A Night of Design: Inside the Design Week Dublin 2026 Launch
By The Gloss
The design set gathers at LyonsKelly for an evening of cocktails, canapés and creative conversation …
Design Week Dublin, in partnership with Range Rover, got off to a suitably stylish start at the LyonsKelly townhouse, where a gathering of designers, architects, creatives and tastemakers came together to mark the launch of the second year of celebrating the creative industry.
Set within the elegant townhouse, the evening offered a fitting backdrop to a week of exciting events dedicated to creativity, craftsmanship and the people shaping Ireland’s design landscape.
The setting itself, which is both a home and office to design duo John Kelly and Eoin Lyons, was part of the appeal. LyonsKelly’ considered approach to interior design and architecture provided an elegant frame for the evening. In his welcoming speech, architect John Kelly gave a brief history of the house from its foundation in 1816. Its storied history is marked by a succession of fascinating occupants, stretching back to one of its earliest, John Joly, the Irish geologist and physicist who pioneered the use of radiotherapy in cancer treatment.
Sarah McDonnell and Jane McDonnell, co-founders of Design Week Dublin also welcomed guests and thanked the design community for their continued support, while Melanie McCourt, Marketing Director of Jaguar Land Rover Ireland, spoke elegantly about the partnership with Range Rover and the shared design sensibility between the brands.
Melanie McCourt, Marketing Director of Jaguar Land Rover Ireland
Among the guests were some of Ireland’s leading creative names, alongside emerging talent and design enthusiasts, making for an eclectic mix of perspectives and personalities.
As the evening gathered pace, so too did the awareness that an 8.30am start awaited many in the form of a breakfast conversation with Richard Fagan and the Realm team at their studio at Grand Canal – a small reminder that Design Week Dublin was only just beginning.
For details of more Design Week Dublin events, in partnership with Range Rover, see designweekdublin.com
Photography: Conor Healy / Picture It Photography
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