‘I wanted something tactile and textured, sensory and beautiful and when I read up on the environmental and health properties of clay plaster I knew it was ideal for our home’ says Interior Designer Egon Walesch.

The multi award winning designer, who has bases in London and Ireland, is full of enthusiasm and passion for the way in which great design can transform people’s lives. He spoke to us about using Clayworks in the gorgeous living space of the lakeside cabin that was named RTÉ’s Home of the Year 2016.

I inherited our little cottage in Ireland when my Dad passed away a few years ago. I thought it would be nice to keep that connection with the past and my family (I left Ireland to live in London 28 years ago) so decided to refurbish the cottage to use as a second home. It is in a lovely setting on the shores of Lough Ree, nestling in woodland.

Although it is a small cottage, it was important to create many textures within it. I am a big fan of natural and handmade materials and finishes, so there are lots of natural woven fabrics and throws and tactile wooden furniture. When we were thinking about a finish for the chimneybreast in the living room, clay plaster was an obvious choice. I was very impressed with the colour range and the ease of being able to test out different colours and finishes in situ before making a decision.

The point is with clay plasters is how they make us feel: materials that feel unique, authentic, pure, natural and healthy are what we want to surround ourselves with when we retreat to a woodland environment in beautiful Ireland.

Since finishing the project, the cottage featured in an Irish TV programme called “Home of the Year” in 2016.

One of the aspects that the judges particularly liked was our use of texture and there is a shot in the TV programme of one of the judges running his hand across the chimneybreast to demonstrate it! In fact, it won the competition so the cottage has become quite well-known in Ireland and because of the publicity, I now have a number of interiors projects in Ireland, giving us even more reasons to spend more time there!

Clayworks clay plasters are very low maintenance and very durable, manufactured from meticulously selected clays and natural aggregates from England and researched to withstand a wide range of temperature variations and the test of time.

For more on the health and environmental properties of Clay Plaster see here and here.

Photographs courtesy of Alison Hammond Photography.