Abigail Ahern’s Wonderland

Auteur : Esther | 01-15-2011

Abigail Ahern is one of London’s most well known interior designers. Her store, Atelier Abigail Ahern, was voted one of the coolest places to shop in the UK and she is also the author of A Girl’s Guide to Decorating. She has this fascinating sense of style and wit that I adore.

Abigail Ahern - Photography by Polly Eltes

What was your first design project?
My first design project was for a private residence in Michigan in America. The clients had the largest collection of lalique glass in the world and had the most beautiful house overlooking a lake. I had just started working for an architectural practice in the States was very new to the interiors business and remember feeling totally overwhelmed at the project in hand!

What is your greatest source of inspiration?
Shopping is my greatest inspiration it could be at a vintage store in Paris or a puzzle store in Miami. Seeking out new and not so new finds is a constant way to give my mind creative freedom I find. Being a designer is all about discovery and adventure and fortunately with this job I get to travel a lot and find lots of amazing places that spark and ignite ideas.

With a store to run, interior design clients, and your book, how do you manage it all?
I often times feel like I am juggling a million things at once but then I am super organised. Following your passion as a profession is not an easy route to take. Hours are challenging and weekends off infrequent but then again it’s the most rewarding thing I have done and it keeps me motivated. I need to get better at taking time out and balancing things but then the business is expanding at such a rate with so many new and exciting projects I find it incredibly hard to wind down and relax. I sleep, eat, and breathe all things interior. Sad hey!

Can you give us some advice on how to decorate on a budget?
Decorating on a budget is all about having confidence and going for it. Colour is one of the most transformative things you can do to a space whether that’s painting out a whole room or spray-painting some flea market furniture into a super sexy hue. I want my spaces to feel edgy and enchanting and you don’t need to spend zillions to get this look you just need a big dose of confidence. Flea markets and junk shops are great hunting grounds to find some fab stuff as adding a medley of styles to a space from different periods creates a totally personal eclectic look. Become a mixologist and layer, re work and reinvent.

Which interior or furniture designers do you most admire?
I am a huge fan of Kelly Wearstler her colour-drenched spaces and seductive interiors are an inspiration. Also Dorothy Draper who in her day was the prima donna of the decorating business. Her style was big, brash, bodacious and bold and some would say shocking. She pushed boundaries and has certainly been a huge influence to all sorts of designers. In fact certain elements of her neo-baroque style are used by Philippe Starck.

Do you have a signature mark that you always try to implement in a space?
No matter how big or small the space I am always trying to endorse a sludgy inky palette I am obsessed with it and this is at the forefront of my design. I then accent with pops of high voltage colour in the accessories but the background my walls, my floors and my ceilings take on a dark hue.

What is your dream home? Or what is your ideal living space?
I am in my dream home it’s a Victorian town house built in 1860 which we have messed around with a bit by taking the exterior wall out over two floors and putting in glass. I love the relationship the space has to the garden even in deepest darkest winter. It’s taken a while to fill it with things I love and it’s constantly evolving – but its full to the brim of objects from different styles and eras. Its idiosyncratic, its bold, blingy and fabulous and I adore it.

What are your current projects?
Projects are varied next year. I am working with Giffords Circus and designing their travelling wagon, which is hugely exciting. I am also expanding our lighting collection which I debuted at Maison Objet in September. The response has been so phenomenal with retailers all over the world stocking the lights that the pressure is on to expand the line. There are a couple of London residences that have just gotten underway, coupled with travelling around the globe and filling the store with adorables.