Privacy & Cookie Policy
Last updated: July 2026
Your personal privacy is important to us. Sakura Garden Design takes great care with personal information provided during the course of our professional relationship, whether received online, by telephone, by email, or in person.
This Privacy Notice explains how we collect, use, store, and protect your personal data. By engaging our services or using our website, you accept the practices described in this notice. We may update this notice from time to time; any changes will be published on our website and will be effective from the date of posting.
1. Data Controller
Sakura Garden Design
Trading name of: Ejay O Mahony
Studio address: Watergrasshill, Co. Cork, T56 FY64
Email: info@sakuragardendesign.ie
Website: www.sakuragardendesign.ie
2. What Personal Data We Collect
● Identity and contact data: full name, postal address, email address, telephone number.
● Property information: property address, site photographs, survey notes, and relevant planning documentation relating to your project.
● Financial data: payment records and invoice history (retained for Revenue compliance).
● Communication data: records of correspondence by email, telephone, or in person.
● Website usage data: IP address, browser type, pages visited (collected automatically via cookies — see Section 11).
We do not collect sensitive personal data as defined under Article 9 GDPR in the ordinary course of our business.
3. How We Collect Your Data
● When you contact us to enquire about or engage our services.
● When you complete a contact or enquiry form on our website.
● During site visits, consultations, or project meetings.
● When you correspond with us by email, telephone, or post.
● Where relevant, from publicly available planning records or mapping services.
4. Legal Bases for Processing
● Contractual necessity: processing is necessary to perform our services under the Client Agreement, or to take steps at your request before entering into a contract.
● Legal obligation: processing is necessary to comply with our legal obligations, including Revenue record-keeping requirements.
● Legitimate interests: processing is necessary for our legitimate business interests, including managing client relationships and developing our practice, where those interests are not overridden by your rights.
● Consent: where we process your data for purposes not covered above (for example, to use project photographs in our portfolio or on social media), we will seek your specific, freely given, written consent before doing so.
5. How We Use Your Personal Data
● To provide design consultancy and project management services as agreed.
● To communicate with you regarding your project, including sharing designs, scheduling, and updates.
● To issue invoices and manage payment.
● To comply with our obligations under Revenue and other applicable Irish law.
● To maintain accurate business records.
● With your consent: to use project photography for portfolio and promotional purposes on our website, social media, or in print materials.
6. Photography & Portfolio Use
We may wish to photograph or film your completed project for use in our professional portfolio, website, and social media platforms. We will always seek your explicit written consent before doing so. You may withdraw consent at any time by contacting us in writing. Withdrawal does not affect any use made prior to withdrawal. Where consent is given, we will not publish your property address or information that identifies you personally without your further express permission. Clients who require full confidentiality must notify us in writing at the time of booking.
7. Sharing Your Personal Data
We do not sell your personal data. We may share your data in the following limited circumstances:
● With independent contractors engaged on your project, but only to the extent necessary to communicate design intent.
● With our professional advisors including our accountant and solicitor, where necessary.
● With our IT and software service providers who act as data processors on our behalf and are bound by appropriate data protection obligations.
● With Revenue Commissioners or other regulatory bodies where required by law.
● With An Garda Síochána or other competent authorities where required by law.
We do not transfer your personal data outside the European Economic Area (EEA) unless adequate safeguards are in place as required by GDPR.
8. How Long We Retain Your Data
● Client project files: retained for 7 years from project completion in accordance with Revenue record-keeping requirements.
● Financial records and invoices: retained for 7 years as required by Irish tax law.
● Enquiry data (where no project proceeds): deleted within 12 months of last contact.
● Portfolio photographs (where consent is given): retained for the duration of our professional practice unless consent is withdrawn.
At the end of the applicable retention period, personal data will be securely deleted or anonymised.
9. Your Rights
Under GDPR and the Data Protection Acts 1988 to 2018, you have the following rights:
● Right of access: to receive a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
● Right to rectification: to require us to correct inaccurate or incomplete data.
● Right to erasure: to request deletion of your personal data where it is no longer necessary for the purpose for which it was collected, subject to our legal obligations.
● Right to restriction: to request that we restrict processing of your data in certain circumstances.
● Right to data portability: to receive your personal data in a structured, machine-readable format.
● Right to object: to object to processing based on legitimate interests.
● Right to withdraw consent: to withdraw consent at any time without affecting the lawfulness of prior processing.
To exercise any of the above rights, please contact us at info@sakuragardendesign.ie. We will respond within one month. We will not charge a fee unless the request is manifestly unfounded or excessive.
10. Complaints
If you believe our processing of your personal data does not comply with applicable law, you have the right to lodge a complaint with the Data Protection Commission (DPC):
Website: www.dataprotection.ie
Phone: +353 (0)1 765 0100
11. Cookies
Cookies are small text files placed on your device to help websites run efficiently. Our website uses cookies to improve your browsing experience and to measure site usage. We use strictly necessary cookies to ensure the website functions correctly, and where applicable, analytics cookies to understand how visitors use our site. You may disable cookies through your browser settings; however, this may affect certain website features.
Strictly Necessary Cookies: These cookies are essential for security and website functionality. They are deployed automatically by our hosting provider, Squarespace, and cannot be turned off.
Analytical Cookies (Optional): If you choose “Accept All” on our banner, Squarespace uses non-essential cookies (such as ss_cid, ss_cpvisit) to help us analyse traffic trends, see which design projects are most popular, and improve our services. These cookies last between 30 minutes and 2 years.
How to manage cookies: You can change your mind or withdraw consent at any time by clearing your browser cache or adjusting your settings.
12. Security
We take appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect your personal data against unauthorised access, accidental loss, destruction, or damage, including:
● Use of password-protected devices and accounts.
● Encrypted email and file storage where available.
● Restricting access to client data to the Designer only.
No method of electronic transmission is 100% secure. We cannot guarantee the absolute security of data transmitted via email or our website.
13. Changes to This Notice
This Privacy Notice may be updated from time to time to reflect changes in our data processing practices or applicable law. The most current version will always be available on our website.