Originally from Waterford, Stephen now lives and bases his business in Cork City. In the past ten years Stephen has designed over 80 showhouses!

His path to interior design was studying art after secondary school in Grennen Mill Art & Craft school in Thomastown in Co. Kilkenny, then on to study Interior Design in St. Johns college in Cork city, this was a 2 year full time course, in which time Stephen did work experience at Casey's Furniture in Cork, and ended up working there for 10 years as there in-house designer. Now after a 2 year fact finding trip to New Zealand & Australia he has set up his own business in Cork city.

Recent projects of Stephen include working on exclusive show homes in the Cork area such as Douglas house (a mix of traditional and modern apartments), a very contemporary showhouse in Glanmire, Cork, a 3 storey town house in Ballincollig Cork, as well as a duplex property in Douglas. During his time abroad he was responsible for prize winning window displays for the Olympics in Sydney in 2004.

When it comes to making a property stand out for a Showhouse viewing, Stephen feels it is important to choose some exclusive pieces and materials to give people a view of what looks good and let them how they can use these pieces too, it is very important, he believes, for a designer to take the risks and chances in using new trends and fashions.

Stephen’s own style would be very much leaning to the modern and contemporary, He likes to use new designs, at the same time would also be very aware of comfort and style. If you can get the balance right between traditional and modern you can get that cosy/stylish look. Favorite items of Stephens and ones that he feels it is justified to spend a little bit more on are the fireplace, comfortable/stylish sofas and the main bed.

Stephen is also a firm believer that lighting is one of the most important design aspects in a home, it can really set the mood of the room. Feature pendent lighting is vital if you have high ceilings and also imperative over a main dining table.

When it comes to colour Stephen proclaims that his use is very simple “I like to use the one colour throughout the whole house, it would have to be a natural colour, then if you want to bring in a high-light colour with paint or wallpaper on a feature wall, chimney breast or alcoves are always a good place to start”.

Stephens overall look for his property featured in Showhouse is a modern yet comfortable look with an emphasis on quality. Even though the house was quite big it was important to keep the sense of space as that’s part of what would attract a potential buyer to such a property in the first place.

If asked to pick a design feature that he is not a fan of Stephen would have to say he is not keen on pelmets over curtains, “I think they make a room look smaller especially when used in modern houses, painting ceilings anything other than white is also a pet hate of mine, always try to give the full sense of height in your room”. He is also of the opinion that if people sought the advice of professionals this would save them a lot of money in the long run.

Stephens ultimate challenge would be to design the interior of a very contemporary luxurious home on a beach front with lots of glass and interesting architectural features.

If asked to sum up his style Stephen would say “Stylish, functional, individual and quality is a must.”

If you wish to contact Stephen you can do so on email, stevemdunne@hotmail.com landline: 024 96432 or 021 4508946.