meet Anthony Buggy and Joanne Kelly of Think Contemporary...

this week I met with Anthony Buggy and Joanne Kelly, of Think Contemporary for a small chat and a chance to get to know more about their company and the work they do...

'Think Contemporary' is a new design practice in Dublin, specialising in interior architecture, spatial planning and bespoke furniture...together Anthony and Joanne bring to the table a passion for design and they thrive on creating individual and contemporary interiors...

please read on to find out more about 'Think Contemporary', Anthony and Joanne's inspirations and a snippet of some recent projects which best sum up their work and style...

Describe your company…?

J Think Contemporary is contemporary yet not minimalist. A lack of colour and white interiors is not Think Contemporary; it is a mix of design. I would have strong views in colour.
A I would be more muted. We are a good mix.
J I think we create a cosy aspect to contemporary living, we like clean lines and soft finishes.

What was your first experience with design…?

J I have always had an interest in art and design, I always loved helping out with my Mum. I then went on to study Interior Architecture at DIT.
A I have a love for furniture and cabinet making. I appreciate furniture and restoring furniture, and I guess a love for good quality interiors followed. I too studied at DIT.

How would you describe your style…?

J I love contemporary furniture, clean lines and a hint of retro. I love retro pieces and I can appreciate design from that era. Though design has to be comfortable. There is no pointing creating an amazing house and not being able to live in it. The practicalities of living with design are important to us.

Do you have any personal design quirks…?

A I have never been asked that question before. I’ll need time to think.
J I almost feel that it’s easier for someone from the outside looking in to pick these out for us.

Who or what has influenced and inspired your style…?

A Gandon’s architecture, classical buildings – and symmetry. Frank Lloyd Wright, Eileen Gray and Le Corbusier.
J Ray and Charles Eames would have to be an influence of mine. The Eiffel Chair. Santiago Calatrava also was someone I studied a lot in my final year.
A Working with Duff Tisdall exposed us a lot to Scandinavian design. Simplicity at its best.

What ways has the recession affected your work and what measures have you introduced to aide you and your clients…?

J The recession has taken all the decorators out of the market. Think Contemporary is a product of the recession, and our aim is to get the name out there and be ready for business when people start spending. We are busy getting the name out there and working on the profile. It is quiet out there though.
A We are receiving a good reaction from the press, which is a great confidence boost for us and an opportunity to market our work.

Who would be your ideal client…?

J A job in Wexford we recently completed. It was for a couple who were carrying out a new build in Wexford. We were involved in the whole build, and the client trusted everything we proposed to them. They had a similar style in mind, they were fantastic clients, and they placed trust in products we showed them from catalogues.
A They trusted us in every aspect, and reassurances were given on any questions they did have. They were satisfied they were receiving good products in the end.

What is the most unusual request you have received from a client…?

J Unusual? I guess it would be to move a wall to accommodate a bath. It was the same project in Wexford, and our client fell in love with a bath that would not fit the plan. In the end walls were moved to accommodate a bath and the gym was reduced in size.
A Nothing to crazy has been asked.

What will be your next venture in design…?

J We have started our next venture, a prototype for a shelving unit which is in production. We hope to get this finished, photographed and marketed, and then produce a line of furniture.
A We need to view the costs, and we hope it can be manufactured and produced in Ireland.

Where is your favourite space to hang out in Dublin and why…?

A I don’t actually hang out in Dublin too much. There is the Winding Stair, which I love. It has a great menu, lovely noise – it’s small and intimate. It’s nothing fancy, just nice.
J Hmmm...Restaurants? Darwin’s on Aungier St, it’s never too busy and the food is great.

http://www.thinkcontemporary.com/

more from burberry...

i previously posted about burberry's new headquarters in london...and this weekend sees the launch of their 18th store, located in Tien mu Soga, Taipei...

the new 1,300 square foot store carries all the latest ranges for both men and women from the burberry london lifestyle and sport collections...

again, the chic sophisticated interiors with their minimalist lines won me over...???

http://custardbydesign.blogspot.com/2009/04/minimal-chic.html

weekend thoughts...

evolving architecture...

the construction of Gaudi's masterpiece began in 1882 and is still a work in progress...

inspiring...

thinking of warmer places...

a friend of mine is just back from a short stay in this place...so i thought i'd post a few pics while i'm thinking of far away places and sunshine...

the Atlantis at the Palm, Dubai is undoubtedly in my view - one of the most amazing places built by man...costing a mahoosive $1.5 billion, it boasts 27 treatment rooms, 1,500 bedrooms and 17 restaurants...

the accomodation is in two 19 and 22 storey towers linked by the huge, 1,000 sq m Bridge Suite...

neutral decor and with spacious bathrooms, bedrooms are uniformly large and comfortable...
on the ground floor there are luxurious shops, arabian coffee and shisha lounges, a nightclub...and not to mention the aquarium...

there are 2 Lost Chambers suites which have underwater views of the aquarium from the bedroom where you can look out at the 65,000 fish and a pair of whale sharks among other marine species...

summer aint too far away...

i decided i needed something to uplift the spirits after the dreary pics provided in the previous posts...

not one thing i can do about the weather folks unfortunately...
here are some shots of the new summer product ranges available from meadows and byrne...

http://www.meadowsandbyrne.com/

cheeky morgan...

as you can see from the previous posts we're not exactly blessed with the weather here in dublin at the moment...although you can always rely on the morgan, temple bars boutique hotel to puttheir own little spin on the weather forecasting...

skyscrapers...

not so much...

what dublin lacks in height in certainlly makes up for in charm, atmosphere and georgian heritage...although here are what are notably 2 of the tallest buildings in dublin aside from the 'spire' on o'connell street...

liberty hall and treasury holdings altro vetro building...

the new glass cages...

just a snippet of building work happening in dublin...

the former irish times building, d'olier st...

the ICAI, pearse st...

the libeskind concert hall towering above houses on pearse sq....

the new conference centre on the quays...

new office building on the quays...

the recently completed o2 arena, formerly known as the point depot...

