The Belfast Salvage Squad star on sustainable design, creative reinvention, and how his mum’s sewing techniques inspired his new rug collection.
Hi Peter! How do you describe your personal interior design style and how have you brought it to life in your home?
I describe my interior design style as ‘natural escapist’; I favour airy natural décor that transports you to a place of calm that we all crave in life. Really, it was the freedom of expressing my vision in my own home that helped nurture my design style. Our home is a place of texture, earthy materials and embracing the imperfections that come with nature. Anyone that comes to our house feels totally at ease, some friends joke they’re coming to visit for “a holiday”. Great interior design has the power to make us believe we are standing somewhere other than where we actually are.
What are some of the most special features throughout your home?
When I think of this question, my heart beams with pride, I imagine like that of a school teacher! There are just so many special features I love about our home. The Finca-style kitchen my fiancé and I built during lockdown, for example, a time when the world was filled with so much negativity and we found a positive outlet. We shaped the whole design around showcasing a hen-shaped sweet jar my granny left me when she passed. The kitchen is made from pallet wood, a stone-trough-planter-turned-sink, tumbled travertine floor and has a 1900’s cabinet we use as a larder that has the signature of the maker right on top. There’s also our bed my best friend helped make for us, which features a plank of wood headboard that is so rotten and falling apart we often find bits in our hair in the morning! But I find so much beauty in decay, in the true effects of time. I’m also so happy my partner goes along with my crazy ideas [laughs].
What have you learned through your role with Salvage Squad, in terms of making the most of a limited budget?
I think I was cast as a designer for Salvage Squad because of my budget skills, but it really does test your ability to work with what you’ve got. That was something I was always good at growing up; we weren’t rich by any means and it later helped me rustle up a kitchen from pallet wood! With wild creative ideas comes the need for time to find what you need. However, we really don’t have long to source on Salvage Squad, so it’s about opening up your mind, not seeing things for what they are and being confident it can work (despite the nervous looks on set). Kitchen splashback – that could make ceiling box beams. Staircase spindles? We could turn that into a coffee table. Old BBQ, well, that could be a wall planter.
What about when it comes to second-hand pieces; do you have recommendations for hidden gems across Ireland?
Never switch off. Charity shops close, but you can always be on the lookout. Marketplace is always online, skips are always on the side of the road, your friends are always there to ask “do you happen to have? I’m looking for…” I think not being too proud about where something came from, or too proud to ask is good too. If it’s what you need and you’re giving it a second chance, what does it matter. The world is a full of corners; I go hunting in farmer’s barns, the car parks of retail stores… my favourite hidden gem (which will be less hidden when I reveal this) is Kiltonga Christian Centre, it’s only open two days a week for something like four hours at a time, but it’s an eclipse moment of second-hand shopping heaven!
You are a huge fan of natural materials; why do you advocate so much for this being a key factor in the home?
I honestly just hate plastic so much. We think it brings joy, but it just brings convenience. True joy is a walk in nature, your feet in the sand, the sunlight dappling through the leaves. If I can bring the sense of the outdoors into a space it almost certainly brings calm, simplicity and joy in the design. If anyone reading this looks around at plastic objects in their homes, there’s almost always a replacement material that could’ve been used that looks more beautiful. Fill your home with beautiful things, not convenient things.
This takes us to your new collaboration with Irish business Kukoon; rugs made from jute which is a sustainable material. Tell us about your collection?
It was born from a desire to, as I said before, to bring the outdoors in, to get my design aesthetic into people’s homes without sacrificing my moral compass. Right from the start, I voiced to Kukoon “if it’s not sustainable, I don’t want to consider it”. I couldn’t have picked a better team because Kukoon were 100% on board with the vision. The collection is beautiful without having to make sacrifices.
What inspired the designs?
Because rugs are new to me, I was thinking “if I was making this, how would I apply the design without digitally printing it?” I got my head in the mind of the maker. So right from the start, I subconsciously tapped into sewing techniques my mum taught me, the blanket stitch, cross stitch, sack stitch.. and that’s how the designs unfolded. I wanted timeless designs that could last in peoples homes, because that’s what sustainable design is all about, lasting. I named each rug after women in my life that have had an impact on me, and got me to where I am. Alma in particular was named after my great aunt; she was never married, had no kids, had no great legacy but was a very kind and light-hearted person… I wanted to name a rug after her so the world wouldn’t forget about her (I’m crying even just writing this).
What are your tips for styling your home with jute rugs?
Much like an oak floor becomes a neutral in the colour pallete of your home, I see jute as a neutral. A versatile but grounding colour choice that warms cold rooms, jute also brings texture that many room designs often crave. Don’t be afraid of it, my collection with Kukoon is softer than it looks. My tip for choosing a rug is to go bigger rather than smaller. A small rug often looks cheap.
Do you have any more advice for giving our homes a spring makeover at the moment!?
Head to kukoonrugs.com and browse my collection! [Laughs] No, seriously, soft textiles are always an easy way to update without gutting a room. Cushions, throws, curtains and rugs are the decorations on a cake. Give your home character and head to a charity shop or car boot for some odd finds that are more conversation worthy than plastic flowers, but ultimately march to the beat of your own drum and decorate in a way that brings you joy because it’s where you lay your head at the end of the day.
Follow Peter on Instagram at ‘The White Home’ here.
