A stylish see-through home has been rebuilt with the needs of its young family in mind, writes Eoin Lyons
Orla Collins, who is originally from Kilkenny, lives with her husband, John, and their four children - six-year-old twins Louisa and JC, 12-year-old Holly and nine-year-old Robbie - in a house in Blackrock, Co Dublin, that they finished renovating last December. It was almost rebuilt from scratch; key to this process were a few people Collins says she couldn't have done without. "My architect, Art McGann [of MGOS, 01-8014242] brought me to see a house he had done for a disabled person - my son JC is disabled - and we came up with the idea for the glass courtyard in the centre of the house. It means I can see into almost every room from the kitchen, so I know where JC is all the time. Art had a vision of the style of house I wanted and had me cutting out pages from magazines of things that I liked. I'm a big fan of American style: traditional and cosy but formal in a way also. I love the whole Ralph Lauren Home and Pottery Barn look." Her builder, Desmond McGurk (01-4525666), also sounds like something of a saint. "He finished two weeks ahead of schedule and on budget, but he didn't take short cuts."
THE HALL
Inside the front door is a small lobby that opens into a square inner hall with other rooms leading off it. This takes the place of a formal dining area. "I didn't want a wasted room that we'd hardly ever use. If I'm entertaining I put two trestle tables here with folding chairs. Otherwise it's quite empty, which keeps the house feeling spacious." A fireplace was built to one side. "I saw something similar in a magazine story on Cybill Shepherd's home in Santa Monica, and my builder re-created it. The wood surrounds are from Kilkenny Architectural Salvage & Antiques [056-7764434] and only cost €120. It's a great place to find things that don't cost a lot of money." The walls are painted a shade of apple green by Fleetwood Paint; the chairs, in green velvet, are from Galleria (01-6744736), and the rug is from Habitat. The Ikea paper lights are a nice contrast to the more expensive furniture. The floor is walnut, a great match with green.
LIVINGROOM
The inner hall opens into the livingroom through a pair of glass doors. "I saw something like these in a Martha Stewart book. Apart from the bedrooms and bathrooms, all the doors into all the rooms in the house have glass panels." They help make the place brighter and larger. The sofa, from Instore in Limerick (061-416088; also Waterford and Galway), is the kind of oversize piece you sink into. "I wanted a homely house, somewhere people can sit comfortably." The other elements of the room complement the green-taupe hues of the walls and sofa: blue cushions from Brown Thomas; a glass ball lamp with brown velvet shade from Handcraft Lighting (01-6778520) and a vase from House of Ireland (01-6711111), which rests on a coffee table also from Instore.
BATHROOM
The family bathroom has a wetroom feel, with an open shower sitting behind a dividing wall. "We didn't want a regular shower, and this is great, because JC can get in and out easily. Surface Ceramics [01-6638991], in Dún Laoghaire, supplied the marble tiles." In a bathroom, particularly one that is tiled, under-floor heating is a worthwhile expense.
MASTER BEDROOM
There's something restful about the master bedroom: pale pink walls (using Fleetwood Paint, whose subtle shades are not too different from the ubiquitous Farrow & Ball) and a plum carpet, from TC Matthews (01-6717233 and branches), are carried through to the bed linen and cushions, all from Bottom Drawer at Brown Thomas (01-6056696). Pale-green oval shades on lamps from Harriet's House (01-6777077) are picked up by large embroidered green square pillows. "I got the two side tables at Ikea; they have a kind of New England look. Once a year a few friends and I make a trip to Ikea in Glasgow. It costs £60 [€90] to deliver a large trolley back home, and because everything is flat-packed, you can really pile things in. These cost about £50 [€75] each."
CHILDREN'S BEDROOM
For Louisa and Holly's bedroom, Orla found two old iron beds in an antique shop and had them painted. They're decked out in floral sheets from Ralph Lauren and bedspreads bought at Pottery Barn on a trip to the US. Wool blankets folded at the end of each bed are from House of Ireland. The little monkey sitting on the right bed is from Pia Bang; the Love cushion on the other bed is from Bottom Drawer.
KITCHEN
The kitchen, which has a high-pitched roof, has sliding doors leading into the courtyard. Collins recommends looking beyond Dublin for fitted kitchens. Hers was made by Shannonside Kitchens (061-228937), in Limerick, at a much lower price than what it might cost in Dublin. Units have old-fashioned metal handles and look fresh painted white against an exposed brick wall. The island counter is green wild granite - far more interesting than regular granite, as it has an uneven pattern. The stools are from Meadows & Byrne. Outside, the table and chairs are from Habitat.
LEMON LAUNDRY
You mightn't think of using linen water, but L'Occitane's Verbena water (€12.95) will add a subtle lemon scent to fabrics if mixed with water when ironing or hand-washing. It can also be sprayed directly onto fabric. We like it best used on bed linen. At L'Occitane, Wicklow Street, Dublin; Blackrock Shopping Centre; Dundrum Town Centre; Cork and Limerick.
SMALL PLEASURES
The new Aga Four-Two Special Edition Mini is a cute adaptation of the company's regular range, designed to appeal to city dwellers tight on kitchen space (hello, apartment owners). The Mini fits in the slot for a regular oven, with a gas-fuelled hob instead of the usual lift-up lid. Otherwise, it's the same as a larger Aga. It costs €5,140. You'll be able to order it at a store due to open later this month in the old library building on Upper Georges Street in Dún Laoghaire. It will sell everything Aga produces, including smart black fridges and cookware. There will also be tiling and sanitaryware by Fired Earth and range cookers by Falcon and La Cornue (all brands owned by Aga). The extravagantly priced La Cornue ranges cost up to €100,000. Bono is said to be a customer.
CRAZY PRICES
If you're in the market for very expensive furniture, visit Galleria's new store, on four floors of a Victorian building on South William Street in Dublin. Furniture is displayed as it might work in a home, which means little groupings complete with accessories and rugs, all for sale. One floor is given over to furniture in traditional styles: an inlaid bookcase for €12,000, perhaps, or a two-person sofa for €7,500. Irish design is available, notably Niamh Barry lighting. Make an appointment and let in-house designers draw up a plan for your home.