The Designed Table
The Designed Table
With an already busy career running a public relations firm, Tara O’Connor used the extra time that no commuting gave her to launch a business perfect for these times. She talks to Jennifer Stevens about tablescapes, design and taking inspiration from her grandmother.
Like lots of people, PR powerhouse Tara O’Connor found herself with a little extra time over the pandemic. Used to being super busy and driving from her home in Kildare to Dublin City for meetings with clients, the mum of two regained all the time she had been spending on the N7.
“I used to drive into Dublin three or four days a week and sit in traffic for an hour and a half. I would drop the kids to school and could never do a meeting before 10:30 because it took me that long to get into town. No way, I never want that life back again. I think people have learned now. I used to say yes to everything. I was always at the airport going to London or wherever to meet friends. Heathrow was like a bus to me; I’d fly over for a dinner and always say yes to an invitation. Now, I've become a recluse. It’s great though, I did a workout this morning and I have taken up horse riding. I'd never have had time for this before, ever.”
With her extra time, Tara has launched a new business that’s very close to her heart. The Designed Table is stunning range of table linens and accessories that create the most beautiful tablescapes. She is running the new business alongside her PR consultancy firm.
“I have childcare three days a week and she's brilliant. I've got a good system with the new business where DPD pick up in the morning, so I pack all the orders in the evening time. I am on a lot of emails and calls during the day about it. The new business was something I was always going to do. But then I had time to sit down, write a business plan and do everything I never had time for before when I was so busy with work and so many events.”
Tara’s new business is inspired by her mum and grandmother and some of their linens were the inspiration for her first collection.
“My Nana had a guest house in Ballsbridge and I used to go in all the time on holidays and busy rugby weekends to help her. She always set the dining room in the best linens, silver cutlery, silver teapots, coffee pots and china for breakfast for guests. Mum always set the table as well. We sat down every evening to a placemat. Mum lived in America for a long time, so a lot of her stuff was American and when we used to go over to the States on trips, mum and I always went into Pottery Barn. Half my suitcase coming home would be filled with things from Pottery Barn or Crate & Barrel. Even when I bought my first house, table linen was the first thing I purchased. I've always, from a very young age, dressed my tables. You won't see a paper napkin in my house, well maybe if we're doing a barbecue, we always use cotton napkins every single night.
Launching a new product from scratch in the middle of a global pandemic seems like a daunting task, especially when you’re sourcing your materials overseas, but Tara has been taking it in her stride and knew exactly what she wanted.
“Even time I went away, I had been buying linen samples. I have loads of lengths of linen here including my grandmother's linen, my mum's linen and newer pieces that I wanted to replicate. It was just a matter of sitting down and getting it done. I was introduced to an amazing woman in India that I’ve been working with. She is phenomenal. I do all my designs. I tell her exactly what I want and I send out samples. There’s a lot of back and forth between us to get all our colours right and our materials right. There have been a lot of DHL bills.
“I had started thinking about it all last January and had created a mood board. Initially I had planned to go to the likes of Maison&Objet or Premiere Vision in Paris. But when I looked into it a bit more, I realised that I really wanted to create my own products. There were things that I really wanted that just weren’t available. I wanted a particular sized napkin, and I wanted the cotton a certain thickness. I wanted to do a linen-cotton range that was going to be all block colours which is my Pantone range. I'm very lucky. I have such good friends in the rag trade. One of my best friends put me in touch with a brilliant textile designer, and then I was introduced to the amazing woman in India, and I presented her everything. We started first with the cloth and then she got me the best factories to work with that are all compliant. I wanted quite small factories. From the start to launch, it was probably a year and four months. I did my logo over the summer. I signed off my first collection in September and I paid for it in December. I'll never forget being in the bank at Christmas literally paying for it.
“I probably could have done it quicker, but everything is specially made and bespoke. Even on the wooden napkin rings, the beaded ones, it took forever to get the number of beads right. I was counting them, asking them to remove two.”
Some people might think that launching a business that focusses on having people to your home might be a strange thing to launch at a time like this, but Tara believes it is the perfect time, because the way we meet friends and entertain will be very different for a long time to come.
“I think when restrictions relaxed last summer, that really opened my eyes that people were entertaining at home. Two-hour slots in restaurants were tricky and I think home entertaining is going to be where it is. A lot of people probably never heard of the word tablescape before the pandemic, but it’s something I've always been into. In any of the events I've done, a lot of attention to detail goes in to laying tables.
Tara’s passion for good design and business acumen mean that the collections are unique while still affordable.
“I start planning my Christmas table in September. I choose my colour and then go looking for pieces. Zara Home was always my go-to place. There are beautiful homewares stores full of stunning linens but they’re too expensive, I'm not spending €20 on a rattan placemat or €20 on a linen napkin. That's why I wanted to have a range that was accessible and fun and lots of colour, and that suited every taste. The tablecloths for the summer are all lots of fun. I'll do probably a bit more muted for the autumn, and jewel tone and autumn colours for winter. I find that I change my tablescape with seasons, I’m very inspired by that.
“Everyone found January and February really difficult. We have a dining room, a good room that the kids aren't allowed in. So every Friday night I would set the table there. I'd set it really pretty and take out the crystal and the silverware and I’d cook a nice dinner because that is our going out. It really helped.”
It’s clear that Tara lives and breathes her new brand and has poured her heart into each piece that she has designed and produced. For her, the feedback from customers has been a highlight. In a time of such difficulty, it’s so nice to celebrate the success of businesswomen who want to make the time we spend with friends and family even nicer.