New York-based Ciaran McGuigan, CREATIVE DIRECTOR OF ORIOR, AND HIS WIFE HAVE CREATED A SECLUDED, PRECIOUS BOLTHOLE OUT OF A FISH SHED… A TRUE GEM.
What appears to be a simple wood-planked fish shed, nestled between Carlingford Lough and the mist-shrouded Mountains of Mourne, is anything but. Inside, fringed velvet Atlanta lounge chairs and a plush sofa and Livia ottoman, rugs, cushions and artwork tell a different story. Designed by New York-based Ciaran McGuigan, creative director of Irish furniture company Orior, and his American wife, Logann, it’s a precious bolthole. Since Architectural Digest called Orior “the chic-est furniture company you’ve never heard of” back in 2019, Ciaran has firmly established the company’s Manhattan showroom and cemented Orior’s influence amongst American designers. A graduate of the Savannah College of Art and Design, where he met Logann, he began working for the family business in 2013, becoming Orior’s creative director in 2019. Though Ciaran and Logann split their time between their home in Brooklyn, Newry continues to be Orior’s centre of production and the couple make frequent trips between countries. Having acquired the four-acre waterfront plot, complete with an old fishing shack in 2016, thoughts of starting work on the fish shed only really materialised during the pandemic, when Ciaran found himself back in Ireland full-time, staying with his parents, Brian and Rosemary McGuigan, who founded Orior in 1979. “We didn’t make major changes,” Ciaran says, “because we wanted to keep as many of the original elements as we could.” They created an open-plan design studio that was inspired by the surrounding environment. It’s a showcase and a place to spend time exploring new projects and collaborations. www.oriorfurniture.com. @orior_furniture
In the bedroom, an Orior Mozart chair and painting by Lou Ros.
The large artworks either side of the woodburning stove are by a friend, Andrew Humke. Fringed velvet Atlanta lounge chairs, a plush sofa and Livia ottoman are all by Orior.
The multifunctional shelving unit is a prototype made of solid rosewood. It houses a projector for Zoom calls and serves as a meeting space – there is room for a mood board behind the screen.
“We didn’t make any major changes because we wanted to keep as many of the original elements as we could.”
The terrazzo floor and special Danish plaster application on the walls, lend a richly textured finish to the space.
In the kitchen, a horizontal glass panel is a window to the amazing views of the lough. Birch plywood is used for the cabinetry and ceiling.
Photographed by Simon Watson @simonpwatson
