OUR DESIGN TEAM
Our team is dynamic in skill and diverse in experience. Each member contributes to our design projects, and it is the sum of all our skills that allow us to deliver exceptional design.
SUSAN McGOWAN
Founder & Creative Director
Biography
Susan graduated from Griffith College Dublin with a First Class Honours Degree in Interior Architecture. She was awarded Best Overall Design Project and won the national accolade for Interior Architect of the Year as awarded by the Institute of Designers in Ireland in 2009.
Post graduation, Susan refined her skills working on a wide variety of high specification projects at International Architectural firms, including global design giant, Gensler. Upon returning to Ireland, Susan recognised a gap in the market for a more thought-driven approach to Residential Design. Having spent her career analysing how we work and play as a society, it seemed that the home was largely unserviced by the Interior Architecture community.
With a talent for both creative design and analytical thought, Susan's steadfast determination to create a unique aesthetic for each client begins with her ability to acquire and innovatively develop your brief. This detail-orientated approach extends throughout the life of her projects to ensure the design is assiduously executed from concept to completion.
In the 4 years since Susan founded the studio, she has become a recognisable voice within the Interior Design community in Ireland, UK and Northern Europe. She regularly features in the media, acting at times as guest Interior editor of leading lifestyle publication, RSVP Magazine, as well as contributing to design and build articles for The Irish Times, The Sunday Business Post, The Irish Independent and The Sunday Tribune.
She also works on special design and marketing projects for many household names including Selfridges group (Arnotts | Brown Thomas), DFS, Sonas Bathrooms, Sage Group, Marriott Autograph Collection (5* Powerscort Hotel & Spa) and The 5* Westin Hotel. Her work has also been featured in many Interior publications including Irish Homes Interiors & Living, Image Interiors & House & Home Magazine (cover Nov/Dec 2021).
Credentials
Professional Experience
15 years
- BA (Hons) Interior Architecture, Griffith College Dublin
- HND Interior Design, Griffith College Dublin
- PG Certificate in Applied Entrepreneurship, NUIG
Social Media
Memberships
Institute of Designers in Ireland
IA - Interiors Association Ireland
BARBARA TAUSSIG
Design Director
Biography
Barbara has always had a curious, problem solving mind and a desire to make people’s lives better. To this end, she first completed an MA degree in Law and worked in liberal politics for few years. Soon after she realised she was missing her true passion for design. She retrained to be an interior designer at Veresegyhazi Oktatasi Studio in Budapest where she obtained a distinction.
In 2004 Barbara relocated to London. She first worked for Gallery 25, an antique dealership in Belgravia where she developed a love for antiques, especially 20th century Italian pieces.
Between 2006-2010 she studied retail, digital textile, graphic and project designs in Central Saint Martins College, London and Hotel Design at Domus Academy, Milan. In 2011 she joined the American design giant, Gensler where she worked as a front end lead designer for over 9 years.
During her commercial career she has worked with media clients including Facebook, Google, Universal Pictures, Focus Features, UBM; financial firms including JP Morgan, Discover, T Row Price; consumer firms including Pepsico, Duracell, Procter & Gamble; and law firms including Sidley Austin and Akin Gump.
Barbara has always believed in the positive outcomes that can emerge from cross-sector designing, and has never liked to be restricted to one field. In her work, she emphasizes the importance of mixing elements of residential, commercial and hospitality design together. Gensler gave her opportunities to put her ideas into practice, for example in her work on large- scale hotel and mixed use projects in the Middle East.
In 2021 she joined Ashen & Cloud as Design Director, working alongside her friend and former colleague Susan McGowan.
Credentials
Professional Experience
20 years
- Diploma in Interior Design, Veresegyhazi Oktatasi Studio, Budapest
- MA Law, ELTE AJK, Budapest
OLGA YEMTSOVA
Interior Architect
Biography
Olga graduated with Honours from Azerbaijan University of Architecture and Construction with a specialism in Design of Architectural Environment.
Post graduation, Olga joined the offices of a Design & Build company in Baku as Project Architect, and worked on a number of high-end residential projects throughout her time there.
In 2008, Olga relocated to Ireland and started her family. During her time in Ireland, she worked at Martin Murray Architects, and was involved in a number of Architectural and Interior projects across a range of disciplines in the Residential, Public and Industrial sector.
In 2021, Olga became familiar with the work of Ashen&Cloud who are based locally to her in Athlone, and expressed her interest in joining the studio. Olga has since been instrumental in the growth of the studio, with a commitment and passion for assiduous attention to detail on all our studio projects.
Olga's design passion is founded on creating a sense of space where every small detail has integrity, evokes a sense of comfort and tranquility, and which harmonises with the character of the client. She is the Technical design lead on our studio projects and also sub-specialises in 3D Visualisation.
Credentials
Professional Experience
15 years
- BA (Hons) Design of Architectural Environment, Azerbaijan University of Architecture and Construction
- MA, Architecture, Azerbaijan University of Architecture and Construction (2004-2006)
REBECCA PEACOCK
Interior Designer
Biography
Rebecca graduated with a First Class Honours degree in Interior Architecture and Design from Atlantic Technology University Sligo. She was shortlisted in her final year for her Dissertation by the Writing category for Interior Educators in the UK, and exhibited her work and research on future materials as part of this.
Since graduating, Rebecca has worked across many industry sectors in a creative role, from her work as a Colour Consultant in prominent Irish paints company, to her work as a Design Consultant for some of Ireland's best known Kitchen Joinery companies.
Rebecca joined Ashen&Cloud in 2022, and has since excelled in our collaborative environment. Her hands-on approach and affable personality make her a client favourite, and her design talent is both intuitive and creative.
Rebecca has a particular aptitude and passion for combining fabrics, colours, materials and finishes in her design work. This considered approach extends through to the detail design on all our projects, where the minutiae of detail is important, and paramount to the final design outcome.
Credentials
Professional Experience
8 years
- BA (Hons) Interior Architecture and Design, Atlantic Technology University, Sligo
- BA Interior Design and Technology, Technology University of the Shannon, Limerick
Memberships
Institute of Designers in Ireland
Interiors Association Ireland https://www.theinteriorsassociation.ie
LEARN ABOUT OUR DESIGN SERVICES
We have 3 types of Design Services that we offer to our clients.
We hope that within these parameters, you can find a service that suits your requirements.