
Denise O'Connor
Irish architect and interior designer, founder & managing director of Optimise Design, and an architecture/interiors columnist for The Irish Times.
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APPEARANCES
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Sep 26, 2026
Open House Dublin, EIRLUME studio, designing a small apartment
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35:10

Sinead RyanHOST
And when you're doing that, like, is there a list that you need to take into account? Or should you just close your eyes and imagine yourself going through a day or how best to prepare?

Denise O'ConnorGUEST
What we suggest to people, it sounds really simple, but it's actually a really effective little exercise, is to track a typical week at home.

Denise O'ConnorGUEST
So little notepad or the notes app in your phone, whatever you find easier.

Denise O'ConnorGUEST
What's it like at breakfast time? Where are the pinch points? Where do the arguments happen? You know, are you coming in every evening and tripping over a pair of shoes? Can you never find your car keys when you're rushing out the door? So by noting all these things, that's going to highlight where issues are, where maybe things need to have a better storage solution or where furniture might be in the way of the flow of the space.

Denise O'ConnorGUEST
And that's going to really help you figure out how to simplify and how to improve your day-to-day life.
Georgian Doors, 4 Day Consturction, Window Tips
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Denise O'ConnorGUEST
So at the moment, like a very, very popular, I suppose, but it is at the higher end of the market is what's called Aluclad.

Denise O'ConnorGUEST
So that's a window where you've got timber on the inside, but it's aluminium on the outside.

Denise O'ConnorGUEST
You can have it in the same colour inside and out or go for what's called a jewel colour where you choose one colour outside and another inside.

Denise O'ConnorGUEST
So that can be brilliant if you're trying to pick up a colour Maybe that's in your brickwork or work in, you know, just differentiate the house from other houses on the street, but then keep the inside nice and neutral.
Building Homes for the Heat, Mortgage Arrears, Wedding Venues
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Sinead RyanHOST
So, Like when you have to break the bad news to them, like do people get stressed out by that or is it about working within what they can have?

Denise O'ConnorGUEST
Yeah, I think it's trying to get them to step back a little bit because you can have very fixed ideas about what you think is the right way forward.

Denise O'ConnorGUEST
Like we would regularly meet people who want exactly what their neighbours have done.

Denise O'ConnorGUEST
But when you sit down with them, the neighbours have a different number of children.

Sinead RyanHOST
Would you say do a little bit now and park the rest later? Or what do you recommend?