Designer Q&A

Introducing Irish furniture designer and maker Ronan Lowry of Design Onion.

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A graduate of Letterfrack Furniture College in Connemara, Ronan Lowery founded Design Onion in 2007, specialising in the design and creation of bespoke furniture, kitchens and interiors for private and commercial clients. Working primarily in wood, Design Onion fuses contemporary design with high-quality craftsmanship.

WHAT LED YOU INTO A CAREER IN FURNITURE DESIGN?

I grew up surrounded by creative influences and both my father and grandfather were engineers, so it’s not surprising that it led to a career where I can combine my interest in the mechanics of making things work with my artistic and creative passions too. While at school I did work experience with a local furniture maker and I knew this was what I wanted to do, so I went to Letterfrack Furniture College to study Furniture Design and Manufacture. I gained invaluable experience by spending my summers working with local furniture designers/manufacturers. Graduating in 2007, I was accepted onto a two year craft business start-up programme with Craft Northern Ireland. The programme allowed me to establish Design Onion and offered helpful mentoring and business training in the initial stages and I have never looked back.

SINCE STARTING DESIGN ONION HOW HAS THE BUSINESS EVOLVED OVER THE YEARS?