Shevaun: And, of course, you had the sea and the mountains nearby, part of the joy of living in County Dublin? Orla: Funnily enough, she is, even though she's brown. I just thought, 'Olive', it's a cute name and she's got Olive-y eyes. And we've got Ivy, who's a very funny little dog. Orla Kiely was awarded an Honorary OBE in recognition of her services to business and the fashion industry in 2011. Orla: Absolutely. The sea was four minutes walking, Shankill Beach is right in the middle between Killiney and Bray.

The mid-century modern aesthetic that inspires her distinctive designs is instantly recognisable and, along with her striking graphic interpretations of nature, attracts fashionistas like Alexa Chung, Kirsten Dunst, Scarlett Johansson, Keira Knightley and the Duchess of Cambridge. She also acts as a Visiting Professor at the Royal College of Art and is a trustee for the Graduate Bursary Fund for fashion students. Shevaun: What about Heals, Eames, Jacobson and Eileen Gray's modernist period, were they influences? Orla: Exactly. And if you wanted a few amusements and ice-creams, Bray. It was lovely, it was a great childhood.

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Shevaun: The nostalgia built into that is fantastic and it comes out in your furnishings and homewares as well as in your print designs.

She presents her ready-to-wear and accessories collection every season at London Fashion Week. Her label includes a complete ready-to-wear collection, travel, homeware, stationery and even a collaboration with Citroën. Shevaun: In addition to your distinctive use of colour, your patterns are immediately recognisable. How did your iconic stem pattern evolve?

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Orla: I left Dublin to get experience; there were very few opportunities for a textiles designer in Ireland. I had a year working in New York in a very practical design studio. I spent a lot of time mixing colours to absolute perfection. I learned how to build and make colours, how to affect the tones, how to make a colour chalky or clean or dirty, the subtleties of colour. So that was a really important time. Shevaun: My granny's farm was near where you grew up, just beyond the little Church of Ireland there...