Clodagh Joins Cindy Allen for an Instagram Live Chat

Interior Design Editor in Chief Cindy Allen’s second week of Instagram Live chats—now happening at noon EST—featured Clodagh of Clodagh Design. The Irish-born designer and holistic healing enthusiast joined Cindy from her home in Beacon, NY, to discuss life during self isolation.  

With constant hand washing and cooking more than 20 meals a week, Clodagh joked that she feels as if she is back in her Irish childhood. She laughed especially hard when Allen mentioned how much easier it is for people to get directly in touch with their bosses now—Clodagh said she is working longer hours in her home office than in her studio. Currently, she’s working on a hotel in the Cayman Islands, a project that has a 32-person team. “It takes a lot of organization,” she noted, to get everyone on a call, but the team always comes prepared for each virtual meeting. 

Being in the design business for a number of years, Clodagh likes to have what she calls a “blue sky” meeting with the entire group at the beginning of a project where she can meet with clients face-to-face. Nonetheless, Clodagh Design is adept at working remotely from the New York office for its international projects. She and Allen reminisced about a past project that used all the tools from Clodagh’s toolbox—aromatherapy, meditation—to much success given its total rental. “We are all about community in our design because community creates the feeling of wellness” Clodagh said. 

Clodagh had plenty advice and tips to share pertaining to self isolation. From dancing in the kitchen while making breakfast to home schooling with TED Talks to setting up a personal basement bodega with non-perishables—a reminder that our days don’t have to be all work and no play. 

> See our full coverage of COVID-19 and its impact on the A&D industry

ThinkLab, the research division of SANDOW, is gathering information about our industry’s response to COVID-19. Click here if you’d like to participate.