Bizstartup.ie - NewsBox Seven Design -- in the blood

A successful designer for 18 years, he had worked on a number of award-winning projects including the Wright Venue, which he project managed in his last job.

Even as a child Carton had an interest in design.  “It must be in the blood I had one great uncle who was an engineer in the mines in Kilkenny and my great grand father from Dublin collected art and furniture. I reckon through them I've inherited my eye for style and also a practical approach to construction.”

He started his career as an interior designer working on the manufacturing side in an exhibition and shop-fitting company. “Working on the shop-floor with joiners and makers gave me a great practical knowledge of how shops and bars go together,” he said.

He was headhunted in 2005 to head up the design and interior fit-out project management of a major west of Ireland hotel project The Westport Plaza Hotel. “It's still going well in these difficult times and that's down to the drive of its operators but the design played a strong part. The hotel was awarded a Hospitality Ireland Design award shortly after it opened.”

Design work dwindling

However, the market changed in the past 18 months, which prompted Carton to go it alone. “The interior design work on big hotels and pubs had dwindled. The current phase is a reality check and designing under tighter constraints is a challenge worth taking on,” he said.

Interior designers can often be seen as not financially grounded but Carton believes in spending money wisely and is prepared to fight for what he believes will be right for the job.

Box Seven Design has a practical and financially astute approach to utilising design budgets.  Carton loves the quote of the famous designer Raymond Loewy who said: “There is no curve as beautiful as a rising sales graph!".

Carton also has strong opinions on developments in retail design and the standardisation of our high streets. “With retail it's almost as if the more we are bombarded with chain stores and global brands the more we crave personalisation and the human touch. I love quality little independent shops. Retail interiors should be about the architecture of seduction.”

Exploring social media

As well as working as a designer with established design companies in Dublin Carton also looked after press coverage and marketing, experience that is proving invaluable now.

He fully embraces the whole concept of social media. “My blog is a great way of letting people know what my outlook on design is.  I can share new ideas that inspire me with readers — it's great to have all of these things gathered in one place where people can access them”.

The blog has already generated a lot of interest and is linked to Facebook, Twitter and his web page which is currently under development. Current projects have yet to be completed and photographed and he is looking forward to including these on the site.

He is still considering how all of this will benefit him from a business to business point of view in terms of generating leads.  “I think Irish businesses in hospitality and retail have some distance to go in adopting social media.”

Photo: Ronan Carton