At home with Darren Kennedy
In the current issue of Attitude, fashion stylist and TV presenter Darren Kennedy invites us into his gorgeous Dublin apartment for a nosy around and a chat. Here’s an excerpt…
Tell us about where you live?
I live in a converted warehouse in a part of Dublin city centre that has undergone massive change over the past decade or so. Known locally as the ‘Gaybourhood’ or as the hipster’s like to call it, Dublin’s Shoreditch, there’s a fantastic mix of people, from real inner-city Dubs who’ve lived in this part of town when no-one else wanted to, along with all the newbies, many of whom are creative types. The apartment itself is a joy to live in with lots of natural light and open spaces. The building was originally a textiles warehouse and has quite a rich history as part of the city’s original garment district.
Did it take a long time to find the perfect place for you to live?
Looking at it now we – my partner Aidan and I – were really lucky as it was only the third place we viewed when we started looking. The estate agent was a bit of a party girl and took a shine to us. She gave us a tip off that the owner needed to sell quickly and that we needed to see the place. I fell in love with it the minute we walked through the door and knew I wanted to live there.
Was buying the apartment a difficult process?
To be honest, it was a fairly smooth process. We’d been renting prior, which made it easier I guess as there was no ‘chain’ so to speak. We worked with a really good mortgage broker who made life really easy. I remember putting in the offer the day before going on holidays to San Sebastian. All that week, I couldn’t relax as we waited to hear back from the estate agent. Five days into our holiday we got the good news while lying on the beach!
Your book cases are quite colour co-ordinated. Are you very precious about where things are placed?
I’m not that uptight. In fairness, most visitors get it and generally put books back in the same spot. The colour grouping was suggested to me a couple of years back, so I decided to tackle it one hungover Saturday morning. It’s a subtle effect and an easy way to add some colour blocks to a space.
Your gold bike is really something. Do you actually use it?
I’ve used it a couple of times over the summer for casual cycles, but only when I know I can leave it somewhere safe. The bike-thieves of Dublin would have a field day if they saw it left out on the street. It’s designed by Brazilian bicycle-lover Lorenzo Martone, and was a rather fabulous gift from Kildare Village.
Enjoy what you read? You can read our full interview with Darren and see more pics from inside his home in the current October issue of Attitude, in shops now. You can download the digital version from attitudedigital.co.uk or order the print version from newsstand.co.uk/attitude.
