It is clear Nina draws her inspiration from positively transforming people’s lives. Her expertise in her field is outstanding, and her ability to provide a vision of what could be and transform it into reality is amazing
RACHEL D (CO WICKLOW)
Brief
Selected from over 600 designers to participate in this programme, their largest project up to that time, and which attracted their highest viewership. My theme for this luxury house was based on a feng shui inspired interior design for a target market of older professional couples with a grown family possibly taking early retirement or buying this property as a second home initially to retire to at a later time.
Scope
The budget was extremely limited, only €50k, but this was eventually increased to just around €60k.
Details
My colour pallet had muted tones highlighted in some of the rooms with strong daring accent colours offset by interesting materials, finishes and accessories.
The main features in my interior included a glass panelled staircase in the entrance hall, cool pale grey walls in the sitting room teamed with warm dark flooring, and an amazing main bathroom with marble flooring and six mosaic-tiled columns.
My use of large wall-mounted framed and upholstered headboards was also unusual for the time and appears to have started a trend that has lasted right through to today.
There were lots of hitches along the way including problems with a supplier letting me down last minute on my fabric orders so with very little time left I had to source ready-mades and fabric on the roll from a chain store.
In the two upstairs bedrooms, curtains were made up from bed throws bought at Dunnes and I had to settle for readymade curtains made from 2 different fabrics hung on the same tracks as there wasn’t enough of either fabric to dress such huge windows in the sitting room.
In the kitchen fabric panels had to be made as again there wasn’t enough fabric available last minute. However, the crewel fabric I found transformed my kitchen scheme into a stunning room which was very unusual for its time.
I also chose a unique design for this room; there were no wall units, the ovens were housed in a mid-height warming station and the dining table was situated in the middle of the room as there wasn’t enough in the budget for an island unit.
In the main bathroom in the basement, I designed a luxury Roman style travertine stone bathing space with double end Bath for two and underwater lights and jets, surrounded by 4 mosaic-clad ‘columns’ made from plastic pipe.
