Cork designer: ‘A home is a feeling... it should reflect you and not anyone else’
"Remember to stop and think and make your home work for you,” says Celene.
We should all stop being so uptight and worrying about how our houses look.
That’s the no-nonsense advice from Cork interior designer, Celene Collins, who is inviting homeowners, renovators, and design enthusiasts to a special event and panel discussion focused on planning a successful home build or renovation this week.
“A home is a feeling,” stresses Celene, who has recently moved into a new studio at The Fifth Quarter (formerly Paul Street Shopping Centre).
“Often, I see people getting carried away and putting themselves under financial pressure when they’re designing their houses, but ultimately a house should reflect you and how you live your life, and not anyone else,” she said.
Celene grew up in Gurranabraher and now lives with her family in Ballincollig. While working in insurance, she upskilled in interior design, going on to devise interior courses and teaching part-time at night in various adult education colleges in the city.
Juggling her successful career in insurance, a busy household with three children, and her teaching, in 2012 she took a year out.
“I was in my 40s and I was nervous to take that step but it gave me space and I went on to launch my own home staging business,” she said.
Many years later, and with a lot of successful projects under her belt, she rebranded to Celene Collins Interior Architecture & Design. She’s never looked back and has enjoyed a hugely successful career.
While working on a project with the late Julian Benson (former judge on ) and Dermot Bannon from RTÉ’s her outlook changed.
Celene was involved in the renovation of Tranquility House, a long-held vision of Julian, inspired by his own lived experience and his understanding of the needs of individuals and families living with Cystic Fibrosis, providing a home from home for patients and their families while attending treatment at St James’s Hospital.
“Working on that project had such a profound effect on me, seeing how thoughtful design can have such a positive impact on people’s lives. Some people think that interiors is only about cushions and paint, which can be so infuriating, because in reality we deal with so much more,” she said.
“Some of my work felt a little anti-climatic after that project to be honest and I decided to focus on homes, hospitality and hotels going forward because these are spaces where I feel that people can really feel the effect of good design. And now, after 12 years of working first from my home, to hot desking, then to a small one-person office, to a studio with three staff behind a buzzer, I am so excited to be working from my new location at The Fifth Quarter in the heart of th city centre.
“I designed and installed The Urban Pantry at The Fifth Quarter and fell in love with the whole ethos of the space and what they were trying to achieve for the city and I’m delighted to call this my new location.”
Celene’s event this week is about giving people real, practical guidance before they start a project.
“So often, the biggest challenges come from decisions made too late or without the right advice. I want people to feel more confident, more informed, and ultimately more excited about creating a space that truly works for them,” she said.
Celene stresses that it’s never too early, or too late, to start thinking about the design of your home – even before you get planning permission, or a sod is ever turned!
Along with her team, she works on budgets that range from €50,000 to €250,000 and everything in between, as well as offering design clinics from €199-399 without the long term commitment, which makes getting advice attainable for many.
One of her top tips is to ‘bite-size decisions’ to avoid overwhelm.
“For starters, forget about how things will look for a while. Instead, start by focusing on where things will be, and how the home will work. How do you live? How do you cook? Do you cook? If you don’t, you don’t need two ovens and a dining table. These are all things to think about. Also, stay a step ahead of your builder so you don’t have to rush decisions.
“It’s also important to interact with your space and understand it – a big mistake I see is people struggling with their dimensions and buying furniture, particularly sofas that are far too large for the room. There’s lots of apps available to help with these decisions.
“Equally, people have furniture that’s too small, or they struggle to create cosiness in very large spaces – remember that bigger isn’t always better. Maybe it’s time for the concept of open plan to go?
“Also, while glazing is very effective you can have too much, especially floor to ceiling windows, and end up with no space for furniture, or even sockets. These are all things to keep in mind. Remember to stop and think and make your home work for you,” she said.
When making decisions about your home’s interior, Celene advises to select a ‘good’, ‘better’ or ‘best’ category to create focus.
“Will it be something you’ll be replacing? Is this something that you place a lot of value on? That will help you make a decision, but it’s important to get the basics right.All budgets are different but if you cut corners it will show.” She suggests doing a spend on/save on analysis early in the project and here are a few of her tips: spend on your mattress, save on your bed frame; spend on your sofa, save on cushions; spend on your carpet, save on the rug; spend on a chair, save on a table; spend on a lampshade base, save on a shade; spend on taps, save on basin; spend on curtains, save on poles, spend on pillows, save on linen; spend on handles and hinges, save on doors, and always spend on quality paint and flooring.
The event tomorrow (Thursday, April 16) will feature a conversation between Celene and Kieran McCarthy, founder of KMC Homes, columnist, and presenter of RTÉ’s
Together, they will share practical insights on everything from budgeting and early-stage planning to the key design and construction decisions that can ultimately make or break a project.
- The event takes place from 5.30pm – 7pm at The Fifth Quarter and is free to attend with optional donations on the evening to Pieta House.
- Registration is required at celenecollinsstudiolaunch.eventbrite.com.
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