Five days of inspiring talks, gallery tours and face time with some top talent at home and abroad, Dublin Design Week makes a welcome return on September 16th. Book now.
After a highly successful debut, Dublin Design Week returns with top creatives from around the country and beyond showcasing their remarkable talents and sharing trade secrets.
Running from Wednesday, September 16th, to Sunday, September 20th, the event will include meet-and-greets with renowned designers, gallery tours, special talks and an exclusive roundtable.
The event is in its second year and is organised by the McDonnell sisters, Jane and Sarah, who co-founded The Gloss, navigated its purchase by The Irish Times Group, and previously ran Image Publications.
Speaking about the excitement surrounding Dublin Design Week, Sarah McDonnell shared how much the occasion has grown since its inaugural display last year.
“Irish design has grown a lot in recent years,” she told Home and Style. “I feel like we have developed and nurtured a design community here. After last year, we decided to be more ambitious with 25 events across the five days, featuring Irish and international designers.s There is a real buzz around the city for this Design Week.”
Here's a sampler of the renowned designers to catch:
Low-key with an A-list contact book and studio monograph
After graduating from UCD, Emma O’Neill joined New York designer William Sofield as an apprentice while he consulted for Ralph Lauren in the 1980s.
Years later, the pair opened Studio Sofield together in the Big Apple and have since designed projects for the likes of Gucci, Yves Saint Laurent and Tom Ford. Private clients include Madonna, Tom Ford and Mary Kate Olsen. Along the way they’ve picked up some of the design fraternity’s top accolades, including AD Hall of Fame and Elle Décor’s A-List Titans. They were nominated in both 2025 and 2025. The firm did the interiors of the Soho Grand Hotel and the apartments for sale in the city’s landmark building, the Flatiron. The studio was the subject of a Rizzoli monograph by luxury coffee table book publisher Rizzoli, which you can purchase for €200. It included a foreword by Tom Ford and an introduction by Architectural Digest West Coast editor Mayer Rus.
Catch Emma in conversation with Amanda on Saturday, September 19th, at Anantara The Marker, Grand Canal Dock, Dublin 2. The talk will run from 5.30 pm to 7 pm. Tickets are €35 and can be bought here.
Luxury literate London calling
Brian Woulfe founded his company, Designed by Woulfe, in 2009 and has grown his portfolio exponentially over the past 17 years.
Born in Limerick but based in London, he trained in classical music first, which was what took him to London. He got his break when he was asked to project manage a job when the client fell out with his architect. He doesn’t believe in trends but rather asks his clients what inspires them and what sort of materials they are drawn to. He believes their homes should be timeless, liveable and representative of the person that lives there. His work has earned him a mantlepiece-worth of awards, including House & Garden 101, 2026, and inclusion in Spears 500 2026, which is likened to the Michelin Guide for the super wealthy,y listing experts in fields they need, ed from finance to fashionable interiors.
The designer will be chatting to Dublin-based architect and Home of the Year presenter, Amanda Bone, about his philosophy on Friday, September 18th, at Anantara The Marker, Grand Canal Dock, Dublin 2 at 5.30 pm. Tickets are €35 and can be purchased here.
TV presenter with a range of talents
Mayo native Sara Cosgrove has built a stellar career in Ireland and abroad, leading huge projects in London, including the setting up of The Studio at Harrods, before establishing her own firm in 2017.
Sara is a former judge on RTÉ’s Home of the Year and a regular contributor to many high-profile design publications, including Homes & Garden and House Beautiful.
On Thursday, September 17th, Sara will be talking to Amanda at The Malt House, Grand Canal Quay, Dublin 2. It will run from 9.30 am to 11.00 am. Tickets are available here.
A colour and materials queen
Since setting up in 2010, Róisín Lafferty has become a globally recognised name for her designs and works in Ireland, London and beyond, having recently designed a nail bar in Riyadh. Recently, she has demonstrated how she isn’t afraid of healthy doses of colour in her work, comparing interior paint to how she does her nails.
When talking about her new paint collection for FleetwoodPremierr brand Prestige, she told Home and Style: “We’ve had lots of new kinds of people very open to bringing in colour. They love Moves Like Jagger and Malin. So many people love Zallal.” These are all colours worth looking at for some coat the walls her gallery, which is where Róisín will be welcoming guests to on Wednesday, September 16th, from 6 pm to 8 pm, at 23 Fitzwilliam Square South, Dublin 2, where she will be talking to artists Elsbeth Shaw, Hugh O’Conor and Jan Cools to hear their different perspectives while surrounded by their work.
On show will be Róisín’s most recent Sphere collection, a furniture and lighting collection by designer Bryan O’Sullivan, and some vintage finds by Acquired. This show is sold out, so try to get on a waiting list.
Design Royalty
British design royalty Jasper Conran will be appearing at Dublin Design Week on Wednesday, September 16th, in conversation with Amanda at The Malt House from 11 am to 12.30 pm.
The son of author Shirley Conran and designer Sir Terence Conran, who set up The Conran Shop and Habitat, Jasper is one of the most influential design figures to come out of the UK, creating a wide range of womenswear, menswear and home collections. He also helped establish London Fashion Week, was awarded British Designer of the Year and won The Laurence Olivier Award for Costume Design.
He recently expanded his growing empire into hospitality, working for well-known hotels such as L’Hôtel Marrakech and Villa Mabrouka in Tangier.
Jasper’s talk will delve into his family’s historical links to the design world and everything he has accomplished himself. Tickets are €40 and can be purchased here.
Maria Grachvogel
Based in London, Maria Grachvogel has revolutionised fashion by designing clothes as an architect would – focused on form and structure.
Her pioneering approach to design has landed her a network of international clients, and she always crafts the patterns herself.
Maria will be speaking with Sarah McDonnell at The Malt House on Wednesday, September 16, from 5.30 pm to 7 pm.
She will be discussing the highlights of her career and her interesting connection to Ireland. Tickets cost €40 and are available here.
To view the full programme of events at Dublin Design Week, click here
