As some of you may know, my brother Eoin and I are opening a new photography studio in Kilkenny. We managed to lease the ground floor of an old bank, as it needed a lot of work. Huge space, with a front room that was previously divided in two, a back room, which was also divided in two, and a big,old, proper walk-in safe, which was being used as a small canteen.  It’s currently being ripped apart, walls taken down, carpets lifted, painted, furniture being made etc…with exciting discoveries being made along the way - the carpet, after much ungluing, revealed an antique mosaic floor and maple floorboards. One partition wall was hiding an original cast iron supporting pillar, and underneath the paint and glue in the safe, we discovered granite walls and flooring. We have an incredible team working with us, so it’s ticking along nicely. 

Above are the before photos and the mood board I’m working from…here’s some info:

The table : I designed a table using some old scaffolding I found on my Dad’s farm, my uncle is a bit of a genius, so he put it all together, and topped it with some rustic style plywood.  

The chairs : I love the Eero Saarinen tulip armchairs, but ’til I have more spondoolicks, it’s reproductions for me (shock! horror! philistine! etc.)

The couch : I rounded up some free furniture and ordered vintage coffee bean sacks online. I’m going to upholster the couch and perhaps one of the four armchairs in this fabric, with sheepskin rugs on the seating area to make it more comfortable. 

The flooring : I’ve ordered a jupex floor oil with white pigment from a Scandinavian housing company. Fingers crossed it comes up nice and chalky. I’ll seal it with floor wax to keep it matte.

The lockers : I got a huge amount of old metal lockers from a hospital in Dublin, they were giving them away on DublinWaste.ie. I’m painting each door in a different shade from the Dulux Simply Colour paint card. They’ll house collections of magazines and books for our coffee customers to browse through. 

The studio : The shooting space will be all white, with a cyclorama, and plenty of vintage props. 

Coffee Table : Also made by my uncle, reclaimed floorboards on a palette base, with industrial castors. 

Shelving : Made from palettes and scrap metal, found in the partition walls we tore down. 

Make Up Room : This is now in the old walk-in safe, theatre lightbulbs surround a large mirror, with the worktable constructed from scaffolding bars and plywood. (Hanging rails inspired by the lovely lot over at Eat Live Shop.)

Seating Area : We want it to be comfortable, inviting… particularly if we decide to open a small coffee shop with free wifi. We want it to be a space where people can hold informal creative thinky-talky sessions, or read some books, or do some work, or just watch the people walk by the incredibly large and lovely windows.

Partitions : As the front room is now one big space, we may need some privacy to get our work done. We’re going to make free standing, portable screens/partitions, either from old doors, or corrugated perspex to allow the light in…

W.C : It’s small but has a nice window, what more can you really ask for from a W.C?! It will either go all light and vintage, or covered in old newspaper wallpaper. 

The walls have been painted in Clay from the Dulux Simply Colour Range, I love the shade - I wanted as close to white as possible, but with a bit of interest.

That’s it so far, it should be finished soon - feel free to pop in, say hello and take a look when it is..! 

x Blanaid