Latest news with #RóisínLafferty
Irish Independent
30-07-2025
- Irish Independent
The interiors edit: Join the quiet Irish luxury revolution
This new wave of Irish luxury interiors is a marriage of contrasts – where old meets new, and rural craftsmanship finds a place in modern design language. Designers like Róisín Lafferty are reaching back to the country's deep well of artisanal knowledge – handwoven tweeds, linen, pottery, and woodworking – and reinterpreting these elements through a contemporary lens. The result is spaces that feel grounded yet refined, current yet timeless. 'Luxury in the case of taste and style is subjective, however luxury as an experience now has so many variances than before,' says Lafferty, who recently completed the design for the new Montenotte Woodland Experience in Cork – sophisticated cabins with the focus on modern Irish heritage. 'There is a place for the pristine experience with formality and precision, but what I am more and more drawn to is the place of quiet luxury. The opposite to stuffy and formal, the soft, quiet, considered, tactile, sensory experiences that are often hidden in plain sight.' Stone floors echo traditional farmhouses but are now warmed by underfloor heating and softened with wool rugs in gentle greys and peat tones. Handcrafted furniture, often made from native Irish woods like oak or ash, is pared-back in form but rich in finish. The look isn't showy, it's considered, with an emphasis on quality, heritage, and understated beauty. Tonally, spaces tend to be moody with pops of accent colours in tweeds, linens and marbles drawn from Ireland's natural palette of misty greens, granite greys, bog browns and sky blues – a connection to place that gives Irish interiors a sense of calm and belonging. In the last few years, a glut of new hotel offerings – Within The Village, Native, Breac House, Inis Meáin Suites among them – are championing this interiors style and experience with a focus on service, homegrown crafts and vernacular design which honours place and heritage, and homeowners are following suit. It's the gently treated raw materials, clay vessels thrown in small rural workshops, handwoven tweed cushions, each one slightly different, and wooden furniture that tells stories through its knots and grain. Modet is a small Irish studio in Kinsale, Co Cork, that makes sleek, contemporary furniture high on style, aesthetics and functionality, an example of the shift from traditional Irish furniture to pieces which reflect modern spaces. There is a real focus on material integrity and artisanal skill which reflects a deeper cultural shift: a desire to slow down, live intentionally, and find beauty in the humble and the real, yet rooted in contemporary design. Traditional woollen mills like Foxford, Mourne Textiles, Cushendale and McNutt of Donegal, once seen as heritage institutions rooted in the past, are now at the forefront of a modern design movement blending time-honoured craftsmanship with contemporary style. A growing number of small Irish retailers, The Irish Design Shop, I Am of Ireland, Stable of Ireland and new arrival Clan among them, are championing the movement, serving as vital platforms for local artisans and curating collections in a considered and beautiful way. In Emma Penruddock's beautifully restored farmhouse-cum-gallery space in Wexford, you can browse and buy pottery by David Holden and bowls by Cora Cummins, art by Dominique Crowley and Gemma Geraghty along with primitive famine furniture and modern pieces by Eileen Gray. Hannah O'Reilly's charming new shop in Kilrush, Co Clare, is beautifully curated with pieces from budding artisans including ceramics by Vinh Truong and Kevin O'Callaghan and vernacular style furniture by Brian McMahon. Dublin's Irish Design Shop has become known for its collaborations with Irish makers and creatives, including artist Jo Howard who specialises in textile landscapes, John Hanly throws and ceramics by Adam Frew. 'For a small island, Ireland is home to an extraordinary depth of creative talent that's deeply rooted in tradition, yet always evolving,' says O'Reilly. 'It feels like a particularly exciting moment in Irish design.'
Irish Independent
20-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Irish Independent
Interior design guru Róisín Lafferty: ‘Grandad's depression meant he hid. That was hard to watch and pushed me to do things that made me uncomfortable'
Pinpointing the essence of her award-winning designs, Dubliner Róisín Lafferty reflects on growing up in a single-parent household and seeing her beloved grandfather's struggles, making her mark in London and now nesting in a Wicklow cottage Today at 00:30 When the door opens to interior architect and designer Róisín Lafferty's Fitzwilliam Square townhouse studio, I don't mean to, but I gasp. It's the huge metal feature hanging from the ceiling. Almost whale-like in its dimensions, coils twisted about each other, it's so unexpected and dramatic in this traditional Georgian space. Standing below it is Lafferty herself, smiling in a manner that suggests she is used to her work receiving this kind of reaction. It's busy today in her Dublin premises. Alongside their existing studio, they have just launched Róisín Lafferty Gallery, an appointment-only design gallery that will stock both Lafferty's first interiors collection, some vintage pieces, and the work of other artisans and designers she and her team have long collaborated with, whose work is currently unavailable in Ireland. 'I wanted to create a space that captured the essence of who we are,' she explains.
