Why the best interiors are created through collaboration.

“The solution did not arrive in a single sketch.

It emerged through conversations”

As an interior architect based in Dublin, much of my work involves helping homeowners navigate renovations, redesigns and bespoke interior projects.

One of the biggest misconceptions in interior design, and in design in general, is that by appointing an interior designer you are appointing their creativity alone. Someone designs and someone makes.

In reality, the projects I am most proud of are shaped through conversations – with the client, with the architects, joiners, builders, upholsterers, metalworkers, painters and makers who help bring ideas to life with extraordinary skills.

The process starts with an idea, an inspiration, or a client request for more storage, more light, for a space to feel bigger and with a better flow. As an interior architect I search for the feasibility and more often than not I am hit by challenges and constraints. Some are easily resolved with pen and paper, but most challenges are silver linings hiding in plain sight.

Strong collaborations built on trust are the difference between a home that feels assembled and one that feels truly considered. Good design does not happen in isolation. It emerges through the exchange of ideas, expertise and craftsmanship between the people shaping it.

Some of the people I work with have been part of my projects for years. There is a shorthand that develops over time – a shared understanding that every detail matters, an acceptance of how we each process creativity, design and construction to deliver the highest quality possible, and a shared goal to make that idea, inspiration and request a reality.

It’s the times in workshops discussing construction constraints with the joiner, it’s the time taken in site meetings to solve unexpected site challenges with the builder and the architect.

Sometimes the best ideas come from unexpected places. In our own Studio Manifesto project, it was the architect’s idea to look upward in search for natural light. A rooflight positioned high above the kitchen brought daylight deep into the space while creating volume. Unexpectedly, it also helped define the different functions of the room while keeping the space open and connected.

That idea has stayed with me because it perfectly illustrates the power of collaboration: one person sees possibility, another develops it, and together a solution emerges.

In Mary’s apartment, the brief seemed simple: bringing more light into the kitchen and reconnecting the act of cooking with the beautiful view of the trees outside.

The challenge came from another unexpected place. To conceal the extractor hood, we needed to lower a portion of the ceiling. Yet the very thing we were trying to achieve was a greater sense of openness and volume. How could we introduce a dropped ceiling without the room feeling smaller?

The solution did not arrive in a single sketch. It emerged through conversations between the client, the joiner, the builder and the designer.

As the design evolved, each person brought a different perspective. Questions were asked, assumptions challenged and ideas refined. By the time the final solution emerged, it felt inevitable – the best ideas often do.

That is what collaboration looks like. Not everyone agreeing from the start, but talented people working together towards a shared goal.

But ideas and solutions have lives of their own, and they bring you on a journey least expected.

When developing the dropped ceiling and having decided on a shape following the island and the table together, the idea was to play with colour to make the design even more intentional.

I design with layers. As each layers of the room were revealed and starting to work their magic together, suddenly the dropped ceiling “told” us that it needed to stay silent so the intention could be louder and clearer. And so the idea of using colour on the bottom face was dropped. The light fittings together with the richness of the walnut and warmth of the island texture sufficed. The ceiling had spoken!

Glass, especially stained glass, is one of my great loves when it comes to materials. In our Studio’s Manifesto, we lovingly restored the original stained glass windows dated 1937 when the house was commissioned and built. In the side extension, we needed to add stained glass onto the new windows. The extension in lieu of the garage needed to fade in with the old as if it had always been there. The houses on the street are pretty much all built the same and it is very important to retain the character of where you live.

We found an extraordinary workshop, with one champion maker who collects stained glass of every colour and texture. His library of glass panels is extensive, his knowledge bottomless. He created our new stained glass like the old, with authenticity and skills that I hope will survive through apprenticeship.

Unfortunately, the original stained glass on the front door had been broken and replaced by transparent textured glass. It’s always been in my head to create new ones for the door that would converse with the old, even with the new old.

I stumbled upon a maker of modern stained glass and stained lamps while researching a project for another client.

Through their knowledge of design periods, their talent, and the inspiration of the old, a beautiful story was born.

Good interiors are not created by designers handing over drawings. They are created by relationships, trust and collective expertise. 

The projects I am most proud of are not the result of a single idea, but of many conversations. Between client and designer. Between architect and builder. Between maker and craftsperson. Between imagination and practicality.

Every project teaches me something new. Every collaboration brings a fresh perspective, and every finished home is richer for the many hands and minds that have helped shape it.

For that, I couldn’t be more grateful.

Whether I am working on a kitchen renovation, a home renovation or a whole-house redesign, the principle remains the same: the most successful interiors are created through collaboration between client, designer and craftsperson.

Get in touch if you have a skill and want to collaborate on one of our project by emailing us at hello@thecolourdesignstudio.com.

Get in touch if you have an idea or a project, big or small, that you would like to discuss by emailing us at hello@thecolourdesignstudio.com

We would love to hear from you.

Clemence