Interior Design Masters Winner Roisin Quinn visits Respectacle in Market Harborough
Last Saturday afternoon, Roisin Quinn, the talented winner of series five of BBC Interior Design Masters, visited Respectacle Company. Knowing how busy Roisin has been since claiming the title in May, we were grateful she took the time to drop by and explore our eyewear collection.
Roisin’s love for vibrant colours and eyewear is well-known, so we were confident that Respectacle would be right up her street. Our hunch proved to be right! As soon as she stepped into our charming little store on Manor Walk, Roisin exclaimed that it felt like being in an eyewear sweet shop due to the array of captivating and eclectic choices.
We had a lovely conversation about colours, including my favourite colour, orange, and green, which Roisin considers to be her version of ‘white’. We also discussed the BBC Interior Design Masters show, talking about Roisin’s motivation for applying, the hard work it required, and how it was one of the best experiences she has ever had. We also chatted about how things have changed for her since winning the show.
I gave Roisin a tour of the shop, showcasing our diverse collections and explaining the background of each one. I shared with her why we chose to stock the specific brands we carry and how they align with our overall ethos. Naturally, we also had a big trying-on session. Roisin was impressed with the variety of eyewear styles we offer. I think she was pleasantly surprised to discover such interesting and unique models available outside of the major cities.
Roisin looked good in all the glasses she tried on. I had a few ideas which I thought would look particularly well on her, taking into consideration size, shape, colour and fit. It was a good test for me because this is what we do at Respectacle Company; we advise our customers on the best suitable eyewear possible. But being an interior designer, Roisin has a good eye for design and colours.
We first focused on L.G.R eyewear, the handmade Italian brand with a romantic backstory. L.G.R frames are known for their classic designs with a unique twist and often feature in movies and television shows. They have appeared in films such as the Mission: Impossible franchise and Netflix shows like Emily in Paris and Ripley, to name just a few. You can find more information about L.G.R eyewear on TV here.
We also delved into the endless choices from FEB31st, a wooden handmade collection from Italy, which the wearer can personalise with many different colour combinations. We played around with different frame shapes and colours, with Roisin eventually settling on a very striking style and colour combo, which we are getting made up for her as we speak. These frames are handmade in Italy and the process can take anywhere from a month to six weeks. But we think the result is always worth waiting for. We will show you Roisin’s bespoke frame in a few weeks when it has arrived from Italy. But we have decided to keep the design and colours she chose hush-hush until then!
In a BBC interview when Roisin lifted her crown, she said: “If I’ve created a space and it brings people joy, and they walk in and instantly smile and feel like someone’s given them a big hug, that is what I want to achieve”. And that’s exactly how we feel at Respectacle; we want our customers to smile, be happy and enjoy wearing their glasses.
Thank you, Roisin, for taking the time out of your busy schedule to visit our optical store. We very much enjoyed meeting you and talking about all things eyewear, colours and design.
Visit us in-store Tuesday through Friday from 9 am to 5 pm and on Saturday from 9 am to 4 pm to browse our collection of independent eyewear. If you aren’t local to our Market Harborough store, we have a selection of frames available to purchase through our website. If you find something you like and need more information, call 01858 433577 and speak to one of the Respectacle team.
Further reading:
From order to fitting: the journey to new spectacles
