Emma O’Neill At Design Week Dublin

Emma O’Neill of Studio Sofield reveals insights into her New York-based studio’s fascinating portfolio and a client roster that is as notable as it is wide-ranging …

Irish-born, New York-based designer Emma O’Neill flew home to share the story of her remarkable career with Design Week Dublin, in partnership with Range Rover, and she didn’t disappoint.

Following a brief introduction from broadcaster Ciara Doherty, Emma spoke to architect Amanda Bone about the scale and scope of her practice in a compelling conversation.

It was a highly engaged audience who followed Emma’s journey from her early years working with renowned New York designer William Sofield and their enduring partnership to her influential career at Studio Sofield. Emma first apprenticed with Sofield while he was consulting for Ralph Lauren in the 1980s, before continuing their collaboration through Aero Studios in the 1990s and later joining him to open Studio Sofield.

With more than three decades of work spanning residential, hospitality, and retail, Emma brought that world to life through a series of engaging visual presentations, taking the audience behind the scenes of projects for some of the world’s most high-end retailers and fashion houses, including Tom Ford, Gucci, Bottega Veneta and Yves Saint Laurent.

The images offered a fascinating insight into the thinking behind these highly considered spaces, but it was perhaps the glimpses into Emma’s own homes that proved most revealing. She shared details of her New York East Village apartment, alongside a summer home in Connecticut, where a generous wraparound porch creates a relaxed connection to the outdoors.

Warm, engaging and generous with her experience, Emma offered an absorbing look at a career shaped by long-term creative relationships, a deep understanding of detail and an ability to move effortlessly between the worlds of fashion, interiors and architecture.