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HUSBAND AND WIFE team Alan Farrelly and Rachel Duffy established Farrelly & Co in 2021 and the business has quickly developed a reputation for their eponymous paint products as well as their expert painting service.
When did you establish Farrelly & Co and what inspired you to start your business?
Farrelly & Co was established in 2021 – we had just returned from Perth after living there for three years. We were hugely inspired by the trade industry over there, and its professionalism, and wanted to bring a fresh new approach to the painting industry here in Ireland.
There are two aspects to your business – can you tell us a bit about both?
On our painting and restoration services side we focus on delivering high-end results in people’s homes. After we launched the services side of Farrelly & Co, we then quickly realised that we wanted to develop a paint collection that not only matched our passion for colour and the transformational process but a paint that matched our premium approach.
How has your business evolved over the last three years?
Alan: There’s been a huge evolution. We always look back at the early days of Farrelly & Co very fondly. When we first launched, I was a one man band, we got busy very quickly on the services side and needed to hire fast.
Rachel: I was the apprentice painter for a few weeks before we onboarded the first professionals. When we initially launched, I was still working full-time in my job before taking the leap in March 2022.
The month that I turned 30, I got engaged and handed in my notice. It was a busy month!
What inspires you?
We look everywhere for inspiration – to fashion, interiors, travel, nature, architecture and beyond. When it comes to colour it’s all around us. For our collection, each paint colour is inspired by people and places that hold special memories for us. For example, Tilly Girls is a romantic rose pink named after Rachel’s great grandmother who was a Tiller Dancer in London in the 1920s.
Describe your workspace.
Our workspace is currently split between our home office and our projects on-site. It’s a functional yet creative environment where samples, mood boards and paint swatches are always within reach.
Do you take your work home?
Yes – it’s hard not too. As a small business there is always something that needs to be done but we wouldn’t have it any other way. Lots of weekends are spent around the kitchen table discussing next steps and how we can evolve and improve as a business.
With it being Valentine’s Day this week we have to ask how you strike a balance between your personal and work relationship?
Luckily we work very well together! We are complete opposites so we balance out each other’s weaknesses and strengths. That said, we do have a ban on talking about work before breakfast and in the evening time to allow time to unwind after the working day. Some days it’s harder to keep to that rule than others.
What did you do before this?
Rachel: I worked as a buyer in a large international retailer and prior to that in marketing for an interior design business.
Alan: I was working as a painter – actually, I was sponsored as a painter in Perth which would have allowed us to stay in Australia, but Dublin kept calling us back.
Describe a typical working day at Farrelly & Co.
We’re both up early – a habit we developed in Australia. Typically the alarm goes off at 5am and we’ll do a workout then have a quick breakfast. The day will involve on-site project meetings, meeting with new clients and general operations on the services side with a few zoom meetings throughout the day.
We do our marketing and social media in-house and are always trying to think outside the box. We were actually very lucky that, during the Covid pandemic, we managed to create and build up a good following online as people were sick of looking at their four walls and were eager for a bit of inspiration for their home.
How important is teamwork to what you do?
Teamwork is incredibly important to our business. It’s the two of us in the office and our team of talented painters on our projects. We’re a small company, and we consider ourselves very lucky to have a great team around us with the same values and vision for Farrelly & Co that we have. Our larger projects can sometimes take a few weeks to complete, so when our team is spending a significant amount of time in someone’s home having a team that embodies the company is essential.
Is sustainability a consideration at Farrelly & Co?
Definitely, we were the first company in Ireland to develop and introduce Peel & Stick paint samples which provide 100% accuracy thus eliminating the need for messy pots and reducing waste. These paint samples are 95% less wasteful than traditional paint sample pots. Our paint collection is also water based, non-toxic and vegan.
What trends do you predict this year?
We’re noticed people really embracing bolder colours. Brown will continue to be very big and overall colour will still be big but in muddier, earthier tones. We’re also noticing that people are being more daring with their woodwork colours, so rather than sticking with the traditional white doors, skirting and so on we’ve seen a shift to more playful combinations.
If you weren’t doing this what would you be doing?
Rachel: I’d be doing anything creative – design, buying, marketing or branding.
Alan: I love to be a full-time marathon runner but unfortunately I don’t think I’m quite talented enough to make a career out of it so, on a more practical level, I’d love to be involved in building and creating new businesses.
What has been your proudest moment in business so far?
We represented Dublin in The National Start Up Awards for the Product and Manufacturing award in 2023 – about 12 months after we launched our paint collection. That was pretty surreal.
Who would you like to collaborate with?
There are so many talented people in the design space at the moment – from furniture designers to artists that it’s hard to narrow it down. Last year we collaborated with Gerard Byrne on his exhibition ‘Spirit of Place’ so another artist collaboration would be amazing as there is such a crossover between the two.
What’s next for you and your business in 2025?
The next big thing for us is showcasing at The Ideal Home Show on April 11th – 13th in the RDS. It’s such a great weekend to talk to people and share our passion for paint. After that we have a few new paint colours coming in 2025 so watch this space!
Discover more about Farrelly & Co on Instagram and at www.farrellyandco.com.
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