Living on the waterfront

BoConcept's owner Barry Rochford tells EMMA CULLINANabout his home high over Dublin's docklands

Barry Rochford grew up with the family furniture business. He now runs BoConcept, Sandyford, Dublin 18 and Living, South William Street, Dublin 2. He lives in a two-bed apartment at Hanover Quay in the docklands with his wife Claire

When did you move here?

Three-and-a-half years ago. We were living in Ballsbridge before we were married but our home was too small and we sold at the peak of the market, thank God. Long term I’m relatively sure this will hold its value. When we moved in, the block next door was a shell and there was building work all around: I counted 36 cranes from here.

It was great because I was working in apartments in Spencer Dock and would take the little yellow dinghy across the Liffey holding pictures and cushions. I got another job across in Sheriff Street where the Liffey Trust is building some social developments with an arts centre. It’s a nice building, the architecture is good.

The really nice part about the boom is that we started to appreciate architecture. The days of walking into an apartment and knowing what you are going to see at the front door have long gone.

Did you look at other apartments?

We toyed with other apartments. I go into apartments all the time. What I was looking for in the city centre was either an old development which was not nice outside but could be gutted inside or at new ones that were nicely designed. I had my eye on one of the front apartments here – overlooking Grand Canal Dock – but when I rang on the day of the launch I was told all the waterfront apartments had sold pre-launch. I chose this corner apartment because the sun leaves the Liffey-front apartments in the afternoon. This corner room is much larger than average and has lots of light from the south-east.

So did you buy this pre-launch?

Yes, and on launch day they sold out. It was a shell when I bought it. My company had put furniture in the show units so I was in there getting a nose around. Those are the joys of being in the trade.

What did you do to the apartment?

We did everything: put in the kitchen, bathroom and wardrobes as well as the flooring, window treatments and all of the furniture. Being a typical cobbler, it took a while. I lost the sofa three times before landing it because each time I ordered one, someone would come into the shop and buy one and I would give them mine so they wouldn’t have to wait 18 weeks for theirs.

Is everything in here by BoConcept?

Not all: the coffee table is by Noguchi. I deal directly with factories which do a lot of classic stuff in Italy. My dining table is by BoConcept and the black sideboard is by a small Italian company which makes furniture for us: this was a prototype. The bookcase is Italian as well as the white chair, which Simon Pengelly designed, called Lapalma. A prototype was being launched in Milan and I was doing a project that it was perfect for, so I took the chair off the stand. In the end the project used a different colour so I got the prototype.

Everything in BoConcept is architect-designed: Anders Nørgaard designed the sofa and Dingin Futhark the table. The Danish architectural team is based in Valencia. The great thing about the modern world is that you can have a creative base in Valencia, the home of furniture with a Spanish lifestyle, and be Danish. BoConcept aims to be affordable and well designed.

Do you go to a lot of furniture fairs?

I go to them all and see tons of furniture. For the first 10 years I would go on the day it opened at 9am and leave at 6pm on the last night. In a big show like Cologne you can walk for 14 miles spending time at each stand. Luckily now, after 16 years, I know the suppliers I can deal with, those with the right prices, delivery times and quality, so I can condense the visits.

Some companies won’t go to the shows for fear of being copied and some things are beautiful but I know I can’t sell them. During the first few years I came back with loads of stuff and I still have a lovely piece of furniture that was horrendously expensive that I couldn’t sell.

It was a good lesson to learn. People will only buy what they perceive to be good value.

What is worth spending a lot of money on?

Mattresses and sofas because, in order to get to a certain price point, you have to put a certain quality in them. Our sofas start at around €800 (and go up to €12,000): to get below that you have to compromise on quality.

Everything is modular so can be very big – last year we made the world’s longest sofa which has been on a world tour and is now in China. We put it up in Beacon, Sandyford, for a while.

The BoConcept factory is 30 miles from the Lego factory and near Bang Olufsen in Denmark. The Danes are very clever with design: they think everything through. The Italians have a lot more flair and are risky whereas the Danes have classic, simple designs of a good quality and they do things right the first time, like Arne Jacobsen.

We work with both Danes and Italians and it is hilarious to compare them: the Italians are really enthusiastic about the designs whereas the Danes will say: “Yes, we know it’s right.”

What is it like living with the things that you sell in the shop?

What I love about the Noguchi coffee table is that a large square coffee table would take up a huge space but you still only use one end of it. Also I have no arm on the end of my sofa to open up the space. The sign of good design in furniture is if it is unobtrusive. I believe you need a blank canvas and can bring in colours with cushions and artwork – if furniture grabs your attention it is generally over-designed. The fluffy carpet was designed in Denmark and made in India where they have a great understanding of wool. It is made by manufacturers who use no child labour.

I like texture. It’s a big part of everything. People always look at colour and forget about the texture: wools, cottons and silks bring a dimension that people can’t put their finger on.

Have people’s tastes changed since you started?

Definitely. When people bought their first house they would have no money left over and would get an old sofa from their parents. Now people are far more house proud, which has come through media interest and travel. It’s an offshoot of fashion: people are very proud of what they look like. It has also happened with food: people have far more confidence now.

A huge amount of customers will come in and say they were in, say, Harrods in London, or in New York, or someone last week had been in a shop in Stockholm and seen something by BoConcept that they had liked and came to buy it here. What is amazing is that when people are on holiday they are popping into a furniture store. It’s moved from being a necessity to an interest in design.

They are far more interested in art and architecture and know about architecture. If you look at some of the older schemes near here they are very basic and, although they are in a fantastic location, people wouldn’t buy them now – they would be far more picky, which is great.

Are your customers more informed?

Yes, and value stands out in industries across the board. People wouldn’t buy everything from Zara but understand what it means to buy a mix of things. It’s the same with Ikea: certain elements are fantastic value and others aren’t at all. It’s great dealing with someone who understands about mixing things.

I’ve got an Ikea glass lamp which is really well designed. Since Ikea opened our own sales have gone up – which someone in the trade told me would happen.

What is it like living in docklands?

It’s fantastic. The Dublin Docklands Development Authority (DDDA) has such innovative ideas. There is always something going on. The DDDA is definitely bringing life into the docks. Harry Crosbie has great ideas and then there is the theatre, the bridge at Spencer Dock, and the conference centre.

When we first moved here there was nothing and now there are lots of things, like Ely and Herb Street. Having good food gives people reasons to come here and I think ultimately there is a great future down here as more things get developed.

The Libeskind theatre will open on St Patrick’s Day which will be fantastic. It will also be incredibly picturesque going for a walk down the river in Dublin. We didn’t used to take advantage of the water. I remember years ago having friends from Germany and Spain who wanted to have coffee overlooking the water. All there was then was the Dalkey Island Hotel.

So you’re glad you came here?

It’s fantastic and just a 15-minute, quite pleasant, walk to town.