New York Post
12-06-2025
- New York Post
Where to find thoroughly modern amenities in ye olde Ireland
Across Ireland, historic properties are keeping up with the times and upping their hospitality game with new suites, modern amenities and cutting-edge wellness. But is all this new coming at the expense of Ireland's ye-olde-timey charm? In Cork, bookings are booming at a former butter merchant's mansion built circa 1820 known as the Montenotte. Yet, it's not the urban resort's 19th-century bones or the Regency-era façade that are winning it awards — it's a collection of newly built luxury cabins. 4 From ancient castles to cutting-edge eco-accommodations like Montenette, Ireland's lucky charm is changing with the times. Small Luxury Hotels of the World 4 Montenette is a former butter merchant's mansion built circa 1820. Handout The first of their kind in the country, the cabin-suites by architect Henry J. Lyons and interior designer Róisín Lafferty (both of Dublin) are inspired by understated Japanese design. They're crafted with floor-to-ceiling windows, charred larch wood and private terraces for an indoor-outdoor experience — not exactly hallmarks of old-school Irish architecture. Nonetheless, the suites recently won at the European Awards for Hospitality Experience and Design in London last fall. Meanwhile in County Donegal, a dog-friendly eco-resort dubbed Lough Mardal Lodge offers luxury yurt glamping. So does the organic Fernwood Farm in County Galway, where the glamping experience is a geodesic 'Treehouse Dome.' Even the luxury hotel Dromoland Castle in County Clare is putting on a fresh face. The 15th-century castle was once the ancestral seat of the O'Brien family, direct descendants of Brian Boru, the 11th-century king credited with uniting Ireland. Now, in the very forests where Irish warriors once fought to expel Viking intruders, visitors can partake in a 'forest bathing' experience where the castle's resident yoga instructor leads a 'slow, mindful walk' through the grounds. Inspired by the Japanese practice of shinrin-yoku, forest bathing's early proponents included Justin Bieber and Gwyneth Paltrow. 4 Ennui is out, sophisticated pampering is in. Chris Singer photography Dromoland's Castle Spa has also been upgraded with Dr. Barbara Sturm, a German 'molecular cosmetics' line whose super anti-aging serum runs a cool $900 per 100-milliliter bottle. Over in County Mayo at Ashford Castle, another leading five-star castle hotel dating back to the Middle Ages, the spa recently launched a partnership with another pricey, science-backed (and non-Irish) skincare brand. 'Our recent Augustinus Bader launch in the spa aligns with global wellness trends, offering the latest in skincare science,' said Niall Rochford, Ashford Castle's managing director. He also assured that traditional Irish ingredients and rituals remain on the menu. It's important, he said, that 'modern luxury enhances, rather than overshadows, the castle's deep sense of place.' 4 High adventure definitely has its fans here at Ashford Castle. Ashford Castle While offerings and amenities may change, Rochford said that Ashford's philosophy is still rooted in the old Gaelic saying 'Céad míle fáilte' ('a hundred thousand welcomes') — a type of service he described as 'genuine, intuitive' and 'deeply thoughtful.' 'At its heart, modern Irish hospitality is not just about service,' said Rochford. 'It's about storytelling, connection and a spirit of generosity that leaves a lasting impression.' While tourism trends like glamping, wellness and high-end skin care have become more common across Ireland, it's the experiences economy that has changed the most in recent years, per Siobhan Byrne, founder and CEO of Adams & Butler. Her company organizes bespoke experiences for travelers, from guided oyster shucking to boat tours of castles only visible from the water. 'Americans are the best tourists because they're always interested in doing things and learning, and Ireland is great for that.' Siobhan Byrne, founder and CEO of Adams & Butler 'Our clients aren't going to kiss the Blarney Stone or go to the Cliffs of Moher,' said Byrne. 'They want to meet real Irish people.' But if you're still keen on ticking the latter off your list, an advisor like Byrne can direct you to a local farmer's path, offering the same epic views without none of the tourist crowds. There are even rental properties and experiences only accessible through a travel advisor — such as a private castle in County Fermanagh, with its Earl in residence, or a private Jameson tasting with the Jameson family in their home. One of Byrne's American clients who was 'worth about a gazillion dollars' recently went to Ireland's rugged west coast to visit the Aran Islands, a remote archipelago where the most luxurious hotel is a meager three stars — not the obvious referral for a high-net-worth individual. 'He loved it because he wanted to hear about the islands' unique history, the people and the folklore,' said Byrne. 'People don't come to Ireland just for the sake of vacation anymore. They want to learn something or experience something different, and that's what real luxury is.' So while the Emerald Isle leaps forward with trending accommodations, luxury spas and new-age experiences, its greatest asset remains its people. 'Irish people are friendly, and they're interested in visitors,' said Byrne. 'Americans are the best tourists because they're always interested in doing things and learning, and Ireland is great for that.'
