Most people planning an interior project start online. They scroll through Pinterest boards and save screenshots from Instagram. But at some point, the screen stops being enough. Colours look different on every device. Textures are impossible to judge from a photograph, and the difference between a fabric that looks right and one that feels right is something you can only discover in person.

That’s the idea behind The Design Barn – a dedicated fabric studio in Galway where clients, designers and architects can explore materials the way they’re meant to be explored: by touch.

Why a Fabric Studio in the West of Ireland?

The Design Barn was founded by Gráinne, who brings over 25 years of interior design experience through her Galway-based practice, Architectural Spaces. Over decades of working on residential and commercial projects, one thing kept coming up: clients in the west of Ireland had limited access to a curated, luxury fabric library without travelling to Dublin or beyond.

The studio was created to fill that gap – a space where people could sit down, take their time, and work through material choices with expert guidance rather than rushing through a quick showroom visit or ordering blindly online.

What You’ll Find Inside

The Design Barn is, first and foremost, a working textile library. The collection spans upholstery fabrics, curtain and drapery materials, wallcoverings, and trimmings from leading design houses. Books are organised so that clients can browse by type, colour, pattern or brand – but the real value is in the curation. Every fabric in the studio has been selected with residential and hospitality projects in mind, so you’re not wading through thousands of irrelevant options.

The space itself matters too. The studio is designed to let you see fabrics in natural light, lay them out side by side, and get a genuine sense of how they’ll work together in a scheme. It’s a far cry from squinting at a 5cm swatch taped to a mood board.

Take a look inside The Design Barn and see the studio for yourself.

How the Studio Works

You don’t need to be working with an interior designer to visit. The Design Barn is open to private homeowners as well as trade clients – architects, designers and specifiers who need access to a comprehensive fabric resource in the west of Ireland.

A typical visit might look like this: you come in with a project in mind, whether that’s a full renovation or simply choosing fabric for a pair of curtains. The team will talk through what you’re looking for — the room, the light, how you use the space, what you’re drawn to — and then guide you through relevant options. You can take samples home to see how they look in your own rooms, in your own light, before committing.

For trade clients, the studio functions as a regional resource. Rather than posting swatch requests back and forth or relying on memory from a trade show, designers and architects can bring their clients to The Design Barn to make selections together, in person.

More Than a Showroom

What makes The Design Barn different from a standard fabric shop is the design expertise behind it. Since the studio grew out of Gráinne’s architectural and interior design practice, the advice goes beyond “what colour do you like?” The team understands how materials interact with light, how a fabric will behave on a particular piece of furniture, and how individual selections fit within the wider scheme of a room.

That matters more than most people realise. A velvet that looks beautiful on a sample card might be entirely wrong for a south-facing living room. A wallcovering that photographs well could overwhelm a small hallway. These are the kinds of judgement calls that come from years of working on real projects — and they’re built into every conversation at the studio.

Planning a Visit

The Design Barn is based in Galway and welcomes both appointments and drop-ins. Whether you’re at the very beginning of a project or deep into selections and need to resolve a specific fabric decision, the studio is set up to help at every stage.

If you’d like to arrange a consultation or simply have a question about a particular fabric or brand, get in touch — the team is always happy to talk through your project, however big or small.