Look inside the Georgian townhouse with the art of sparking conversations

Home Editor Eve Kelliher discovers how interior architect Róisín Lafferty expanded her palette beyond her wildest dreams

Róisín Lafferty sits on a white bouclé Bryan O’Sullivan croissant sofa in her gallery at her studio at 23 Fitzwilliam Square South, Dublin. Pictures: Barbara Corsico

She wanted her gallery “to feel more like a home than a showroom”, says Róisín Lafferty, so she devised spaces that would let visitors slow down, cocoon, and connect.

The Dublin interior architect has occupied her elegant Georgian townhouse, No 23 Fitzwilliam Square South, as a studio since November 2023, and opened the doors to exhibition rooms below it in May of last year. “It had been a dream of mine for many years and felt like a natural evolution for the design house,” says Róisín. 

“I wanted to create a physical embodiment of the atmospheres we create within our interiors, somewhere people could step into and truly experience rather than simply observe design.”

When she describes its evolution as “a journey”, you immediately think more painterly pilgrimage than that hackneyed post-reality show concept. “I am especially drawn to the layered moments where architecture, art and collectible design begin to collide and converse with one another,” says Róisín.

Spaces in the gallery.

“There is something quite magical about watching people move through the townhouse and discover those quieter moments of intimacy and surprise. 

"The gallery was intentionally designed to feel more like a home than a showroom, so I love the spaces that feel cocooning and transportive, where people slow down and connect instinctively with their surroundings.”

The alchemy of colour is key to the interior mood, and developing her own paint palette, with Fleetwood, has been an organic progression for Róisín: “Colour is the first thing we feel in a space, often before we even register what we are seeing. The gallery was designed as a journey, with each room carrying its own atmosphere and emotional tone.”

Gallery spaces.

Halfway through our odyssey around the sun, and 2026 reads “like a very exciting chapter”, says Róisín: “We are celebrating the first year of Róisín Lafferty Gallery, which has grown from strength to strength and become a wonderful space for collectors, collaborators and design conversations.”

The discourse echoed across the Irish Sea this summer. 

Róisín’s colour-and-atmosphere pairing was the talk of London as the synergy behind her design for WOW!House 2026, which ran until July 2 at the Design Centre, Chelsea Harbour. “I designed The Library, which explores deeper tonal palettes and immersive materiality in a way that feels incredibly personal to my design process,” she says. 

Róisín Lafferty and CEO Becky Russell's shared office, painted in Zallal from Fleetwood's Prestige collection.

“I felt incredibly honoured to be amongst such talented designers from around the world, each creating their own immersive room within the exhibition.”

Q&A with Róisín Lafferty

Any cool design and colour advice for us?

Start with emotion rather than decoration. Ask yourself how you want a room to hold you, energise you or calm you before thinking about furniture or styling. Before furniture, before styling, colour sets the entire tone of a space.

The most beautiful palettes are rarely complicated; they are simply considered and rooted in atmosphere.

Show us your happy space in your gallery

If I had to choose one favourite space, it would have to be the back gallery with the Sphere table positioned in front of the window. 

Light flows in through the gallery window onto the Breccia dell'Acquasanta marble surface of the Sphere table.

There is something incredibly special about how the light pours through the large Georgian window and catches the surface of the Breccia Acquasanta marble, bringing out its soft rose tones and natural movement.

Sphere feels perfectly at home there, and the room captures everything I hoped the gallery would be, layered, atmospheric and animated by light, texture and emotion
.

Do you have favourites among your exhibits?

This changes constantly, which I think is a good sign. I become very attached to pieces and often joke that it is hard to let them go. At the moment, I am especially drawn to the Rhinocéros screen by François-Xavier Lalanne in collaboration with Kazuhide Takahama. 

It is an incredibly rare and poetic piece that sits somewhere between sculpture and furniture. 

The Rhinocéros screen by François-Xavier Lalanne in collaboration with Kazuhide Takahama.

The flowing rhinoceros motif has such movement and elegance to it, while the deep black lacquer gives it an almost cinematic presence. 

I love pieces that tell stories and hold a sense of artistry beyond function, and this is certainly one of them.

Any favourite colour in your workspace palette?

I find it impossible to choose just one because colour is always about dialogue and atmosphere for me. 

Zallal, paired with a Dahana ceiling in Becky [Russell, CEO of Róisín Lafferty Design] and my shared office, creates an atmosphere that almost wraps around you. 

Left, Zallal paired with Dahana on the gallery ceiling 'creates an atmosphere that wraps around you', says Róisín.

There is something deeply comforting and velvety about it, rich and cocooning without feeling heavy.

I also love Malin, which features in our blue meeting room. It is a soft, pale yet distinct blue that feels calming while still carrying personality and presence. 

Malin features in the studio meeting room, left, and 'Moves Like Jagger' from Prestige highlights a stunning John Redmond painting, right.

We paired it with a bold contrasting red lacquer table and sculptural red elements, creating a tension between softness and drama that feels incredibly energising.

Then, just before entering the blue meeting room, on the first-floor study, Moves Like Jagger introduces another layer of personality and playfulness. 

Its vibrant red undertones radiate the warmth and energy of a celebration in full swing, creating a sense of togetherness and a space that feels alive and pulsing with energy. 

For me, Prestige was always about creating colours that feel emotional and immersive, not simply decorative, but capable of shaping how a space is experienced and remembered.

What dream guest would you like to see wandering around your gallery?

I would love to host Vincenzo De Cotiis. There is a richness and sophistication to his work that I find endlessly inspiring. 

His use of layered materials, patina and tonal depth feels timeless and deeply atmospheric, qualities I am always drawn to within interiors and colour alike.

• The Róisín Lafferty Fleetwood Prestige collection includes 30 curated shades. The Róisín Lafferty Gallery is open by appointment. 
• See RoisinLafferty.com or Fleetwood.ie/prestige

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