A Liffey-side apartment has been given a make-over on a small budget. Eoin Lyons meets the owner.
Medical journalist Deborah Townsend came to Dublin from Australia five years ago and bought an apartment in one of the many blocks that line the Liffey quays. It was in bad condition, due to the legions of students that had previously inhabited the place, and the apartment's tiny rooms had little going for them, other than a quiet, top- floor location. Townsend's goal was to make the place seem larger and give it a high-spend feel, on a tight budget.
She advises spending time getting the basics right: "I went through about five tubes of Polyfilla to fix the holes made by picture hooks." And think about the details: "I replaced the old brass handles with steel tube handles that cost very little at Decwell's DIY on Georges Street, Dublin 2 (01-4781377) and used square steel dimmer light switches bought on Bolton Street. Both are cheap to do, but are the kind of things you associate with expensive interiors and so give the impression you've spent a lot of money."
COOKING
"This is a kitchen for someone who isn't a regular cook, but might want to do a dinner party every so often," Townsend says when describing the line of units that runs along one side of the main room. The original kitchen was in a gloomy alcove that she took down to open up the space. Subsequently, the living, dining and eating areas flowed into one another, so she used light colours in the kitchen as a way of dividing the space. "In a small apartment, I think it works to have lots of reflective surfaces. The Panelling Centre (Santry branch, 01-8841111) made the high-gloss white lacquer units. I didn't think the kitchen could take a row of cupboards above the counter, so I had a shelf put there instead. It's a spot to display nice things, and helps keep the open feel." The front of this shelf is covered with a stainless steel strip to link it to the splash-back in the same material. The counter top is veneered in exotic wenge wood.
SLEEPING
To keep as much of the bedroom floor as clear as possible (a key space-creating trick) Townsend bought white, wall-mounted bedside units at Ikea in Glasgow. "They're from the Malm range and are still available." They hold everything off the floor, and look great against the grey wall behind them. She made the bed head herself using a wood slat frame covered, using a staple gun, in white leather bought cheaply at TWI Fabrics on Mountjoy Square, Dublin 1 (01-8553777). The feathered cushions from Harriet's House on Dawson Street, Dublin 2 (01-6777077) soften what could be a masculine look. Candles and green flowers are other touches that take the hard edge from the room. It is a clever idea to buy a bed that is slightly higher than normal. "I'm not sure why it works, but it just does - a higher bed gives depth to small room." Townsend gave the windowsill four coats of high-gloss white paint to build up a thick shine that bounces light into the room.
EATING
Townsend pairs a white gloss table bought at Living on South William Street, Dublin 2 (01- 2828905) with chairs found at Habitat (01- 6771433). "Lots of white in a small space is always good, but what's great about this table is that it can fold flat, so I can push it against the wall for more floor space at a party. The chairs are stackable for the same reason." Behind her is a unit similar to the presses beneath the kitchen counter. "It doesn't scream 'kitchen units!'." Because it can be seen from the rest of the room, I wanted it to look like a fitted storage unit rather than what it actually is - fridge, cutlery drawers and food cupboards." In a small space, pay attention to details because you see them at close range: the handles on this unit were placed sideways to give some horizontal lines to the unit.
STORAGE
One side of the living room is given over to storage and the other to seating. The wenge chest of drawers from Mobilia on Stephen's Street, Dublin 2 (01-4780177) is filled with CDs and table setting pieces. "It's really well made and takes a lot of use. Mobilia is good for furniture that takes inspiration from high-end stuff, but at a more affordable price." The floating shelves are a bargain buy from Ikea and have a gloss white finish that blends into the wall behind. "I kept this wall white because there are a lot of shades everywhere else. It's Crown's Sail White (€14 for one litre at MRCB, Dublin 8, 01-6798755) - a good white to use because it's very forgiving of poor walls."
SEATING
Rather than use several smaller seating pieces, Deborah chose a large caramel sofa from Habitat. It forms the basis for the colours on this side of the room - the wall behind it is a Farrow & Ball cappuccino shade, the cushions are chocolate leather, and a single chair to the side is by B&B Italia in brown leather. ("Ridiculously expensive, but I bought it because it's such a lovely piece.") The table is an Eileen Grey reproduction and is used as a tray - as the designer would have intended.