Pieces of Me: Tahnee Morgan, milliner

From as young as eight, Tahnee Morgan, who grew up in Drogheda, Co Louth, was embellishing school berets with bits of her mum's feather duster and Christmas decorations to sell on to her pals. Both her grandmothers were milliners "so they definitely passed down the mad hatter gene", says Morgan. Her name is now synonymous with bespoke headpieces in bridal and fashion circles.

While studying millinery at the Grafton Academy in the early 1990s, Morgan worked with bridal specialist Marian Gale. "Back then, brides had a choice between chunky veils and flowery hairbands and I simply wanted to create cooler pieces with more of a fashion edge." Her vision was right on cue and just a few years after setting up her own studios, her creations were appearing on the cover of Hello!.

Morgan's repertoire has expanded to include a black-tie range, a horse-racing collection and a scarf range. She also works in the film industry, creating period or event headwear, much of which you can spot in the current Irish hit, A Date for Mad Mary. She lives in Blackrock, Co Dublin, with her three children and her husband, Shane.

Describe your interiors style

It’s a little bit 1980s toff mixed with both modern and antique finds. I’m all about creating warm, comforting and calm spaces – and I don’t get that from the current obsession with cool greys and minimalist lines. I prefer a palette of camel, gardenia and string hues mixed with rich woods and pops of warm colours like brick and terracotta. I know that’s not exactly on trend right now but I love it and you have to stick to your guns.

How did you transform a 1930s semi into what feels like a heritage home?

I grew up in an old Georgian house on the river Boyne and I guess my mum's taste, which everyone used to comment was way ahead of her time, eventually permeated mine. We gutted the inside here and replaced all the 1930s windows with Georgian sash styles instead. Next we swapped the original interior doors for really thick period-style doors with wood panels and bevelled glass. We added 14-inch skirting boards everywhere and wood panelling in some rooms. The Old Mould Company helped us install period ceiling coving and centrepiece roses. Gem Construction built the kitchen extension for us a few years back.

Everyone was advising big floor-to-ceiling glass doors out to the back garden, but I fought tooth and nail for period bay windows with window seats. I think the end result is much more in keeping with the house.

How do your three young children not destroy all the period pieces you have?

I learned this the hard way. When we first moved in, most of our furniture was new from shops like Habitat but before long, glue starts coming apart, edging starts hanging off and fabrics wear thin. Ultimately after a decade of kids tearing around the house, all our stuff was only fit for the skip.

So now I only use old pieces, whether antique or vintage, as they’re much more resilient and can take knocks, in fact they sometimes look better a little roughed up. And when they’re wrecked looking, the joinery is still good and a quick repaint, repolish or new upholstery brings them back to their full glory. Or they can be quickly updated in the latest paint or fabric trends.

What would you save from a fire?

I inherited a gorgeous Victorian stained-glass hall lantern from my mum’s house, so If I’d a wire cutters handy I snip it off. I actually brought it to O’Reilly Glass in Drogheda and they replicated the glass pattern exactly for me on to panels we used either side of the hall door. There’s lots of little stars in the design and every evening when the sun comes into the hallway, there’s hundreds of little star shapes bouncing all over the walls. It’s like a magical planetarium.

Do you collect anything specific?

I love buying old furniture from markets and auctions, cheap dressers and chairs etc that appear to have little value, then I buy another bargain piece which may be wrecked but will have stunning handles and hinges on it, and I merge the best of both pieces together. I’ll paint it up or get it French polished and the result is magic. I do the same to Buddha statues, I hunt out the old tall onesn – ot the tacky, bling gold ones – and redo them with lime wash and replace any missing stones with gems from my hat studio. I’ve a beautiful little Buddha army at this stage.

Most inspiring interior destination?

I don't have a single place, but everywhere I visit, be it India, Paris, Italy or London, I always seek out old churches and stately buildings. I become hypnotised by those old pavé tiles, painted ceilings, ornate windows and that smell of waxed wood. I start thinking about how many craftspeople it must have taken back then just to complete a few square feet. As a milliner I get how much effort goes into the tiniest detail, most people hardly notice the minutiae but that's what inspires me the most.

If you had €100,000 to spend on your house tomorrow, what would you do? I’d really like to add another bedroom upstairs, but I can’t see it happening as the planners keep refusing us permission!