To celebrate Pride and the LGBTQ+ community in Ireland this June, the Hard Rock Hotel Dublin has teamed up with renowned Irish fashion designer Colin Horgan to re-imagine one of the hotel’s superior guest bedrooms with one very simple brief – Love Out Loud. The new room, which will open to the public on Dublin’s Lord Edward Street today, has been designed by Horgan to create a safe space that feels inclusive to everyone while paying homage to the iconic gay club nights at Mother, the popular Irish LGBTQ+ club that was once located on the site where the hotel’s reception area sits today.

 “For me, it was about creating a safe space that incorporates both my pride of being LGBTQ+ and my passion for design” says Horgan. “I wanted the design to reflect the world I build through my fashion collections while also presenting the kind of space where people that wear my work might ideally like to spend time in.  Above all, I wanted the Love Out Loud room to feel inclusive to everyone, allow guests to create memorable moments together and connect visitors to the vibrant LGBTQ+ community who live here in Dublin.”

Kerry-born designer Colin is no stranger to producing stylish masterpieces that create impact and command attention. His clothes have been worn around the world by a long list of international artists and celebrities including Dua Lipa, Lady Gaga, Kehlani and Brooke Candy so the fashion designer was delighted to accept the Pride brief this year from the team at the Hard Rock Hotel Dublin. “My own studio walls are black, so it was a natural choice for me to choose a dark colour palette to work with,” he says of the room’s design aesthetic. “Soft furnishings and tactile fabrications engage the senses more, so I put real emphasis on the headboard which was positioned like a sculptural piece and stitched in-house, in our studio in Kerry, with the velvet fabric sourced by Capel Upholstery in Dublin. Additional furniture was also added, like the beautiful armchairs from Kerry company Ardfert Furniture & Design. The melting wave shape in our collection ‘Imposed Faction’ then continues onto the scatter cushions with little nods to past seasons including hidden pockets, D-rings and twin needle stitching in contrast white. It’s really been a lot of fun to do!”

In keeping with the Hard Rock Hotel’s homage to all things music, the neon lighting that hovers above the bed creates a club like mood while the room’s artwork features old photographs by Babs Daly of the old Mother venue and DJ, with the club’s symbolic pink neon triangle which has since been reclaimed as a badge of identity in Irish gay culture. The Hard Rock Hotel’s ‘Love Out Loud’ message provides the finishing touch, positioned as a neon light across a newly furnished teal panelled wall.

In addition to the stunning new interiors, guests will also be treated to rainbow coloured treats and a Crossley Record Player with a fabulous selection of LGBTQ+ artist vinyls to set the soundtrack to a stay in the capital.