Designer Dialogue: Angela Ireland

Every designer has a unique approach to creating a cohesive and beautiful space that fits the needs of their client. For Angela Ireland, inspiration has no bounds. The talented designer launched her interior design business in 2005 and has since completed hundreds of residential and commercial projects throughout Colorado. For this Designer Dialogue, Ai STUDiO sat down with Angela to discuss her take on neutral palettes, textures, and how she aligns each client’s personal styles with the design goals for their home.

Your portfolio displays whites and a neutral palette as an important part of your aesthetic. How do you suggest interior designers incorporate that into their projects without going overboard? 

Angela: We really like the neutral palette as a base for most of our designs because it allows for a classic yet fresh feel. We love pulling natural elements that mimic nature and mother nature’s palette. Developing a good foundation gives designers and clients the ability to build color, incorporate texture, and showcase their personality to the space and make it unique. 

What are some steps you take when choosing a color palette to match a client’s personal style and design goals for their home?

Angela: We always begin our client relationships with a questionnaire. This is a wonderful tool to start our communication process of getting to know our client, their style, and design goals. From there we move to digital mood boards and design boards for even more visual communication.  Once we feel we are all on the same page we continue with the purchasing, installation, and design process. Good design begins with us understanding our client’s preferences, needs, and ideas. By using tools like the questionnaire, we establish a clear foundation for beginning the design process which allows us to meet the client’s style needs and expectations.

What are some of your favorite materials or textures that you incorporate into your designs?

Angela: We always try to add multiple layers of texture and materials in our designs. Our go-to’s are woods, metals, and layers and layers of fabric with texture.  You might also see a pop of faux animal hides and leathers! The addition of layers and textures gives our designs that extra pop of color taking a room from fantastic to fabulous.

How would you describe your personal style and how that aligns with your designs?

Angela: Neutral palettes, textural, and soft subtle color accents are my go-to. We really do try to keep a classic look, something that incorporates some of the design trends without going too trendy. This allows us to create spaces that are both luxurious and relaxing and gives us the ability to add in those extra elements of color or texture when necessary.”

Interior designers might face a moment when a client wants to incorporate something that the designer feels strongly against. How do you recommend designers handle this kind of situation?

Angela: It happens in every design, so our approach is getting down to the reason why. Finding out what the client is trying to incorporate and why helps us direct the design in a way that is overall cohesive and yet true to the client’s taste.

For more designer dialogues and tips follow us on social media and subscribe to our monthly e-newsletter!