By Sarah Perry
Located in Donegal, boutique interiors company Wild and Rosie was established by Amy Breen in 2019. Having previously worked in TV production for over a decade in Dublin, Amy made the brave and life changing decision to move to rural Donegal. The soon to be entrepreneur was determined to start her own business, however this profession needed to encompass her passion and skills in both creativity and visual space. For that reason, Amy wisely chose interior design and with the help of a few trusted friends and collaborations, has gained continuous success since.
It is hard not to admire this business woman's work ethic, which includes undertaking both big and small projects for other people’s homes. Not only this, but she is also in the midst of renovating her own family’s 1980’s bungalow, which is a mammoth task in itself. Lockdown has not slowed down this interiors guru either, who believes the increased workload could be because of people’s lengthened time in their homes.
Having admired her designs and bungalow renovation for quite some time, the EZ Living Furniture team sat down with Amy to chat about her upcoming projects for 2021, the inspiration that drives her and her experience with the new EZ Living Furniture AR app.
When did you begin your bungalow renovation?
“We got the keys on the first day of the first lockdown in March, we have been mostly plotting and planning since then. We have been spending a lot of money on some of the unglamorous tasks that come with old houses i.e. septic tank issues, drainage issues and cutting down a lot of old, dangerous trees. We are trying to turn this 80’s Irish bungalow into a California style beach house, that is the plan anyway.”
What is your current project in your bungalow?
“Our bedroom and the kids’ bedroom (I have two girls, aged six and four) because they are literally the only two rooms in the house that won’t be structurally altered in some way during the renovation. The fun stuff of knocking down walls and extending will start early next year.”
How would you describe your design style?
“Laidback, but stylish with lots of natural elements and earthy textures. Sustainable interior design is a big focus at Wild & Rosie, so I am always interested in mixing old and new, and checking what pieces are made from or how they were made, before putting them into projects. Mainly though I want people’s homes to reflect their own style and story, I’m there to facilitate that.”
What inspires your designs?
“The design brief first. So, what have people actually asked me to do, and what do they need the room to do. Sometimes certain rooms are just crying out for a certain style or colour. I am constantly inspired by nature now living beside the sea, and you will probably rarely see something from me that doesn’t have some earthy blues and greens in there.”
If you could be a design feature, what would it be and why?
“Great question, I would be a really great armchair, well made, timeless, stylish and where everybody wants to hang out.”
How do you spot upcoming trends in interior design?
“I see them, but I ignore trends, I am all about making timeless choices tailored to someone’s personal style that they won’t tire of easily. I think trends can feed into a throwaway culture. Buy once, buy better.”
What are the interior design trends of 2021?
“Connecting the indoors with the outdoors through the use of earthy colours, natural materials, and plants. Also more multi-functional spaces, where we take back under-used space to make a home office, for example.”
Do you have any tips for anyone just starting to decorate their homes?
“Take your time. If you are starting from scratch, don’t pick bits of furniture you love individually, think about groups of things and how they sit together. Don’t buy something cheap and temporary thinking you’ll replace it later, you probably won’t. Create lots of Pinterest boards too, pin enough and you’ll start to see clearly the styles you are veering towards. Or hire an interior designer, they can save you time and money in the long term. It’s so much harder making decisions for your own house than someone else’s.”
Do you have any tips for anyone decorating small spaces?
“Buy furniture in proportion. And keep your main colour palette simple. Your room will look smaller and more cluttered if the furniture is too big or fussy. Also, it’s a myth that strong colours make a room look smaller.”
The EZ Living Furniture team have launched a new Augmented Reality (AR) app. It’s so exciting! This app allows users to shop safely from the comfort of their own homes, which in the current Covid-19 climate is more important than ever. When downloaded, you can click any virtual piece of furniture and place it directly into your home. This could be an armchair, sofa, bed frame, dressing table or wardrobe. It’s not just one item either, you can place multiple items into the room and really get a feel for how or if it will fit into your space. It’s genius, we know! Returning furniture that doesn’t fit or suit our homes will now be a thing of the past. We were delighted to introduce Amy Breen to this futuristic app and gain professional feedback from one of the very first interior designer users.
What was your experience with The EZ Living Furniture AR app and was it useful?
“I love a bit of augmented reality and I found it so handy to be able to try out an exact piece of furniture in the exact space it is intended for. You can literally walk around it at all angles to see how it actually looks in your own home, around all the other existing furnishings and fixtures. It’s instant and easy to quickly rule an item in or out of your home.”
Was it easy to use and would you recommend it to others?
“I would definitely recommend it. After a couple of tries just getting used to the features, and reading the prompts that walk you through how to use it, I found it simple to use. I’m pretty time poor at the moment, so if it was too tricky or taking too long to understand, I would have been gone.”
What is your favourite feature of the app?
“I love how you can just keep adding items into the room till you’ve essentially built a new room, in your home. And then walk around and see those items from every angle, as if they were there. You get to see them in the context of your space and make quick decisions. “Wrong colour, try another colour. “Wrong size, try another item.”
“How often have you been trying to pick a piece of furniture in a store and thought ‘Yes, I like it here, but I wonder how it would actually look in my room’? I would say lots. This app helps solve that problem.”
And there you have it, with an ever-growing client list it is clear to see that any home left in the capable hands of Amy Breen of Wild & Rosie, will not disappoint. Amy incorporates her laidback style with a sustainable quality that has yet to be utilised by most interior designers. Our eco-friendly interior designer can lend her creative talents to any area in your home and with a budget to suit you.
You can find EZ Living Furniture's website HERE