Future Proof: Julianne Kelly, director of Kevin Kelly Interiors

Founded in Donnybrook 40 years ago, Kevin Kelly Interiors is long established as one of the foremost interior design consultancies in Ireland. It is now providing interior design services and retail to a third generation of customers

The business, founded by Kevin and Carol Kelly, is now run by Julianne Kelly, who took over when her parents retired in 2010.

Kelly studied arts at UCD before completing a business degree at Smurfit Business School. She worked in the buying offices of Penneys and the now defunct Awear before considering interiors as a career move.

While attending the Dublin Institute of Design, Kelly worked with her parents in the business for four years before stepping up to the top job.

Taking over in the midst of recession was, says Kelly, a “daunting time”. But because business was a bit quieter than usual, she had time to get to grips with running the operation.

Its location in one of Dublin’s most affluent suburbs might lead one to assume it had a buffer against the downturn, but Kelly says turnover fell by 70 per cent. 2011 represented the worst year for the business.

Loyal customers

“Interior design is a luxury to a large extent, and we are middle- to high-end, so we are obviously not competing with the likes of Ikea,” she says. “There were no builds going on, so what kept us going were our loyal customers rather than new business coming in.

“We had a store off Baggot Street, so we closed that down. We did deliveries into the shop and operated a quicker turnaround rather than keeping stock. We didn’t have work for our fitters five days a week, so they went down to a three-day week. They were reaching retirement age, though, so they were happy to cut back a bit.”

Kelly now subcontracts out the fitting work rather than employing workers full-time, but says they are kept busy all week.

Business began to pick up noticeably around March 2014. While the volume has not yet returned to pre-recession highs, she says it is “very busy and we are optimistic about the future”.

Kevin Kelly specialises in interior design consultancy and fit-outs, particularly in the areas of renovations and home extensions. The Donnybrook shop now has a strong retail element, and two staff members work out of it.

Two years ago, Julianne hired Tracy Elliott, a well-recognised interior designer, as creative director.

“We go on all the buying trips together and it’s great to have someone with 20 years’ experience that I can really rely on,” Kelly says. “She’s a great asset to the business. I couldn’t have managed without her in the past two years.”

Clients’ taste

Some 90 per cent of Kevin Kelly’s trade is with private clients. “Working with private clients means you can build up a relationship and really get to know your clients’ taste,” she says. “A lot of our clients know each other, so much of it is based on word-of-mouth.

“We work a lot in the local area and Dublin’s south side, but we’ve also worked in Galway, Cork and other places outside Dublin. We have customers who are the children and grandchildren of the people my parents originally had as customers.”

When her parents established the business, interest in interiors was largely based on requirement rather than aesthetics, Kelly says.

“Back in those early days, it was more based on need. People needed a carpet or they needed curtains. But now, especially with social media, people are exposed to so many images of what they can achieve that they really know what they want. Instagram and Pinterest has inspired people.”

Kelly says people’s tastes have changed since the Celtic Tiger days. During the recession, even those who were spending were afraid to “make expensive mistakes”, so they were more conservative. “Now people are becoming a bit more daring again and are very brand savvy.”

Kevin Kelly stocks brands such as Colefax and Fowler, Designers Guild and Hermès interiors, for whom it is the only Irish stockist.

Kelly rebrand

To mark its 40th year, the business has recently had a rebrand by changing the shop front, the logo and website.

Prior to the recession, the Kellys considered opening a second shop.

“Thankfully we didn’t do that at the time, but it is something we might examine again,” she says. “ I’d also like to expand the business – employing two more people in the shop and growing the design side of the business.”

As a family business, Kelly says her parents will never lose interest and are there to answer queries and help with the books.

“I think they are happy that they are no longer working in the business but that it is still there and I’m looking after it,” Julianne Kelly says. “Their clients are now my clients, so there’s a really nice continuity there.”

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