In a leafy terrace off Dublin’s South Circular Road, Wendy Crawford has stripped back layers of wallpaper to create a daringly dark living space. 

To give credit where credit’s due, the wallpaper stripping wasn’t all Wendy Crawford’s doing. She and husband James Byrne moved in two years ago to a house that was “liveable, no problem” but needed insulating, a new bathroom and kitchen, plus fresh plastering throughout.

In the hall, they were greeted by four layers of wallpaper, and lurking in the middle was a plastic that steam just didn’t penetrate. James removed it all by hand; Wendy is still impressed. “He’s off the hook now for at least ten years, as it was such a big job. He doesn’t have to do anything else. We were really keen to have it looking nice, so we both worked quite quickly.”

The house is totally transformed. Out is the bubbled blue wallpaper, and in are gorgeous dark hues of Farrow & Ball. Spot Hague Blue in the living room and bathroom, Down Pipe in the bedroom and Plummett across the woodwork. Wendy explains, “It’s a dark house, so we thought rather than trying to make it light with light paints – and it just being a bit shadowy – we said we’d embrace the darkness.”

The resulting aesthetic is a mix of dreaming and planning. “I had ideas,” she says. “I knew what I wanted. Once I viewed the house, it just came to me. I didn’t have to think about it too hard. What’s inside did evolve over time, but I knew I wanted a dark house, with rich walls, where all my pieces would fit in somehow.”

Fleamarket finds surround us, yet the space never feels cluttered. “I like stuff, but it is curated. When you’re on the look-out, you do develop a filter. You might go to a market and your mind scans across a hundred things and you see just two things you like. Or maybe it has something to do with my background in retailing. You’re always thinking about what something is sitting beside.”

Things change quite regularly. “I move stuff around a lot. It drives James mad. He’s trying to watch football and I’m moving lamps here and there,” Wendy laughs. Still, he has a pretty good vantage point from the couple’s pre-loved Chesterfield from Fadó Antiques in Phibsborough. “He’s got a steady supply over there!” she grins. “I love our sofa.”

Furniture comes from a myriad of places. Wendy’s family sold their family home a few years ago, so some pieces came from storage, and the big purchases, such as the dining table and beds, were all new. Well, new for Wendy. The table was sourced from Table Lighting Chair, not far away in D8, and there’s a touch of the genuinely modern with the addition of a Snug bench. She looks a little sheepish. “Conor, who made it, gave it to me for the shop ... but he ain’t getting it back!”

Snug aside, there isn’t a whole lot of new. Wendy admits, “It doesn’t draw me the way older stuff does. I’m warming to it, though. I like how this light wood fits in with all the other bits. I go onto blogs and sites and see these beautiful, pristine, white interiors, but I just don’t pick those things out naturally. I admire it and I love it – and I think it’d be lovely to wake up in a white bedroom with white linen and no clutter – but it’s just not me.”

Yet, with Scout, her clothing store, expanding into homewares, she has her eye on Irish design. Wendy says, “I really love the 31 Chapel Lane stuff. That stems from my textiles background. I love all the linen – linen is something I can’t stop picking out at the moment. I fell in love with 31 Chapel Lane at a craft fair and they’re such lovely people.” Meanwhile, in the corner, Duke the dog chews on his Tina Ratzer blanket. He’s got taste.

While she can’t imagine ever giving up fashion, Wendy is loving the new direction of Scout. “It’s a whole different relationship with your customers. It’s not about their body anymore; interiors are something we can enjoy straightaway. You know that cushion cover is going to look good – you’re not physically wearing it and don’t have to worry about your arms,” she laughs. “That’s a big appeal for me. It’s something that’s going to unfold over the next year or so ... and grow.” scoutdublin.com

PHOTOGRAPHY Doreen Kilfeather
PUBLISHED Image Interiors & Living Sept/Oct 2014