NEW RTE star Siobhan Lam has revealed the sweet secret meaning behind the name of her store – and how it has caused many to call her by the wrong name
The acclaimed interior designer, who is the newest face on RTE’s Home of the Year judging panel, also told how she was “surprised” at how “passionate” the show made her about some stranger’s homes.
Siobhan Lam joins Home of the Year for its eleventh season[/caption]
Home of the Year returns to RTE One tomorrow night at 8.30pm[/caption]
The RTE series showcases Ireland’s most jaw-dropping houses, and returns to screens tomorrow night for a new season
Siobhan, who owns and operates a home interior store in Dublin’s Rathmines, joins returning judges, Hugh Wallace and Amanda Bone, this time around.
And the “sappy” interior consultant told The Irish Sun how her love for her husband helped spark the name for their shop, April and the Bear.
She told us: “I was trying to come up with an idea for a store. And a friend of ours said, ‘What do you love?’ And … this is going to sound very sappy now, but I love my husband.
“He’s this tall, hairy, handsome man who I call the bear, and I am born in April… So, we just stuck them together, and that’s the name, and it’s funny, it is a talking point, and a lot of people call me April, but that’s not my name. “
Aside from her joint sense of style with her husband, Siobhan said when it comes to a home’s interior she has one preference: “I love all different types of styles, but I definitely adore colour.
“I think colour, when you bring it into a space, it just energises a space. It’s fun, it’s playful, like, if you see my door, it’s pink. I just think that embracing colour is the way to go.
“I also adore industrial aesthetic. I think adding eclectic elements into a home brings back the personality of the homeowner. So I would definitely be more into the bold.”
And despite years of experience in the design game, Siobhan can still be inspired and surprised by some of her clients’ approaches to spaces.
Stepping into some of the country’s best-designed homes provided Siobhan with no shortage of fresh inspiration.
She explained: “It was actually really inspiring for me, just to see how different homeowners approach their homes.
“It was fantastic to see how they brought their personality into those spaces. And a lot of them were a blank canvas with a lot of them being contemporary new builds, but they brought so much flavour and personality to these spaces. It was really inspiring to be involved with.”
One thing that blew her away with some some of the contestants’ homes is the perfect hack for all mums, she said: “Particularly I found, I was blown away by some of the storage solutions.
“They were just fantastic and totally seamless. You wouldn’t even have known that they were there. That was one of the main things I took away from it was learning from the designs. People’s approach to functionality more so than even like aesthetics.”
She added: “You know, every home is different, I think, just from me personally, as a mum and as somebody who lives in the city, a lot of the time space is limited.
‘INTERESTING DEBATES’
“I found with those homes that were a little bit smaller, the homeowners had really put so much thought into storage, and storage isn’t necessarily something you want to talk about. It’s not too exciting, but it is really crucial in our lives, especially if you’ve got, you know, a big family.”
This season isn’t Siobhan’s first time on the telly, or even on Home of the Year, as she, in a previous season, served as a consultant.
Meaning, she was very attuned to the personal tastes of Hugh and Amanda and was prepared to fight for her favourite home if it spoke to her.
She said: “We all have our own opinions, and we’re all actually quite different than what we like. You know, Amanda adores a very paired back aesthetic. Hugh loves a bit of drama, and I adore colour. So, I think we all kind of stood our ground this season… there was a few tense moments.
CHAMPIONING HOME
“But they are incredibly knowledgeable about architecture, about homes and that kind of created a lot of interesting debates.”
She added: “I was surprised by just how passionate I got about the homes. Because obviously, it’s a competition. You feel you kind of champion certain competitors or certain homes across the series.
“Obviously I adore homes, and I’m enthusiastic about every home that I come across in some capacity. But I think the fact that it was a competition, and we had to score these homes, you really do take on a certain home, as you know, your home.
“You really get to know the personality of the homeowner from the home. And by the end of it, I was really, really passionate about certain homes.”
FAVOURITE SPOT
Despite their strong on-screen personas and tentative debates about scoring, Siobhan conceded that Hugh and Amanda could not have been more accommodating in easing her into the season.
She said: “Yeah, they were texting me. We were in a WhatsApp group, which was so lovely, because I was like, I have no idea what’s going on, but they were so lovely. Like Amanda reached out and she gave me so many just like watch out for this and watch out for that. So they’ve been so welcoming and lovely.”
Despite seeing dozens of contestants’ favourite spots in their own homes, where would Siobhan place her red spot?
She admitted: “I would put it up in our main bedroom, away from the noise. It’s a very calm space. We’ve got lots of lovely greens and pinks and grays. So it’s a very peaceful room. It’s nice and big.”
- Home of the Year returns to RTE One and RTE Player, Tuesday, 18 February at 8.30pm
