Peter Johnson, who has died aged 63, was one of Ireland's leading interior designers for over 35 years. He furnished some of the country's premier apartments, town and country houses and hotels and his Dublin shops were known for their eclectic and discerning mix of furniture, fabrics, lighting and art.
His interiors decorated the original K Club in Straffan, Kelly’s Hotel in Rosslare, the Herbert Park Hotel and show apartments in Merrion Village and Shrewsbury Square along with many private homes including those of Albert and Kathleen Reynolds in Longford and Dublin.
He also worked with the OPW on Kilkenny Castle, Castletown House and Farmleigh and his last major project was a Scandinavian-style interior for a house in Kinsale for American clients.
Gregarious and affable, he was also an accomplished golfer, a member of Woodbrook Golf Club who played off a handicap of three in his early 20s.
The younger of two sons of Robert and Eileen Johnson, Peter grew up in Belfast where the family business, Johnson Brothers, was undertaking and furniture removal. Schooled in Portora in Enniskillen, he worked in the family business during the holidays, but was determined neither to work nor live in Northern Ireland.
Stylish mother
His strong visual sense and keen eye may have been inherited from his very stylish mother who had an antiques shop in Hillsborough. At 19, he came to Dublin for a year to work in the Dandelion Market for Michael Conlon and later David Carlisle and during this time met Natasha (Tash) Souter, then 17 (the eldest daughter of artist Camille Souter), whom he married four years later in 1977.
Having decided to become an interior designer, he completed a three-year course at Cleveland College of Art and Design in Middlesbrough, England, while also playing golf all over the county courses. Back in Dublin he and Tash decided to live within the canals and he started working with Bob Hudson of Hudson, Son & Jenkins, then one of the few companies doing interior design and decoration where he remained for four years. One of his earliest assignments was moving the Beits into a redecorated wing of Russborough House.
Always keen to work for himself, he set up on his own in 1981 at home in Lombard Street, Dublin 8, on the very day their first child, Ross, was born. Later he and Tash acquired a sweet shop nearby which became their showroom, workshop and separate curtain business.
Unusual pieces
Trade flourished during the 1980s and 1990s when he worked extensively with the architect Brian O’Halloran, set up a showroom in a former synagogue and a shop in Cow’s Lane by which time his staff had grown to 12.
He loved searching throughout Europe for one-off and unusual pieces for his shops and his aesthetic mix of Scandinavian and other mid-century modern furniture was ahead of its time in Ireland.
Though the recession took its toll from 2008 onwards, Johnson continued to attract many private clients and he particularly enjoyed the simple social pleasure of helping people hang paintings. Liberal in views, a non-judgmental, loving parent with a wide circle of friends, his other passions included a Dutch cruiser on the Shannon, classical music, long cycling trips with his wife, and the family’s French hideaway near Bordeaux.
He is survived by his wife Natasha (Tash) and his three children, Ross, Emily and Kate; his brother Richard and grandchildren Finn and Nikola.