Role: Interior Stylist
Company: Hilmark Homes Hartley Hall
Track Record: Maureen has been involved in Interior Styling, Lecturing, Creating displays, designing exhibition and event sets and Interiors Journalism for several years. She is also the creative vision behind Jacob Street boutique.
She is currently working on a new concept at Hartley Hall called The Craft House which will feature local crafts and designers work.
The Hartley Hall Craft House is due to open for viewing later this year. Maureen is married with three daughters.
7.00am:
My alarm goes off, depending on how much and how late I worked the day before I either spring or crawl out of bed. I am naturally a bit untidy but I always try to make the bed when I get up, weirdly it helps me feel a bit more organised and in control for the day ahead.
7.30am:
This half hour is simply manic as everyone is running about, getting clothes, finding shoes, banging on bathroom doors. I annoy everyone by asking “have you seen my keys/my phone/my shoes/my handbag?” at least ten times.
8.00am:
Breakfast is usually wolfed down and once my husband and daughters leave, around 8am, I have an extra, calmer, cup of tea before checking what I have on for the day. I always write a ‘to do’ list the night before to remind myself and prioritise my day.
I try to keep my appointments as fluid as possible because when you are working on a project such as the Hartley Hall Craft House or a private house you might have to drop everything and go to the site.
8.30:
Time to check emails, reply and follow up. As I am working on so many different projects my emails act as a project record, a quick way of reminding myself of what has been happening on each particular job.
I have been in contact with a number of local artists about using their work in the Hartley Hall Craft House. At the moment I am dealing with answering queries, explaining the concept and arranging meetings.
9:00:
Get a phone call from the tiler at the Hartley Hall Craft House. The tiles have arrived and because they are a bit different from the norm he wants me to check them and talk through exactly how I want them laid out.
I have been working on the sourcing of tiles with Alison Liggett at Stevenson Reid (The Boutique) on Prince Regent Road and after a lot of time and effort she managed to find exactly what I wanted. The brief reflects the theme of the Craft House – something different, at the right price without skimping on quality.
9.30:
Arrive at The Hartoley Hall Craft House. I catch up with the tiler and talk about the look I am trying to achieve. We want people to see something a bit different at The Hartley Hall Craft House and to be inspired and think creatively about the design of their homes (a bit like Grand Designs but without the grand budget).
I find Hugh, the foreman, just to check on the progress of everything else. This is his tea break (he’s been on site since 8) and I always manage to interrupt his five minutes of peace. We talk about the schedule and deadlines.
11:00:
I ring Terry Mc Donagh at Terry Furniture in Portadown to check the progress of the bespoke handmade kitchen. I have been meeting with Terry and designer Jessica for weeks to discuss and tweak the kitchen design, their design is really special and I can’t wait to see the finished result.
I love visiting their amazing factory space and looking at some of the projects they are working on. This kitchen for this project will combine a modern look with the best of traditional, local craftsmanship and materials.
12.00:
Meeting with Rachel Longeran at Elmhouse Creative Design, to discuss progress on the marketing for Hartley Hall Craft House.
I show her the Kitchen designs and tile samples. We are planning a launch in September so we need to ensure that the house is completely finished and styled in time for photography and for the brochures to be printed and ready for the launch.
We are both really enthusiastic about this project as it gives us a chance to push boundaries. We also update the project blog – The Crafty Rabbit.
1.00:
Grab a quick coffee, before I call with Jill O’Neill at Re Found for a catch up on furniture for the Hartley Hall Craft House. I love Jill’s shop in Wellington place, we share a very similar aesthetic and philosophy when it comes to design and reinventing and reinvigorating old furniture.
We both also like to support local artists and craftspeople. We discuss commissioning a few extra special pieces for the house.
2.30:
Drop off some fabric with Pamela Mc Lean and Lynn Mc Nutt of Pammlyn Interiors. The girls have made all the curtains and blinds for the previous show houses at Hartley Hall.
This time we are doing something a bit different combining vintage fabrics and locally printed fabrics too.
3.30:
Back home to check emails again, make a few appointments then start work on some designs and storyboards for private clients. This involves printing out photographs and plans I have taken of their rooms.
I then spend time looking at paint charts and sourcing images of the right products on-line and in magazines.
The planning part of the interior design process can take hours.
I usually put everything in a folder and return to it another day. Coming up with the ideas is probably the most time consuming and draining part of my job.
4:30pm
I get an email confirming that Ulster Carpets are going to supply some stunning carpet designs for The Hartley Hall Craft House – great news!
5:00:
Email the team at Hilmark Homes with an update on progress at The Craft House. As developers they have had the courage to go with something different at Hartley Hall and also to support and promote local artists and crafts people.
6:00
Catch up with the news and get something to eat. It’s been a really tough few years for businesses here, so sometimes I pay more attention to the “Dog on a Surfboard” stories than the real news( just to keep me sane).
7:00
Evening times are often spent visiting private clients. This usually involves a house visit, taking pictures and discussing what they want to achieve and a bit of general advice.
I follow this up with an email report with suggestions and examples of furniture/lighting etc.
8:00
I go for a run or a walk, although I used to be a lot more rigid about this. If not I’ll ring family for a catch up, put in a wash and maybe settle down later on and watch a DVD box set.
I find I don’t really watch TV now, as I don’t really have a routine so it’s hard to commit to watching a programme every week. My husband and I are currently engrossed in Breaking Bad and we can’t wait for the next series of Love Hate.
10:30
I’m usually in bed for 10:30. Before I go to bed I write my to do list. I hope that by writing it down will stop it going around my head all night!