'Getting my own bedroom at 14 inspired me to be a designer'

How Charlotte Bradshaw believes quiet luxury is for everyone, no matter what our budget is

Charlotte Bradshaw Interiors.

Making people feel at home is the name of the game when you’re an interior designer — as is showing, rather than telling.

When Charlotte Bradshaw was starting out, she discovered the fastest route to explaining textures and tones was to whisk her audience through the front door to her Co Wicklow residence. “Before I opened my new studio in Bray, where we have a sample library and a showroom, I used my house as a guinea pig,” says Charlotte.

“I brought clients there to show them different chair shapes, fabrics, paint colours, wallpapers and flooring. No room in our house is the same!”

Her protégés, in turn, would get used to giving Charlotte the grand tour of their own quarters. “Before we even start a project, I always find it helpful to visit clients in their current space to see how they live, what they do and don’t like about how they are living currently, and what is and isn’t staying,” she says.

“One of my favourite ways to help a client feel at home is to ask them for something they love, whether that is a cushion, a blanket, a piece of art or just a scarf and why they love it. We then use that item as the compass for the project.”

Charlotte seized the compass that pointed to her own dream career destination in her early teens. “It began when I got my own room at 14,” she says.

“Growing up in a house with eight brothers, having a room to yourself was a rare thing. As my brothers got married and moved out, it became less of a squeeze. Straight away I started designing — the wallpaper, the duvet cover, the carpet. I had my mother blistered, I changed my room so often. Even as a teenager, I’d be painting walls, ceilings or doors.”

It meant Charlotte was an in-demand guest for any pre-housewarming do. “Any time someone I knew got a new house, I was first in to help redesign or pick paint colours,” she says.

“Over the years, I was always on hand to help friends, my family, whoever was designing a space. I always offered my services for free.”

An accountant by profession, Charlotte was also always designing. “Back in the 90s I helped a friend with her interior design course. I loved it — all the mood boards and putting everything together, even while I was working as an accountant, I just loved it. She passed with flying colours.

Everyone deserves to feel at home in a space that reflects who they are, says Charlotte. “Our passion lies in creating beautiful, functional interiors that stand the test of time — spaces that feel luxurious yet comfortable, sophisticated yet practical,” she adds.

Based in Dublin and Co Wicklow, Charlotte Bradshaw Interiors specialises in high-end residential spaces for private clients, alongside select commercial, new-build, and hospitality projects. Charlotte launched the studio in 2019 after gaining 20 years of industry experience as a designer and since then has made a name for her quiet-luxury approach. Does this stealth-wealth aesthetic require a corresponding bank balance? “As an accountant by trade who worked in the hospitality sector for 22 years, I have a huge respect for money,” she says.

“I also know how hard it is to earn, because in Ireland we have to earn double to spend half. So I always say, be clever with your purchases. Buy good-quality sofas, not fast-fashion ones Good ones last a lifetime, can be passed down, and can be reupholstered when you change your room.

“Keep them neutral and only be bold with the cheaper options like soft furnishings and paint or wallpaper. Investment pieces are the key.”

Charlotte follows her own advice in the living space she shares with her husband, award-winning hairstylist and salon owner Dylan Bradshaw, and their three sons, Oscar, 20, Ethan, 17, and Dexter, 14. The couple came across the property just before their eldest was born. “I was pregnant with Oscar, and Dylan spotted it while taking a shortcut to play golf,” says Charlotte. “We moved into our home in March 2006.

“After years of saving, we moved out to renovate in 2012 and moved back in in March 2014.

“Dylan did the design with the architect, who was a friend of ours, and I’ve redone the inside many times since. I never stop moving and changing things.”

How did they feel once they’d unpacked, after the renovation was complete?

“We were so excited. We had run out of money, as most people do, so we had a lot of bare walls and rails for a long time,” says Charlotte.

But her four walls were to be her haven as the world went quiet in March 2020. Pandemic lockdowns presented the chance to reflect on her lifelong passion for design to Charlotte, who had also run the Dylan Bradshaw salon with her husband while raising their children. “During covid, when our family business was closed for long periods, I decided to go into interior design full-time,” she says.

