Pieces of me: Julie Danz, jewellery designer and one half of Juvi Designs

The duo behind Juvi Designs, Julie Danz and Vincent Tynan, started making contemporary jewellery a decade ago in their livingroom. Danz originally trained as an interior designer and Tynan as a silversmith. Danz explains how their love of travel, with children Luca and Ruby, shapes each collection and inspires the décor in their Foxrock home.

Describe your style

Eclectic and colourful. I love finding and mixing old and new things, items that are a little different or quirky. Because we travel a lot, I like to bring pieces back from wherever we go. I started off as an interior designer, and like so many young Irish people I made the jump to New York where I worked under Carlton Varney, one of America’s most adventurous interior designers. He was renowned for his bold approach to mixing bright colours, textures and prints. This exciting and refreshing approach definitely influenced my style and love of colour in both work and home.

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A pair of Victorian chairs covered in Liberty fabric. Photograph: Eric Luke

Which room in your home do you most enjoy?

Our livingroom, as it best represents my style. It’s a long open-plan space leading into the kitchen, with a colourful kid’s play area at one end and a fireplace with a comfy seating area at the other. It showcases my love for mixing: mid-century furniture with modern artwork and Victorian bedroom chairs. These were a wedding present from my parents, which I covered in a fabric from Liberty London. I painted one wall with blackboard paint, so the kids get to draw on it, and added lots of plants to bring the outside inside.

What items do you love most?

My paintings by my sister, the artist Mariechen Danz. The ones I have are from an earlier time in her career and each has a special place in our home. Another favourite piece is our kitchen table. It was handcrafted by our friend and talented carpenter, Billy Hosford in Cork. It is a long, heavy walnut table with two benches and the workmanship is beautiful. I can’t leave out my beautiful bedroom chest of drawers and bedside table with mother-of-pearl inlay. I discovered them on a beautiful website called Graham and Green but they were completely out of our price range so I did some research online, found the manufacturers and approached them myself.

Who is your favourite designer?

I love everything in the Irish Design shop, and in Industry Design, both on Drury Street. Dust on Grantham Street and the April and the Bear website are both great for home accessories. I love Snug for colourful stools and tables. I’m not into any particular designer, but I love Danish G-Plan-type furniture, and scouring flea markets for knick knacks, prints and antique tea cups, which I collect.

Which artists do you admire?

My sister Mariechen Danz, who has been living and working as an artist in Berlin for 15 years. Her work focuses on the human body and how humans communicate through signs, language and conception. I also love the Swedish painter Hilma af Klint, who was one of Europe’s very earliest abstract artists. There is an exhibition of her work at the Serpentine Gallery in London just now. I also love the New York artist Kerstin Brätsch, especially her amazing marbling paintings. Irish designer Helen Steele’s art and fashion pieces are fabulous, so if she came out with a homewares collection I would love to own a rug.

Biggest interior turn off?

Anything chintzy, and synthetic fabrics such as fake shiny velvetine. Uncomfortable furniture or furniture that has no use or function. Interiors where everything is too matchy-matchy, where there is no personality shining through. I think a home should be a reflection of the people who live there.

Which travel destination stands out?

Our family loves to traveland it has a huge influence on both our work and our home. Recently, we were in the Philippines, which was magical. There are more than 7,000 islands, totally unspoilt, and the people are lovely. The kids made lots of friends and they invited us to celebrate Easter with their families, a memory that will stay with us forever. We snorkelled with giant turtles, saw the smallest monkey in the world [the Tarsier], ate lots of mangos and were totally relaxed. If you like beautiful empty beaches, coral reefs and watching the sun go down with a beer in your hand, this is the perfect place to unwind.

If you had €100,000 to spend on anything for the home what would you buy?

There are lots of things I would still like to get for our home, but I don’t mind buying items over time as my taste is constantly evolving so I don’t think I would spend it all at once. I know my husband Vincent would love a little man cave/bar in the garden, so I might treat him to that and get the kids a treehouse. I have been searching for a huge antique wall mirror with distressed [mottled] glass for myself for years now, but it hasn’t found me yet.

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