David Collins is a fine example of what happens when two worlds collide – in this case, architecture and interior design. The Dublin born and raised son of an architect put aside early ambitions to enter the world of interior design to follow in his father’s footsteps – a career path that shaped his future as one of the most influential interior designers of the past 30 years.  

While we’ve predominately focused on photographers throughout this series, interior design projects are often the reason for our customers buying canvas prints, so we thought we’d use his incredible approach as some inspiration!

David made his name by combining his knowledge of architecture with an endless passion for interior design – a marriage that meant that he could see a project through from the initial design phase all the way to completion. This breadth of knowledge meant that he could design the architectural aspects of his projects with the end interior design in mind, which made the finished product more balanced and pleasing for his clients. 

This ability, along with the elegance and functionality of his work, made David Collins incredibly popular with restaurant and bar owners – in fact, it could be said that he revolutionised the restaurant industry!

Of course, with this notoriety came a host of invitations to build and design interiors for the homes of the rich and famous – he counted Madonna as a client and friend, designing her London and New York apartments – and it's this side of his work we’ll look at to inspire you today.

We assume that you’re not all architects and are unlikely to be starting your interior design project from the ground up, but there are definitely aspects of David’s work that you can apply to your more modest projects! 

It would be fair to say that David didn’t have a specific signature look, and every design he created was unique, but the one overriding feature to his work was the use of grand furniture and spectacular lighting. He was equally happy using monotones as he was working with earthy or bright colours, but there was always an overall theme – something we absolutely encourage you to embrace. 

Think about the entire design of your space before investing in random items that you like; it’s important to build a coherent whole – especially if you’re going for a grand and opulent design! Consider how each piece fits, and when choosing your wall art, think about how canvases could add interest to the project to bring the room together. 

When David Collins died in 2013 he left a gap in the design industry, but you can keep his spirit alive by being bold and playful when you sit down to plan your own living space.

We assume that you’re not all architects and are unlikely to be starting your interior design project