Layers of Joy: Inside Dubai-based Interior Designer Victoria Cronin’s Vibrant Villa
Coming alive with colourful corners and storied objets d’art, this eclectic abode fuses feel-good design with bold hues
“I am a true colour lover,” smiles interior designer Victoria Cronin, and anyone who walks through her home in Dubai’s Green Community won’t disagree. Traditional furniture is paired with patterned décor for a vintage-style charm, and there are eclectic lampshades, which Victoria designed herself, placed on monochromatic geometric side tables. Playful prints, dramatic flowers and whimsical artworks mingle throughout, and it’s instantly clear that the space is a reflection of its owner. The home is a work of art and Victoria is the artist.
“I have always been very creative,” shares Victoria, revealing that while she always wanted to study interior design in university, her teachers steered her towards architecture instead. “In hindsight, the discipline of architecture was rigorous training, the best grounding in design, and opened many doors for me,” she admits. In fact, for a number of years she deviated from aesthetic design and worked in sustainable international development, using her architecture skills to design affordable housing, basic infrastructure such as water and sanitation facilities, and to plan for urban settlements. The powerful experience drove Victoria to use her design skills for good, and to tackle global issues such as poverty, and she even spent a number of years working in the urban areas of India and Kenya while completing doctoral research with Cambridge University.
“However, after having my children and our family making the move from the UK to Dubai six years ago, I felt this was a good opportunity for me to get back to my creative roots,” she recalls. “As a refresher, I completed an interior design diploma, and since then I’ve not looked back.” Yet, sustainability and philanthropy still remain at the beating heart of her work.
Victoria has curated each room in her house with principles of eclecticism and the energy of maximalism in mind, making sure that, most importantly, the spaces reflect her family’s mixed style. “I’m not one to follow fashion or trends – it was important to create a practical family home for our children and menagerie of pets.”
Styling the home is a constant process of evolution, “I regularly shift the furniture and swap accessories around. I feel that one’s home is an extension of oneself, so I do feel it’s vitally important to be yourself at home. When I work with clients, I always seek to create a unique and timeless space that expresses their individuality while meeting their lifestyle needs and aspirations.”
Over the years Victoria has established her own signature style, taking note from a handful of influential interior icons along the way. “Currently, I’m enjoying following the work of Martin Brudnizki and Beata Heuman – who trained with Nicky Haslam, Jean-Louis Deniot and Martyn Lawrence Bullard. These are all designers with an eclectic style.”
Every shade incorporated within the villa has been carefully picked and matched with the architectural elements of the rooms to create tailored themes. “The psychological impact of colour is widely known but still impacts each and every one of us even on a subconscious level. In all aspects of my work, be it interior or product design, I carefully consider colour choices as I believe this is crucial for enhancing and A statement de Gournay wallpaper hangs by the entrance, which was funded by the sale of Victoria’s Jenny Packham wedding dress eleven years ago energising your environment. We are so fortunate to live in a sunny climate where vibrant colours suit our bright skies, so I feel we should embrace this opportunity and not be shy to paint our homes in colours that uplift our soul.”
While there’s no shortage of colour around the home, a feminine light pink and blue are the reigning hues, especially on the walls. “I might start with a specific reference point, often a piece of artwork or a particular fabric upon which the room scheme will be built around,” says the designer, explaining her thought process when selecting which shade to paint the walls. “The windows, orientation and natural lighting in the room are also a consideration and, of course, the architecture and functionality required of the room are all factors that influence the reflection of colour from a surface.”
Victoria set up her eponymous studio last year as a way to provide personalised design-consultancy services in the Middle East region, and is in the midst of launching her own home accessories and artwork collection, too. “My studio work often draws from global influences, history and contemporary design; blending elements from different styles and periods to create inspirational living spaces,” she enthuses. “These principles are also being applied to the product designs now emanating from the studio.”
Most recently Victoria has launched her inaugural lampshade collection, made from intricately handcrafted textiles and classic Indonesian silk ikat fabrics. “I had been searching for lampshades for my own home for a long time,” she tells us. “I was unable to source anything locally so decided to have a go at making my own. I was thrilled with the first pair of lampshades I made and received a lot of interest in them, so I am now manufacturing lampshades for sale through my studio along with a coordinating range of cushions.”
There are a number of pieces within the home that have been acquired over the years from travels abroad, as well as family heirlooms. In the living room is an antique Knole sofa which was once placed in the British ambassador’s residence in Bonn, then West Germany, and was bought by Victoria’s grandfather. “The pair of classic Parker Knoll armchairs are also from my British family,” says Victoria. “I attach a lot of sentimental value to the items I have collected and many bring back happy memories.”
The designer’s love for collecting doesn’t end there. “I have an outrageous mask collection that I started as a teenager from my travels; my favourites are the crazy ones from various African and Asian countries,” she laughs. “I cannot travel anywhere without bringing home a piece of objet d’art with me – or as I like to call it, an ‘eth-nic-nac’”.
Victoria’s honeymoon purchases include bird sculptures in silver from Cambodia and a large lamp from Vietnam. “My poor husband has even had to carry back a huge wooden tribal chief’s chair from Rwanda after a trip to see the gorillas in the wild,” she reminisces. “I have beautiful ceramics from South America and of course, many treasures from my time in India such as brass inlaid dowry chests and bronze sculptures.” There’s also a quirky display of framed butterflies, beetles and insects from Peru and Malaysia that hangs before the dining area. “I like them, but I’ve had the occasional dinner guest take objection to the framed tarantula.”
Several artworks adorn the walls, each with a story of its own. A statement pair of Chinese ancestor paintings on silk hang in the living room, which are said to date back to the Ming Dynasty period. “I was viewing a house here and saw them on the homeowner’s wall – I was immediately drawn to the cobalt blue. She was downsizing so was happy to sell them on to me.”
Another silk painting is the de Gournay wallpaper which welcomes the family upon entrance, displayed on a large-scale canvas. Filled with many precious memories, the treasured work was funded by the sale of Victoria’s Jenny Packham wedding dress eleven years ago. “I have no regrets as now I see my beautiful ‘wedding dress’ hung on the wall every day.”
Some other abstract works of note include Aboriginal art from Australia bought during her travels as a student. “I love the obscure vibrant colours and patterns.” A gift from her husband, there’s a piece by Icelandic artist Kristjana S Williams which depicts the Crystal Palace in London from the Great Exhibition of 1851. “This is of significance to me personally because as a doctoral research student, I was awarded a prestigious fellowship from the Royal Exhibition of 1851 of which I’m very proud. The artist uses an intricate technique of layering ‘nature upon nature to mirror the symmetry in all living things’, and I love how she has filled the Crystal Palace with copious flora and fauna.”
But for some rooms, Victoria envisioned very specific artworks on the walls, and so she created them herself; a large-scale colourful abstract work upstairs and botanicals on canvas.
Every detail here is an expression of individuality, and the precious pieces collected over so many years, layered with meaning, have breathed new life into a once unoccupied space. This is exactly what makes Victoria’s home so special: there’s a sense of history coupled with a vision of the future, inviting an unexpected, visually striking journey through time.
Lead Image Caption: Pink and blue remain the predominant colours around the house, with traditional furniture and eclectic lampshades designed by Victoria punctuating every corner
Photography by Mohammad Adel Rashid.
From Harper’s Bazaar Interiors Spring 2022 issue