meet Richy Mc Cusker of custardbydesign...

this week I decided to kickstart what is hopefully a monthly feature – a series of interviews beginning with an interview with me...hopefully this will give my followers a chance to get to know more about me and what I do...

as you all know custardbydesign is a blogg specialising in topics related to interiors and stuff...i like to think that I bring to my blogg my passion for design and share my finds and musings on anything interior related from spaces and designers to wallpapers and artwork...

please read on to find out more about me, my inspirations and a snippet of some projects which best sum up my work and style...

Describe your work…?

I think professionally my work has been guided by senior work colleagues to a certain extent, and also steered very much so by what have been client driven projects. Although that said, I've been fortunate to have worked with design orientated clients who were very much open to new ideas and products, and very clear in their understanding of their roles as 'client' and my role as 'designer'. I have had the opportunity recently to work for myself on some freelance projects, and also to collaborate with some of Dublin's finest design talents – and I feel these areas have been where my work had truly had its chance to shine...

What was your first experience with design…?

When I was 15 and in school trying to decide where I wanted to spend a week in work experience, I had the opportunity to work in a local architects firm in Armagh. I actually spent the week working on the designs for a science classroom for a new school. I think I enjoyed the opportunity and it cemented the idea that I wanted to design interior spaces, and not study architecture. I guess sitting through a 3hour meeting in the same week where we discussed the road drainage scheme for a project helped me form that decision...

How would you describe your style…?

I guess I describe my work and style as a modern collusion of styles and ideals, fused with retro and quirky injections. I think some of my moodboards created for some consultancy based work over the past year really highlight this. I love contemporary furniture and clean lines, although I like to throw something vintage into the mix as well just to phunk things up...

Do you have any personal design quirks…?

I would probably say my lust for that something different and or retro...

Who or what has influenced and inspired your style…?

Influences - definitely past tutors and lecturers as well as some of the people I've had the opportunity to work with. It was at university that I was introduced to and learnt about some of the greats, Mies Van der Rohe, Le Corbusier and Eileen Gray and also where I learnt about some of their contemporaries; Oliver Chapman, Malcolm Fraser, Richard Murphy and Enric Miralles. Although heavily influenced by my surroundings while studying in Edinburgh it's this base that furthered me to find my own style and new influences. Now I look at designers such as Philippe Starck, Marcel Wanders, Karim Rashid and Suzy Hoodless...

Who would be your ideal client…?

Well, having said all of the above I'm thinking someone like the lovechild of Suzy Hoodless and Marcel Wanders...with loads of money...

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

The most unusual request from a client was probably not so unusual but challenging; to source an eye catching piece of art for a project that was sexy and classy and tongue in cheek. Something that was make everyone stop and look. Collaboratively with the senior designer on the project we found exactly that, an image that was sexy and classy that would make everyone stop and look, yet it was still classy and sophisticated to suit the space and the brief. It now hangs above the fireplace of the 'Veranda Bar' in the Radisson Hotel, Galway...

What will be your next venture in design…?

I am awaiting my work permit to be able to work in the United States and I'm hoping my next venture in design will find me working for an exciting firm in the North West Arkansas area. I've been putting the feelers out there, and I'm finding that there are firms creating exciting and innovative interiors but in sectors that I've never developed too closely, areas like retails and churches - and they're beginning to really appeal to me. Something new...

What are you excited about in the world of design today…?

New technologies and the ease of information sharing. Concept generation and creating moodboards can be one of the most exciting parts of a project, and I feel with the wealth of information available out there on the web, bloggs like my own create a forum for information sharing. I also believe that trends and styles are clearly stylised by their decade, and as we enter the 2010's I'm looking forward for some new trends and movements to evolve. I'm ready for new 21st century design icons...

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

Ahhhh, where to pick and why! In Dublin I liked to go to the bar with no name, number 3 Fade St is its location, but not on a Friday or Saturday night. To go there in the early afternoon or on a Sunday for brunch is my favourite time to go there, when its quiet and chilled and laid back. The interior is like a classy shebeen – domestic couches, tables and chairs, hardwood floors and beautiful Georgian architecture create a fancy house party vibe. I'm still sussing my way around the cool hang out spaces in North West Arkansas...