Cork designer: I’m proud to be part of new TV show

CATHY Angelini, owner of Cork company Flamingo Interiors, is one of five designers tackling Irish homes in a new Virgin Media One show, The Salvage Squad.

Corkonians might know Cathy’s sleek and textured design work from places such as the Glass Curtain on MacCurtain Street, Ferrit and Lee, Midleton, and Kopper Hair Salon, on Half Moon Street.

Her residential transformations draw the eye too, with her Instagram account showcasing not just her design work but her unflinching love of vintage furniture, decor, and Californian influences.

Cathy’s appreciation of furniture and buildings with history is something she picked up at a young age.

“My dad was a builder, so I grew up surrounded by interior design, architecture and building. 

We were always dragged along to antique places on holidays and vintage markets, all of that. So I think it was kind of always written in the stars.

Following her love of design, Cathy studied interior architecture in CIT. Unfortunately just as she finished her course the recession hit. Pivoting, she decided to travel and when she returned to Cork she set up a vintage clothing business, Turquoise Flamingo on Washington Street.

But whether it was renovating her own home in Waterfall or helping friends with their homes, Cathy was being drawn back to interiors. Deciding to make her passion her career, she set up Flamingo Interiors in 2016.

Her experience sourcing vintage pieces, along with the DIY skills she honed in her own home, and her sustainable approach to design projects, made her an ideal candidate for The Salvage Squad.

In the show, Cathy joins a team of interior designers, up-cyclers and tradespeople who are on a mission to prove you can renew your home, without it costing the earth. Everything used in the makeover must be freecycled, upcycled, sustainable, second hand, vintage or salvaged.

In one episode the Salvage Squad travel to Cork to tackle two rooms in very different houses in Cobh. Nick and Naomi Murphy live with their baby Iarliath overlooking Cobh Harbour. Cathy has the task of bringing a new look to their living room which has a very prominent coral carpet!

Meanwhile, Kerry designer Aoife Tobin takes on a dining room in a cottage on the other side of Cobh which is home to Ali Cullinane and her daughter, current Miss Cork 2023, Riona O’Mahony.

Cathy says the series is “lovely and heartwarming with really positive energy”.

Presenter Brian Dowling, who readily admits he’s no DIY expert, adds a sense of fun.

Cathy says: “He’s great, exactly how you would imagine him to be. We were always laughing.”

But the show wasn’t without its challenges, as well as picking up a paintbrush, clearing the room and anything else that needed doing, the designers “were on online marketplaces, going to local places like CJM furniture and charity shops, looking for the pieces.”

But they aren’t abandoned to their tasks, they have the help of a tradesperson, the homeowners and even the host Brian pitched in.

The designers were careful too not to make unnecessary work or waste money by starting with what the home owners already had, she says.

“The most sustainable furniture is what’s already in your house.”

To ensure a splash of drama, all rooms needed to be done in three days with a budget of only €1,000.

Cathy points out that the timeframe and budget were important, explaining that if everything was sustainably sourced but they spent €15,000 on it, then “that’s not encouraging or inspirational”.

For her, the show is an opportunity to prove that sourcing wonderful items second hand is achievable, efficient and affordable, but what’s more they bring their own history to your home. This link with history can be seen in the show.

“I actually found a wicker shelving unit that was exactly what I put on the vision board for one of the rooms. When I brought it to the homeowner’s house, I was in her kitchen and there was a photo of her as a baby up on the fridge. In the photo is the same shelf I’d bought. So not only had I put it on the vision board and then found the exact one, but she’d had it in her life too.”

Being environmentally conscious about what wasn’t being used wasn’t just in front of the camera. Cathy was impressed with how the sustainable ethos worked behind the scenes too. Anyone on the show was encouraged to carpool to the locations, all materials like dust covers were pieces of old material, not disposable, the van used was electric and there were no plastic water bottles or disposable coffee cups on set.

“Wood from knocked partition walls was re-used. Every screw and nail that was good that was taken out, was put back into a box to see if they could use it again on the project or another project. I was proud to be part of it.”

Thinking about what we reuse, fix, hold onto or buy is something Cathy believes has improved recently.

It’s in people’s heads more, like fast fashion. People are more aware of this throwaway culture and are already open to looking at the more sustainable options.

The series highlights that anyone can be more sustainable, have fun with DIY, and still make their home look amazing.

The Salvage Squad will air on Virgin Media One on October 22.