Moving house is always a challenge, moving on the first day of a pandemic lockdown would be a nightmare for some.
But that wasn’t the case for Interior Designer Amy Breen and Software Engineer Allan Doherty and their two young daughters, Rose and Ally. The couple got the keys to their 1980s seaside bungalow in Rathmullan on Friday 13th March and have been content staying at home ever since.
“Luckily the house we were renting for the past year was in the 2km distance so it took about 40 trips in the car to move everything back and forth,” Amy said.
“Maybe it’s a blessing because we haven’t bought one scrap of anything since we moved.
“It’s made us live in the house and really understand how it works and what works for us as a family. We didn’t rush into anything, so that’s good. As an Interior Designer, I’m all for coming up with a whole plan first and not just randomly buying stuff.”
Soon Amy will begin her most personal project yet – transforming a dated dwelling into her dream family home.
Simple, sustainable design is the foundations of her ‘Wild & Rosie’ company. Amy’s home, like her clients’ projects, will be designed with the well being of people and the environment in mind and use natural materials, vintage finds, and eco innovations.
Amy Breen. Northwest Newspix
“We want this to be the guinea pig house. We would love if our whole renovation used sustainable interior design, that we could stand by every piece of furniture we get. I’m going to put ourselves to the test,” Amy said.
Amy’s philosophy is that design has a real impact on how people feel in their home. Her approach is based on bringing the outdoors in and choosing reused or vintage pieces instead of ‘fast interiors’.
She said: “Our goal is simply to champion this movement towards honest provenance – people care where their goods come from and who made them and under what conditions.
“As consumers, we want transparency and the more we look for it as conscious consumers, the more big business will be forced to give it. Just like what is already happening in the fast fashion world.
“It’s not perfect, because your options are limited sometimes by budget or what you can find for a certain space. But I think if people started consciously buying things will get better.”
The aesthetic work will kick off in Autumn once Amy and Allan have renovated the bungalow’s structure and built an extension. The outside elements of the sea will influence many steps, just as it influenced their move to Donegal.
“Our biggest goal is the simple goal of creating a happy, healthy home for our kids to grow up in. And, for us, being beside the sea in Rathmullan is the ideal place to do that,” Amy said.