“Covid was a wake-up call for many people, and for us it was because we had all our eggs in the one basket.”

From that kitchen-table Zoom-call era, it was back to the boardroom — literally. “A friend asked if I’d give them a hand designing a 35,000sq ft office block he had just acquired,” says Charlotte. “I started with the boardroom and ended up doing the whole renovation. I learned so much on that 12-month fit-out, and it has stood to me for the last six years. I got so many referrals from that, then referrals from those referrals, and it just snowballed.”

Since then, Charlotte has completed the design brief on hotels, restaurants, pizzerias, cafés, hair salons, show houses, high-end residential builds, and holiday homes across Ireland, Britain, Spain and Italy. “It’s been a total whirlwind, but I wouldn’t change a thing,” she says.

Q&A with Charlotte Bradshaw

What one thing should we know about how colour can transform our spaces cost-effectively?

Don’t be afraid of it! It’s only paint — what’s the worst that can happen? It can always be repainted if you hate it. So go for it, be bold! Try something new and make a statement.

What are the most fabulous colours right now to create the perfect mood throughout our home?

I am loving burgundy, aubergine, tobacco, chocolate, olive and moss green, plaster pinks, and the neutrals of all shades of whites and taupes.

You talk about details versus excess when it comes to creating a luxury interior scheme — explain!

Excess is about being seen all at once. Details are revealed slowly.

Any suppliers you feel are essential when creating a dream home?

We didn’t have one when we were working on our own home, but a lighting designer is always a great idea, because it stops you from making mistakes.

Lighting adds a whole different dimension to the look and feel of a space.

Favourite space?

My fireplace. I love nothing more than being in my PJs with a cup of tea, and sitting in front of the fire, watching The Real Housewives of anywhere!

Your dream guests?

First on my list would definitely be Dolly Parton. I love her. She was such a clever woman, and she built a multimillion-dollar industry while everyone underestimated her because of her look. People don’t know the half of her philanthropy. Next is Eileen Gray, the Irish designer and architect, who is hugely underrated.

Kim Kardashian, because I’d love to tap into her business brain. And everyone needs Billy Connolly: he’s so funny, and he tells stories like I do — they take an hour because I keep deviating, since I like to give you the whole picture.

Are you a good cook, and what’s your fridge
or kitchen cupboard
must-have?

I’m actually not a bad cook — I have four Gordon Ramsays at home who rate my food every time we sit down to dinner! As I live with rugby fanatics, I always have steak and chicken breasts in the fridge for snacks.

Are you a big reader, and what’s your favourite book on your shelves?

Yes, I always have a book on the go. The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo was so good I read it in a day. I’ve always loved John Connolly, and his first book, Every Dead Thing, is still one of my favourites. It should have been a film.

Favourite piece of art?

I have two. The first is a painting my friend Zoe Dillon painted for me, Lemons, when she started her painting journey after leaving the legal world. When I left it to be framed, the framer asked who had painted it, as he hadn’t seen work like it in his gallery since he framed a Louis le Brocquy. She’s definitely worth investing in now.

The second is by Janice Lightowler, which I bought for Dylan’s 50th. The detail is unbelievable, like a photograph.

Biggest bargain?

I recently bought a Pigsy [artwork by neo-expressionist Pigsy/Ciarán McCoy] at the Art for Gaza auction at Clontarf Castle.

Biggest extravagance?

Probably holidays, staying at a beautiful hotel with the family. I love making memories with them. On a smaller scale, definitely a Trudon candle.

Who would play you in the movie of your life?

Tilda Swinton. I love her artistic and slightly unconventional style.

Favourite TV series or movie?

Slow Horses

Interior designer Charlotte Bradshaw will be at the PTSB Ideal Home Show, October 16-18, at the RDS Simmonscourt, Dublin. Charlotte, alongside a team of colour consultants, will be at the Dulux Heritage Interior Design Hub offering personalised advice throughout the weekend. Charlotte will also be at the DFS Interiors Theatre on Sunday, October 18, chatting to host Jo Linehan about how to design refined, timeless spaces. Tickets are available at Idealhome.ie

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