the space makes my heart scream.

6. Your favourite gadget or app?
Spotify.

7. What’s on your bucket list?
Wow, a LOT of things but at the top of my list includes climbing to Macchu Picchu in Peru and visiting India during the Holi Festival and seeing the Taj Mahal.

8. How would you describe yourself in 3 words?
Passionate, creative, & driven.

9. What is your favourite saying?
“No matter what he does, every person on earth plays a central role in the history of the world. And normally he doesn’t know it.” – Paulo Coelho, The Alchemist.
More of a quote than a saying, but it’s my favourite. ?

10. What’s your stress reliever?
A night dedicated to Netflix, Ben & Jerry’s ice cream, and wine.

11. Who would you happily be stranded on a desert island with?
Bear Grylls from Man vs. Wild. I couldn’t survive a day in nature by myself, so I would definitely need a professional.

12. How would you describe your family?
Dysfunctional and weirdly close, but in a good way.

13. Where do you want to be in 5 years time?
Genuinely happy and pursuing what sets my soul on fire – design – wherever that may be.

14. What’s your favourite meal?
Sushi.

15. Where is your favourite holiday destination?
To date my favourite holiday destination would be Cairns, Australia. The coasts and atmosphere are absolutely lovely.

16. Favourite hotel in Fargo?
The Hotel Donaldson (locals call it the HoDo). It’s an iconic historical building in Fargo and contains a lot of character.

17. How would you describe your home town?
Small, charming town with a strong community that loves its American football and tailgating!

18. What’s in your handbag?
My wallet, headphones, a sketchbook and pencil, and around 8 different lipsticks at all times. You never know when you’ll need that perfect shade of nude!

19. What’s your favourite movie?
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.

20. What’s on your to-do list for 2018?
Explore new countries and cities, gain cultural fluency, grow more confident and independent, and develop new skills and build upon my resume with my experience at Kingston Lafferty Design.

We’ve got a major case of the blues in KLD offices this week. We have been taking inspiration from all things blue, pastels to aqua tones, rich royals to vibrant cobalts and dark and moody navy’s, and we love them all!

The colour blue reduces stress providing a calm environment to be in, it is naturally occurring in nature with bright blue skies and the rich tones of the ocean. When bringing blue into your interior think rich upholstery, pops of colour in artwork and cushions or introduce it in your joinery.

Read our psychology of colour blog for more on the colour blue!

Follow Roisin Lafferty’s board Blues on Pinterest.

There are many elements that offer calm & serenity.
First off, have a look at the layout and contents of your house. De-cluttering your space is at the fore front of the journey to making your surroundings a calm and serene environment.
Secondly, we all know that colour plays a huge part in our day to day lives whether that be in an emotional, psycological or physical way. Be aware of how certain colours make you feel and how they affect you. The colours that bring a sense of ease are the colours that you should surround yourself with. You can add blocks of colour and patterns in the smaller details.
Immerse yourself with nature!!! By incorporating natural elements such as [natural] light, wood, pine cones, plants and flower etc into your space, you are allowing a zen feeling flow into your life on a daily basis. Decorate using plants….you are cleaning and re-oxygenating the air within your home.

Follow Kingston Lafferty Design’s board Calm & Serene on Pinterest.

Restaurant Design, Eathos….

We were delighted to be brought in to help with the restaurant design of new Baggot Street restaurant, Eathos.

The restaurant design at Eathos is fully focused on it’s clean and healthy menu. The aesthetic within is minimal and sleek with clean lines and a neutral colour palette. The food adds drama and texture to the space. The vibrant colours of the fresh, healthy foods add strong pops of colour creating both visual and tasty delights!

The key branding colours are bright red. We sought to reflect this subtly within the restaurant and chose similar red Panton pendants to break up the white over the 3fe coffee bar.

We worked with the team on the finishing touches of the design and on the outdoor area. The hidden outdoor area provides a sheltered, calming outdoor escape great to unwind or have a private party. All sides are clad in contemporary timber panels to provide shelter as well as creating a clean and minimal backdrop.

