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ARCHITECT HUGH WALLACE is best known for his TV appearances on shows like RTÉ’s Home of the Year and The Great House Revival but behind the TV screens he’s also a working architect leading a team of 25 at Douglas Wallace Architects in Dublin. Here he speaks to Ruth O’Connor about the importance of loyalty and longevity in business as well as ‘the fun stuff’.
Why did you decide to establish your own business?
I was dyslexic in school so I was just assumed to be ‘thick’. It was a period where I had no confidence in myself to do anything. When I was diagnosed as dyslexic it was such a relief that I decided that I wasn’t going to rely on anyone else. I left college in 1980 and there was no work in Ireland. Out of 17 people who graduated my year, three stayed in Ireland. But we made our way and were lucky that we became very successful. We are going 45 years and have a team of 25. We had a hiccup in the middle obviously but those things happen – you have to get up and dust yourself off.
What have you learned so far in business?
You need to be patient. Business is about being patient. And business in Ireland is quite funny – people want you to succeed but they’re also willing to lay banana skins… and then having laid the banana skin they will offer to help you up. You know the expression ‘Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me’? I’ve definitely had that happen and have had to learn not to be taken advantage of.
What has been the most challenging time in business?
The period around 2009 when we lost the business – talk about seeing into the abyss… But our clients were very loyal to us – people like Peter Mark, Dunnes Stores, Gerry Barrett – that was very important. Loyalty is very important in business – we give loyalty to our clients and the clients are loyal to us. We are all in business and we can all make mistakes but it’s about how you deal with it.
What sets your work apart from the work of others in your industry?
We are passionate about seeing our clients succeed. You can do fabulous work but at the end of the day you need to build on that. It’s about delivering projects that have an element of design that is special. At the end of the day we are working in a business that is about making money – it’s a bit crude but that’s the reality when you’re dealing with commercial clients. When working with domestic clients we listen to our clients and we give them a perfectly detailed version of what they want – it is about listening to what the homeowner wants.
How important is collaboration to what you do?
It is fundamental and the best way to get the best result particularly in a business that is now so complicated.
What are you working on at the moment?
The most exciting development we are working on at the moment is the Waterford North Quays. The most important thing about the redevelopment of the Waterford North Quays is that it is an integrated development – the train station is moving further into the development and there will be a new bus station, a pedestrian walkway which allows you to walk back into the city and a cycle route all the way from New Ross to Dungarvan – it’s about joined up thinking. All of sudden we will have 1,000 people living in the heart of the city – it’s about sustainable living. It’s so important that this type of development happens countrywide and Waterford is leading the way.
The council there are exceptionally proactive – they have had the vision for the North Quays. So often it’s easy to leave well enough alone but that isn’t what they’ve done. The developers, Harcourt Developments, are extremely impressive too. You’re talking about a scheme that will deliver 75,000 square metres of development in total and we are dovetailing into what’s being done with the design of apartments, offices and hotels.
This project is about creating homes but also about reinforcing commerce in the city too. There will be a park in the scheme – the reason Victorian cities work is that houses had small gardens and everyone went to the park and we need to get back to the same thing – take the north quays in Dublin there are no public parks and there should be.
How has what people want in a home changed over the years in your opinion?
Flair Bathrooms have done some brilliant research which points to what we were already seeing – that people nowadays want decent sized bathrooms with fabulous showers and a touch of luxury. In the past many houses didn’t have storage and it’s so important for people – especially in apartments.
A lot more residential developments are becoming more about creating quality of life outside the home. Particularly when it comes to apartments you have to factor in social spaces because it’s difficult to meet people when you live in an apartment and you need spaces that kids can play in or people can work from.
Designers are incorporating office areas in homes but I don’t believe that people really want to work from home – I think they want a place to work that isn’t the home and that isn’t the office either.
Where do you look for inspiration?
I love to go to tiling shows and fabric shows and get overwhelmed – that’s the exciting part of design. I recently visited a big show for tiling and floor finishes in Bologna and it was mindblowing. Everything is so much more available now – it’s amazing. If you think back to the furniture selection in Ireland 40 years ago it was appalling.
Describe a typical working day.
I am a very lucky man. I have the best of both worlds. I spend three days a week working as an architect and the rest of the time I’m out looking at houses, filming for TV, meeting homeowners, advising people on their homes… that’s the fun stuff and I love what I do. I am particularly passionate about The Great House Revival – we talk about sustainability but the most sustainable home is the one that gets reimagined and reused. It’s a crying shame when you drive around the country and see homes that are abandoned and not just very old houses, recent ones too.
What has been the proudest moment in your career so far?
My proudest moment so far, I have to say, was receiving a Lifetime Achievement Award from TU Dublin for my contribution to the design industry 12 years ago. I was so excited to receive an accolade like that from my peers.
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To find out more about the work of Douglas Wallace Architects go to: douglaswallace.com
Follow Hugh Wallace on Instagram at @hughwallacearchitect.
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