Róisín Lafferty Blends Functionality with a Deliberate Theatricality

This week’s instalment of the Project of the Week series features a bold beauty salon design by 2025 SBID Awards Finalist, Róisín Lafferty.

Róisín Lafferty was tasked with designing Base & Boon 2.0, a bold reimagining of the salon experience located in the Diplomatic Quarter of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Initiated by two visionary female entrepreneurs, the project expands the Base & Boon brand by introducing a pioneering concept: an inclusive, multifunctional beauty hub where independent therapists across disciplines work side by side. Located within Saudi Arabia’s first Special Economic Zone, the space sets a new standard by combining luxury services with a co-working model that welcomes both male and female professionals and clients, marking a first of its kind in the region.

What was the client's brief?

The founders of Base & Boon wanted to completely reimagine what a salon could be. Their vision was bold: not only a luxurious beauty destination but also a pioneering co-working hub for independent therapists across hair, nails, skincare and massage. It needed to feel empowering, safe, and inclusive; a true first of its kind in Saudi Arabia. They gave us full creative freedom to design something future facing and immersive, a space that reflected their vibrant brand identity while fostering both individuality and community.

What inspired the design of the project?

The ampersand in the brand’s logo became our guiding motif. It symbolises connection between beauty and business, work and wellness, professionals and clients. That concept informed the architecture: a sculptural central reception cylinder anchors the space, with each treatment zone radiating from it like branches of a journey. This layout allows the salon to unfold in stages, so every guest experiences a sense of discovery. The design blends functionality with a deliberate theatricality; sweeping ombré sheers, concealed doors, and catwalk-like walkways transform everyday treatments into immersive, almost performative moments.

What was the toughest hurdle your team overcame during the project?

Managing the build remotely from Dublin while the site was in Riyadh was a huge challenge. Every detail had to meet our exacting standards without us being physically present. To solve this, the main contractor created a series of prototypes; custom junctions, finishes, even gradient effects, which the client could review on site and we could assess over video calls. This process demanded patience and precision, but it ensured that the tactile richness - from polished plaster to tinted Perspex and resin - was executed flawlessly. It pushed all of us to be more collaborative, and ultimately the result feels as considered and crafted as if we had been on site every day.

What was your team’s highlight of the project?

There were two standout moments. The first was in the early design stages; pulling together a palette of finishes that felt nothing like a traditional wellness or beauty salon. Bold, vibrant and dramatic, it combined polished steel, glossy tiles and coloured glass to set the tone for a new kind of experience: a collaborative, energetic unisex salon where clients could explore, connect, and create memorable moments. The second highlight was seeing those theatrical elements installed on site; the sweeping ombré curtains, the sculptural reception cylinder, the mirrored catwalk-like walkways. Each required immense collaboration and craftsmanship to perfect, and to watch them go from sketches to reality was incredibly rewarding.

Why did you enter the SBID Awards?

The SBID Awards are a global benchmark for design excellence, and this project felt worthy of that platform. Beauty environments are often overlooked in design conversations, but Base & Boon 2.0 is a world-first typology: a hybrid of luxury salon, co-working hub, and cultural platform. It proves that even highly functional spaces can be bold, immersive, and boundary-pushing.

What has being an Award Finalist meant to you and your business?

It’s a huge honour for our studio. Being shortlisted validates the ambition and hard work that went into delivering such a pioneering project, not just for our team, but for our visionary clients. It’s also opened doors internationally, demonstrating that we can design and deliver innovative, detail-driven environments anywhere in the world. Most of all, it’s given our team immense pride and momentum to keep creating projects that surprise, delight, and redefine expectations.

Questions answered by Róisín Lafferty, Founder and Creative Director of Róisín Lafferty.

This week’s instalment of the Project of the Week series features a seamless and cohesive residential design by 2025 SBID Awards Finalist, Róisín Lafferty.

Róisín Lafferty was commissioned to reimagine two neighbouring semi-detached properties as one highly functional, long-term family home. The brief required a complete spatial rethink while retaining two entrances, staircases, and mechanical systems. The goal was to create a seamless, cohesive interior that could eventually be divided into two independent homes for the client’s children. The point where the properties meet became the design’s central focus.

What was the client's brief?

The clients wanted to merge two neighbouring semi-detached houses into one forever family home - but with the ability to divide them again in the future for the next generation. The challenge was to create a seamless, unified interior while retaining two staircases, entrances, and independent systems. At the heart of the brief was flexibility: a home that could evolve over time without compromising function or flow. The brief also celebrated connection to the larger garden, ensuring key views and interactions with the landscape from multiple rooms, while eliminating wasted corridors so that every space had purpose.

What inspired the design of the project?

The design centred on the point where the two houses meet. Instead of disguising the joint, we made it the conceptual heart of the home, incorporating a sculptural sunken lounge at the original boundary line. This recessed lounge – finished with an inset marble floor and mirrored ceiling to reflect the garden indoors – became the hub that unites both houses. From here, a terrace extends the geometry into the garden, further strengthening the indoor / outdoor connection.