'i'm part of what was dublin in the rare auld times...'

dublin city in the rare auld times...

dublin city in the rare auld times is a song well associated with dublin and the changes of a city...well i for one think these times are rare auld times indeed for many reasons...and while indeed today, dublin keeps on changing and nothing seems the same...i'm so happy to see some of the changes that stamp a new mark on our city scape...

this week has been an eventful week on the river Liffey...

while high winds at the beginning of the week hampered attempts to move the new Samuel beckett Brdige up the Liffey, after its arrival from Rotterdam, it wasnt until thursday that the bridge made its way to Sir John Rogersons Quay...

at 120m long and 48m high, the Samuel Beckett bridge will link Sir John Rogersons Quay on the south side with the North Wall Quay on the north side...

dublin's newest bridge was designed by Santiago Calatrava, this is in fact his 2nd bridge in dublin following the James Joyce bridge, opened in 2003...

at a cost of approx €60million, the new bridge will facilitate maritime traffic with the ability to rotate through an angle of 90 degrees...

''The design evokes the image of the Irish harp lying on its side.The bridge is expected to open to traffic in early 2010 following a series of commissioning works.After it travels through the Eastlink Bridge, it will be moored on a pontoon alongside the south quayside for the next few weeks before being placed on its supporting pier in the river.Dublin city engineer Michael Phillips said the bridge was a stunning piece of design and engineering.''

the irish times

lets wait and see how this feat of contemporary architecture settles into a city best known for its georgian past...

europe meets america...

i'm somewhat engaged by the vast differences in style and charachter that spaces inform or are informed by through design, location, designers and indeed designs inspirations...

since i've been blogging the notable blogs that i log into on a daily basis are by american and australian bloggers...and indeed the difference in european and american topics are huge...

today, the formosa 1140 townhouses in west hollywood grabbed my attention for a number of reasons...the european influences so apparent in the interior stylings, the sleek forms that the exterior building posesses, and indeed the irish name of the architect be he irish or not...

architect Lorcan O'Herlihy has designed a metallic exterior that wraps the building in shades of red giving the building a phunky geometric look...

the high-gloss white kitchens in these buildings can be nothing other than european inspired...again in the bathrooms all-white cabinetry is used...i can't help but think the architect was surely inspired by recent trends in ireland and the UK as well as european boutique hotels...

what do you think...???

your space community make-over...

i was delighted when i was contacted and asked to feature this on my blogg...

and the more i read about it the more enthralled i became with the concept...

Sir Terence Conran and Tara Bernerd launch local makeover competition

mydeco.com the UK’s leading interior design and homewares website, is offering one lucky community a design makeover by British design icons Sir Terence Conran and Tara Bernerd...

the site is calling for nominations from people in cities, towns and villages across the country for the indoor community space that deserves to win...so nominate a deserving space at the heart of your community...

be it an unloved library, tired town hall or aging youth club, the YourSpace campaign is offering a money-can’t-buy chance to have a local, indoor community space redesigned and revitalised by top British designers from the mydeco design board...

any UK indoor space at the heart of a community can be nominated online by submitting a photograph of the room and 200 words on what it means to your community...campaign packs including posters and online buttons are available to download to help people campaign for votes for their nomination...

Tara Bernerd said, “Imagine for a moment, a rundown public library, poorly lit, badly laid-out, understaffed for lack of admin space. Poor computer terminals added as an afterthought. Old fashioned uncomfortable chairs... Now imagine the library in the next Bond Movie. Think bright white, lacquered book shelving, with colours that clearly categorise subjects. The latest technology, dimmer areas with big leather armchairs, terrific long tables set up for lap tops and high-backed stools. Get me a library card!”

Co-chaired by, Sir Terence Conran and Philippe Starck, mydeco.com consists of experts and innovators from every area of the home, including Tara Bernerd, Kelly Hoppen, Marc Newson and Kirstie Allsopp...these internationally-acclaimed designers offer mydeco the benefit of their years of experience, their thoughts on the future of design and their visions for how mydeco can transform the way we design and shop for our homes...

the YourSpace campaign aims to highlight the impact design can have on community life...a shortlist of spaces will be influenced by public votes, and the final winner will be picked and redesigned by Sir Terence Conran and Tara Bernerd...

you can nominate an indoor room from your local community that you would like to see redesigned by visiting www.mydeco.com/yourspace

the closing date for entries is 29th May so register now...

for more information please contact: Natalie Kitcher at Headstream
natalie.kitcher@headstreampr.com

i've spoken about mydeco.com previously on my blogg and i'm excited to see them taking a leap beyond their usual target audience for this make-over...

i look forward to hearing about the winning space and viewing before and after pictures...

lamp moodboard...

on my previous post regarding the lamp showroom in edinburgh i promised to post the moodboard...and here goes...

http://custardbydesign.blogspot.com/2009/04/lamp.html