Emma Cullinan looks at how designers gave four distinct looks to a Sutton apartment scheme
When MKN Property Group turned Sutton Castle Hotel into 17 apartments, spread across the original 1895 building and a new extension, they decided the show apartments needed four different interior designers. "We decided to go for four designers because every apartment in the old house is so different," says director Niamh McKeon. "Each has a different floor plan, and there are various nooks and crannies, so we wanted very different looks." They chose Herma Becker, Peter Johnson, Suzanne Garuda and Nicola Pollard. Becker worked on one apartment in the old house, which was originally built for the Jameson whiskey family, and one in the extension; Garuda and Johnson worked in the old building; and Pollard did an interior in the new part.
HERMA BECKER
MKN director Sean McKeon spends a lot of time in Portugal and admires the work of local designer Herma Becker. He asked her if she would be interested in designing two of the Dublin interiors. Becker flew to Ireland and presented the McKeons - Sean and his daughter and fellow director Niamh - with pictures of the apartments with details of fabric, furniture and window dressings.
She was inspired by the grandeur of the castle, and the interior reflects this, with an opulent chandelier, ornate mirror surrounds, and black lacquer furniture. Much of the furniture came from France and Italy, and the fireplace was carved from Portuguese limestone by craftsman Moises Paulo Rato. There's no fear of reds, pinks and gold in this scheme, with a wardrobe on the mezzanine in gold, a cherry carpet and raspberry curtains. This is set against a backdrop of dark timber flooring and cream walls.
The way the work was carried out was just as dramatic as the interior itself, with a team of nine people arriving from Portugal with two containerloads of everything they needed, including an ironing board. A curtain maker was on hand to redo anything that didn't quite fit. They worked for a week, from 8am to 11pm. In the extension's more contemporary apartment, Becker brought a taste of the Mediterranean with a sunny interior.
PETER JOHNSON
Peter Johnson is known for the way in which he links old and new, and this has worked well in his apartment scheme. In the living room he worked on, he was blessed with the most amazing Victorian pine fireplace surrounded by bookshelves. It was hand-carved by Highway and Sons, of Manchester, in the 1890s: this and the vast bedroom in the apartment by Suzanne Garuda, have proved to be the wow factors for visitors. Johnson has created the feel of an Edwardian drawing room here, with a large grey, textured sofa, and cream armchairs.
While all the other apartments in the original house have traditional style kitchens from Alno, Johnson specified a contemporary kitchen, with an island unit and high gloss finish. This sits remarkably well against the original floor-to-ceiling columns in this room which have been faithfully restored.
Most of the furniture in this apartment comes from Peter Johnson's company, based in Dublin (01-4537088). The kitchen/dining room spills onto the terrace where many a wedding photo has been taken: so this space should resonate with happy memories.
Johnson specified chevron patterned oak flooring (by Brendan Conlon), which works so well in period and contemporary buildings. When the developers saw it they opted to fit out the whole scheme in the same flooring.
NICOLA POLLARD
Nicola Pollard, who used to be the senior designer at Natural Interior, was chosen for the scheme in the extension because of her luxurious but contemporary style. This was in evidence in her interior for the penthouse at Hanover Quay in Dublin's docklands.
A lot of her furniture is made and covered to order, allowing her to achieve distinct looks, using fabrics chosen by her.
The overall scheme is comfortable and calm, with cream carpets and sofas, a cream and beech kitchen, and contemporary angular Duravit Starck bathware.
This backdrop is lifted with sparkly, witty, pretty, colourful additions such as the beaded bedside lights, magenta velour cushions, retro-patterned brown and cream lampshades, a mirrored bedhead and the dancing-bulb light fitting in the living room.
This came from Hicken Lighting, in Dublin, in kit form, and proved an interesting, puzzling challenge for the builders.
SUZANNE GARUDA
Designer Suzanne Garuda was recommended for this project by the architects of the scheme, Brian O'Halloran and Associates, with whom she had worked at the K Club. She was inspired by the castle theme and opted for a French château style. We're forever being told that minimalism is so over, and that the French romantic look is something to aspire to. Well here it is in spades, with carved furniture and tapestry fabrics.
These busy shapes and textures are soothed by the muted grey and cream colour scheme, which extends to some of the furniture itself. Most of the furniture came from France, acquired at a furniture show in Paris, which Becker attended too. Some of it, such as the vast table, were used as they came but others, such as the bookcase in the living room, were distressed on site by a designer from Garuda's firm, who also painted a wash over the standard eggshell wall.