LETTERKENNY based interior designer Anne Tuohy took on her biggest challenge yet when she designed a series of glamping villas in Creeslough that are just 19 square metres in size.

 

Anne, founder of interior design company Room Junkie, started work on the project at the Wild Atlantic Way Camp in January and was tasked with designing the 12 newly opened villas. This week Anne spoke to the Donegal News about her design and how we can all take small steps to make our living space feel bigger. 

 

“It was probably the biggest challenge I have ever been given. The brief was that it had to sleep four, it had to have a high-end kitchen and a boutique hotel style bathroom.”

 

With such a small space to work with Anne had to make sure every piece of furniture and every feature was meticulously measured. Starting off with the sleeping area she designed a raised sleeping platform with a double bed below and two single beds above with a robust ladder connecting the two levels. Wall lights were fitted to make the area as comfortable and cosy as possible with a pull out drawer under the bed for storage.  

 

“Everything had to be so carefully designed from the size of the vanity unit to a toilet with less projection outwards. If anything was out, even by a millimetre, I was in trouble.”

 

 

The tiles in the bathroom are the same colour as the flooring through the villa so that the eye is drawn and makes the area appear bigger. While many of us might go for the colour white to make a room feel bigger, Anne took the bold step of using a dark glossy charcoal for the kitchen. 

 

“I took a few chances but the kitchen is gloss so it was going to reflect the light. It works. It anchors the space. I didn’t want curtains taking up space so I used blinds that wouldn’t detract by clutter, but there is total privacy.”

 

Light grey was chosen for the walls and the industrial style timber flooring is deliberately light in colour. Anne said more and more people are now contacting her for advice about ways they can improve small spaces. With huge pressures on accommodation in cities like Dublin more people are finding themselves in smaller living conditions.

 

“I have people coming to me saying their son or daughter is living in a small apartment and is there anything they can do. Nobody should be put off by living in a small house, it’s what you do with it. Storage is so important. There are things you can do without spending a lot of money. Don’t underestimate the power of colour in a small space.”

 

 

Anne started the design in January when it was a green field site and it took her a couple of weeks to put her plans in place.

 

“It was a joy. It was almost a pet project. The most challenging thing was getting the furniture of the right style and size. I wanted it to be a like a mini boutique hotel, comfortable as well as pleasing on the eye.”

 

You can follow Anne’s hints, tips and inspirations through her website www.roomjunkie.com, Facebook Page ‘Room Junkie’ and her Twitter is @RoomJunkieAnne.