A More Considered Approach At Design Week Dublin

Sara Cosgrove explores the challenges shaping the design world today, from sustainability and uncertain supply chains to the importance of championing Irish craft …

Architect Amanda Bone was joined bright and early by her former Home of the Year co-presenter Sara Cosgrove on stage for the second day of Design Week Dublin, in partnership with Range Rover. The audience listened intently as the celebrated interior designer offered an insight into the realities of designing at the highest end of the market, where challenges are, as she put it, the only thing she has ever known.

The conversation at The Malt House ranged from the demands of working with luxury clients to the increasingly urgent question of sustainability, reminding us that everything comes from somewhere, and that in uncertain times, when supply chains and distribution cannot always be guaranteed, designers need to think differently about what they source and how they use it.

She walked the walk in the recent creation of the Morning Room at Chelsea’s Wow House, using materials in a way that they could be reused again. “As designers, all we can do is design for longevity.”

Sara also chatted about her part in the largest redevelopment of Dromoland Castle in its 63 years as a luxury hotel. The 16th-century property’s €55 million transformation will span accommodation, public spaces, wellness, culinary concepts, and cultural programming. Part of Sara’s mission is to reuse or reimagine existing materials alongside Irish handcrafted materials wherever possible. The project represents an exciting one for Sara and her team as they venture to create something unseen in Ireland before.

The hospitality project also led to a conversation about what Sara has termed ‘resmercial’, where commercial spaces feel more residential, while private clients want their homes to resemble a five-star hotel.

Refreshingly Sara didn’t sugarcoat the harder elements of working in design. She spoke openly about facing challenges and how it has shaped her business. “Things going wrong is the job,” she says. “If things don’t go wrong it freaks me out. How you solve the problems is the process. All good things come from challenges.”

Meanwhile, across the city at CA Design, DWD continued with a fascinating discussion on creating homes with longevity, hosted by Melanie Morris and featuring Declan Scullion of Scullion Architects, architect and broadcaster Declan O’Donnell of ODKM Architects, and Aisling Wilson of Ash Wilson Design.