The team at Eathos are dedicated and passionate about food, their friendly serving staff and highly trained and innovative chefs offer you a well designed menu of creative flavours and first class ingredients. Eathos is all about quality ingredients and simplicity in both design and recipes.

The team here at KLD were very excited to pop down to Eathos for some lunch when they opened, where we enjoyed a delicious array of bright, colourful, healthy foods. Our favourites on the day were the organic salmon with red pepper, hazelnut and lemon salsa and curried cauliflower and the Turkey and courgette kaftas with spring onion and cumin and the broccoli salad with garlic and chilli. As well as an amazing selection of desserts, we couldn’t possible choose our favourite!

‘From passion to plate, that’s Eathos!’

Make sure to pop in and check it out. http://www.eathosdublin.com/

MATERIALS NEEDED:

• Sandpapers, 80 and 100 grit minimum
• Sanding block
• Base coat paint colour
• Top coat paint colour
• Varnish/wax for finish
• Wood glue
• Rags & cloths
• Brushes
• Sugar soap
• Candle wax
• Dust sheet
• Dust mask

PROCESS

Step 1:

Using warm water and sugar soap, wash down the piece of furniture. It is important to have a clean surface to work from, this will remove dirt, grease and oils or polish that have built up over the years.

Step 2: Sanding and checking for damage

Prepare your workplace as it might get a bit dusty. Put your safety gear on and start sanding the unit. Depending on the level of the damage start off with the 80 grit paper to remove the finish more quickly. If the unit has only minor marks you can start sanding with the finer paper instead. Make sure all the old varnish is re-moved, this will give the paint a key to stick to. If you apply the paint directly to the old varnish it will mark and come off with even the lightest of scratches.

Step 3: Repairs

Look for any broken parts or lose joints and simply squeeze in some of the wood glue to stick the parts together and allow to dry.

Step 4: More Sanding

If you’ve started with the rougher sand paper, now is the time to smooth the surface in preparation for finishing and remove all remaining scratches.

Step 5: Recreating a distressed look by paint

Apply 1-2 coats of the base colour until it is evenly covered and allow to dry.

Step 6: Distressing with wax

Using your candle, rub the wax on the areas of the unit you want to distress. Start with the areas that would naturally distress like the edges and corners and then work around the rest of the unit to achieve the desired level of distressing.

 Step 7: Paint second colour

Apply 2 coats of the second paint colour, so it is evenly covered and allow to dry.

Step 8: Sanding to reveal your distressed areas.

Lightly sand the areas where you applied the wax to reveal your base colour.

Step 9: Varnishing or Waxing

We would recommend sealing your unit with a top coat. There are many varieties of waxes and varnishes on the market.

This unit was sealed with a clear matte varnish so while it is sealed it is invisible to the eye. Varnish is also available in satinwood and gloss finishes depending on the look you are trying to create. Be aware that some top coats especially waxes may darken the colour of the paint by a shade or two. It is advisable to do a test on a small scrap piece of wood first to see if you are happy with the finish.

Step 10: Enjoy your refurbished furniture!

Handy tip

When applying the candle wax mark out the area you apply it to on a rough sketch. This will help you remember where you applied the wax when you go to sand and reveal your distressed finish.

This cottage extension and redesign is coming on well. All of the main construction work is now complete and the underfloor heating and screed have been laid. We have been busy finalising the joinery and finishes specification for the next stage of the project. A key detail of ours was to retain the original stone wall within the new extension as much as possible. Not all of it is in great condition but we wanted to create a feature along the stairs. The stone wall was the original back wall of the property and references the age of the original structure. The new extension will contrast well against the old fabric and offer a strong visual distinction.

The stairs is going to house some much needed storage… invisible within the main space. And my favourite element – fire rated glass is going to be fitted to the stair string to the ceiling so that the client can appreciate the stone wall from the main kitchen and living space.

The combination of old and new materials can have striking effects. The original cottage was brimming with character so it was really important to us to maintain as much of that as possible.

Photos to date: Work in Progress

Laying the pipework for the underfloor heating

Original stone wall that we are retaining

Pouring the screed