Throughout the house, the concept was about balance and discovery: twin music rooms linked by cobalt shelving that wraps around a central chimney breast, concealed oversized pivot doors that read as seamless wall panels, and a monumental steel-clad sliding screen that can transform the spatial flow. The playfulness of the layout encourages exploration, with endless routes and subtle surprises, while still maintaining proportion and calm.

What was the toughest hurdle your team overcame during the project?

One of the biggest challenges was the technical complexity of merging two houses into one while keeping them fully independent behind the scenes. Every system, from underfloor heating to lighting, data wiring, and ventilation; had to be designed to work both together and separately. Structurally, new connections had to be created without introducing visual obstructions. Balancing that level of engineering with the desire for a seamless, calm aesthetic required meticulous planning, smart routing for services, and constant collaboration across trades. It meant rethinking how we normally approach design and construction, but it allowed the project to function beautifully now while remaining future proof for generations to come.

What was your team’s highlight of the project?

The highlight was seeing the two houses truly come together as one; not just structurally, but emotionally. Spaces like the twin music rooms, unified by cobalt shelving and a shared chimney breast, embody that balance between individuality and cohesion. And the sunken lounge at the centre, with its sculptural form and connection to the garden, felt like the moment the vision became reality. For the team, it was incredibly rewarding to watch the design evolve from concept into a home that feels both elegant and deeply liveable.

Why did you enter the SBID Awards?

Because this project embodies what great design can do: solve highly technical challenges while creating a home that feels calm, generous, and deeply personal. It’s deceptively complex, and we wanted to celebrate that on an international stage.

What has being an Award Finalist meant to you and your business?

It’s hugely affirming for our team and our clients. It shows that innovation, adaptability, and forward-thinking design resonate far beyond Ireland. For us, it reinforces the importance of pushing boundaries while always keeping the needs of the family at the centre.

Questions answered by Róisín Lafferty, Founder & Creative Director at Róisín Lafferty.

This week’s instalment of the Project of the Week series features a homely and soulful residential house design by 2023 SBID Awards Finalist, Róisín Lafferty.

The Georgian style Schoolhouse, located in Galway City, is of high historical and conservation interest and architecturally protected. We were tasked to reimagine the home with Helena McElmeel architects. The client brief was to elevate and accentuate the existing building and combine it with the newly designed extension, creating a natural blend of old and new, providing the family with a series of spaces that interconnect and speak to each other, imbuing all the while, a sense of character, nostalgia and design essence.

What was the client's brief? 

The Georgian style Schoolhouse, located in Galway City, is of high historical and conservation interest and architecturally protected. We were tasked to reimagine the home with Helena McElmeel architects. The client brief was to elevate and accentuate the existing building and combine it with the newly designed extension, creating a natural blend of old and new, providing the family with a series of spaces that interconnect and speak to each other, imbuing all the while, a sense of character, nostalgia and design essence. Functionally, the interior architecture needed to be enhanced, increasing modern day comforts such as additional bathrooms, and lounges. Aesthetically the challenge was to harness the soul of the original character and design a home that felt as though it had always been there. They wanted us to create a home that felt spirited, soulful, alive and homely.

What inspired the design of the project?

My inspiration came from the abundant character and soul, that exudes from the building. We sought to embrace and harness that. Our key self-appointed task was to create an interior that sensitively encompassed the essence of the property and for the end result to feel like it had always been like that; a home that felt spirited, soulful, alive and homely. In summary, we wanted it to feel embedded in the building, not a surface level application. My other inspiration came from the Handmaids Tale, the series captivated me in terms of set design and overall atmosphere.

What was the toughest hurdle your team overcame during the project?

The biggest challenge was the conservation constraints as the building was listed meaning the interventions we were allowed to make had to be carefully considered and certain areas of the building had to be maintained as they were. It took numerous design iterations from both KLD and architects working closely together, convincing the planning authorities to allow us re-design the building in a way that gave our client the result they were looking for. This process took time, creative thinking, and patience from our clients. Conservation constraints also impacted the interior design in some cases, with a lot of interior elements being required to be kept or reinstated during the works.

What was your team’s highlight of the project?

The rear extension area with sunken conversation pit linking to the kitchen and dining was a favourite for our team to design. We wanted to distinguish this area as a different type of lounge and encourage a different function within it that looked structured but was also tactile and comfortable. The kitchen area was a key conservation zone, so by creating a structural opening in the kitchen, we could visually connect the kitchen, dining, and rear lounge. By sinking the lounge, we kept a clear visual to the garden and created a space for the family to interact and spend time together in a more informal way while inhabiting different functional areas of the home at the same time. The more contemporary feel contrasts against the existing house and natural light floods in from all aspects.

Why did you enter the SBID Awards?

We entered the SBID awards as they are renowned globally in the interior’s world, with a panel of leading experts judges. To have our design projects featured beside some of the best projects around the world is a stage where we want to be seen for our designs encouraging us to continue to push the boundaries of design and create truly new and unique designs for our clients that that capture and embody them as individuals and how they live.

What has being an Award Finalist meant to you and your business?

Being a finalist in the SBID awards is a very special achievement for the team at KLD. To be recognised for our designs among peers who create such beautiful design internationally and to be able to showcase our projects to new and wider audiences is an amazing opportunity.

Questions answered by Roisin Lafferty, Founder and Creative Director of Róisín Lafferty.