DSCAX

Louise Murphy

From a very young age, Louise has always had a very keen interest in Art and Design and a strong passion to learn. In later years, Louise delved into more specific forms of Art and Design; exploring with textiles, clay, fine art and photography just to name a few. In the most recent years Louise discovered her interest in Interior Design studying a BTEC course prior, the influence which stemmed from the appreciation of architecture and built environments in Ireland and abroad, sparking her natural artistic flair. Specialising in Furniture Design also allowed Louise to value the finer details in interior spaces, as Louise thinks “the details in a designed space are the most important aspect to an interior”. Furniture Design allowed Louise to grow and expand her knowledge and skills working hands on with an extensive range of materials and machinery and giving her a more in-depth ability to design and also the ability to construct bespoke pieces to be included in her interior designs. Louise loves the challenge of problem solving and considers herself to be a very creative individual while also having the ability of working well under pressure. The last 3 years and graduating at TU Dublin has aided Louise to extend her knowledge in the Interior Design field to a high quality professional standard with the use of an extensive range of softwares, to grow and also develop more interpersonal skills.

Fidget Chair Collection

Why do Adults not play?

This chair collection was inspired by how children’s interactions differ from adults in relation to sitting or interacting with a chair. Adults are accustomed to sitting on a chair which would be universally considered ‘normal’ behaviour. Children of such an age (pre-school) do not quite understand this hard-wired behaviour and approach seating more so as objects in a more open-minded and playful manner.

My inspiration stemmed from this research and from particular attention to the contrast of a playground and office environment. Delving deeper into my research, my design influences grew on the concept of playful distractions with the involvement of movement and fidgeting within these environments incorporating it in a positive aspect.

My three final pieces; The Tube Chair, The Sway Stool and The Swivel Bench consider a more pared-back, contemporary approach to my designs in relation to my research; being a simple yet playful, bold and creative sculptural collection of seating which all incorporate a form of movement and fidget. The chairs which can be used in a domestic or commercial environment, internally or externally aimed to involve a form of interaction with each piece. Each piece was carefully considered with its use of materials and colours, taken from elements of the playground environment.

The Crofton Hotel

The Crofton Hotel project was my third year hospitality project, which I thoroughly enjoyed designing. The hotel is a four star boutique hotel, with five floors. The hotel is situated along the coast of the Dun Laoghaire Harbour, South County Dublin. The perfect location for a hotel due to its beautiful scenery overlooking the sea and local amenities, tourist attractions and transport into Dublin City Centre all nearby.

The concept of this hotel stemmed from the history and research of Dun Laoghaire town with particular attention to the Victorian Fountain itself, the shapes abstracted from this historical monument and then incorporated into my design. The materials were carefully selected to relate to the environment with its use of metals from the fountain and local train station and marbles incorporated throughout. The colour scheme was carefully considered using the organic surroundings from the plants and sea nearby and also from the historical monuments as described.