One year into his Postgraduate Diploma course and Darragh is already sporting a bronze medal. Darragh Collopy is a man who sees things differently, you might say he has a virtual perspective on the natural world.
How it started
Having spent 5 years living and working in Thailand, Darragh came back to Ireland with plans. He had moved around SE Asia teaching English but he found himself restless in the classroom. Darragh grew up pottering around his Irish garden. His parents had created a green oasis where they would plant from seed and proudly tend to their flourishing garden. In Thailand Darragh’s gardens were filled with bamboo and fruit trees but it was when he hand-built a bed from a giant bamboo, Darragh knew he needed to do something with his hands.
He found himself more and more drawn to the outdoors and loves to get his hands dirty and reconnect with the earth. With his design mind, having already earned a degree in product design, it is no great surprise that he finds himself in garden design. It was working in a hydroponic farm in Ubon Ratchathani (Eastern Thailand) where he began to feel a sense of belonging, but it was when he completed permaculture courses in the RBG in Chang Mai that he knew he was hooked.
Back in Ireland
Finally, Darragh came home to Ireland. Taking on a job in a garden centre was another step, but it just wasn’t enough, so he enrolled in Garden Design Academy of Ireland. Darragh is still in his first year but not a man to wait around, he has already launched his company Duir Design, with the name Duir coming from the Irish for oak tree.
This is a VR business that allows clients to don a VR headset and stand inside the garden design of their dreams. Darragh is aware that not everyone has the minds-eye of a designer and some people struggle to clearly envision a garden design, even with 2D and 3D rendered drawings. But Duir Design gives them that vision.
He decided to begin marketing his business and was looking around for trade shows and various opportunities to showcase his company.
Virtual Haven
Bloom was an ideal choice, and such was their interest in his product that they invited him to enter their ‘Small Show-Garden’ competition.
And behold, ‘Virtual Haven’ was born!
Darragh’s stunning ‘Virtual Haven’ garden was built and presented in real-life but was also accompanied with a VR representation of the design so people could see how it looks virtually versus reality. It was such a success that he won a bronze medal. The garden is a tranquil space mixing tropical with Irish planting, bursting with pollinating florals and built with reclaimed materials. It is a meditative space filled with fragrant herbs and flowers resulting in a beautifully crafted oasis. Darragh feels Bloom was a massive learning curve and although it took some attention away from his studies in Garden Design Academy of Ireland, he is confident it will help propel him forward. The preparation and the pressure of Bloom were daunting at first, but he found the camaraderie and collaborative attitudes of his competitors truly enlightening. The origin of the ‘Virtual Haven’ was to marry Irish cottage with Asian sensibilities including a meditation circle and the mindful trickling of a water feature.
Darragh continues to grow his business while he pursues his Postgraduate Diploma in the academy and the goal is to bring VR planning into gardens all around Ireland.
And with a medal winning debut, there is no doubt he will do just that.
Check out our courses to start your learning journey in garden design today!