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Which of These Dreamy Irish Homes Would You Love to Move Into?
Enjoy this roundup of some of Houzz Ireland’s loveliest renovations
From a cabin by a lake to a converted workshop and an elegantly restored Edwardian terrace, you’ll be spoilt for choice trying to pick the house that most closely resembles your fantasy home. Have a browse through the highlights from some favourite Houzz Tours and then let us know what you think.
Clever use of mirrors really boosts the already generous amount of light this redesigned home lets in.
And you won’t believe the before photos for this project (check them out via the link below).
Take a tour of this stylish property
And you won’t believe the before photos for this project (check them out via the link below).
Take a tour of this stylish property
A former workshop becomes a characterful, vintage-filled home
The designer-owner of this welcoming home in Galway’s West End had her work cut out. When she bought the place, it was an oily garage on one side, and a carpentry workshop on the other. “It had a roof and walls,” says Aoibheann MacNamara of Ard Bia, “but it was very bare and very much a workshop, covered in dust and full of electric saws.”
The designer-owner of this welcoming home in Galway’s West End had her work cut out. When she bought the place, it was an oily garage on one side, and a carpentry workshop on the other. “It had a roof and walls,” says Aoibheann MacNamara of Ard Bia, “but it was very bare and very much a workshop, covered in dust and full of electric saws.”
Now the property is an inviting home and full of imaginative touches, as well as being really child friendly – those hoops in the previous photo provide plenty of entertainment for MacNamara’s young son. He also has a cute staircase up to a little cubby hole that leads from the living room into his bedroom in the eaves.
This glass wall at the top of the stairs, made from repurposed windows, is a beautiful and creative touch.
See more of this converted workshop
See more of this converted workshop
A light and airy lakeside cabin
This picture-book cute 1960s one-storey chalet in County Westmeath is nestled amid woodland and overlooking Lough Ree.
The two-bedroom bungalow is approached via a winding road through the trees. It had been in the family of its owner for years when interior designer Egon Walesch inherited the property. He totally rethought the space. “The point of this project was to create somewhere to escape to – a peaceful haven,” he says.
This picture-book cute 1960s one-storey chalet in County Westmeath is nestled amid woodland and overlooking Lough Ree.
The two-bedroom bungalow is approached via a winding road through the trees. It had been in the family of its owner for years when interior designer Egon Walesch inherited the property. He totally rethought the space. “The point of this project was to create somewhere to escape to – a peaceful haven,” he says.
One of the first things Walesch did was enlarge the windows or add more, and knock down walls to make more of the wonderful views.
“The house is in a gorgeous location,” he says, “but I didn’t feel it made the most of it. In the sitting room, for example, the window was high up, so when you sat in an armchair, you couldn’t see the lake.”
View the rest of this woodland cabin
“The house is in a gorgeous location,” he says, “but I didn’t feel it made the most of it. In the sitting room, for example, the window was high up, so when you sat in an armchair, you couldn’t see the lake.”
View the rest of this woodland cabin
An Edwardian terraced house gets an elegant revamp
What a great lesson in how to mix the old with the new. In this four-bedroom house in Rathgar, Dublin, elegant details such as wide, pale Douglas Fir flooring, trench heating and contemporary furniture sit alongside beautifully restored period features such as the fireplaces and cornicing.
What a great lesson in how to mix the old with the new. In this four-bedroom house in Rathgar, Dublin, elegant details such as wide, pale Douglas Fir flooring, trench heating and contemporary furniture sit alongside beautifully restored period features such as the fireplaces and cornicing.
The house was reconfigured over a two-year period by architect Stefan Hoeckenreiner of Ambient Architecture.
Though he only added 10 sq m to the building’s footprint, Hoeckenreiner hugely increased the sense of space and light.
Explore this Edwardian terrace
Explore this Edwardian terrace
A thatched cottage on an Irish river is revived
“You really get a sense for the wild beauty of the area,” says Maria Fenlon of Maria Fenlon Interior Design, who redesigned this riverside home in the east of Ireland. And the surrounding countryside was the starting point for the renovation project.
The house had fallen into a state of disrepair and needed lots of TLC to bring it back to life. Fenlon’s reconfiguration floods the house with light and views of the beautiful setting.
“You really get a sense for the wild beauty of the area,” says Maria Fenlon of Maria Fenlon Interior Design, who redesigned this riverside home in the east of Ireland. And the surrounding countryside was the starting point for the renovation project.
The house had fallen into a state of disrepair and needed lots of TLC to bring it back to life. Fenlon’s reconfiguration floods the house with light and views of the beautiful setting.
In the kitchen, Fenlon knocked down a dividing wall and widened the window over the sink to draw attention to the outside.
Nature bursts into the house at every opportunity. In the adjacent dining room, Fenlon brightened the space by adding bifold doors and positioning a mirror to reflect the views across the garden.
Take a look around this country cottage
Take a look around this country cottage
Clever design brings light into a unique home in Dublin
The external architecture of this unusual three-bedroom modern house in Dublin makes it hard to imagine what the inside could look like.
Planning permission was rejected twice for this home, which is situated in a 19th-century former walled orchard, but, eventually, by designing a “house that didn’t look like a house”, architect David O’Shea of ODOS Architects finally satisfied the local authority.
The external architecture of this unusual three-bedroom modern house in Dublin makes it hard to imagine what the inside could look like.
Planning permission was rejected twice for this home, which is situated in a 19th-century former walled orchard, but, eventually, by designing a “house that didn’t look like a house”, architect David O’Shea of ODOS Architects finally satisfied the local authority.
Due to the position of the windows, the layout is upside down, with the bedrooms on the lower floors.
And while the windows aren’t immediately visible from the exterior, once inside, the building is filled with light. Thanks to clever design, this daylight comes in via the internal courtyards, roof lights and double-height spaces.
Take the full Houzz Tour
Which of these Irish houses are your favourite? Tell us in the Comments below.
And while the windows aren’t immediately visible from the exterior, once inside, the building is filled with light. Thanks to clever design, this daylight comes in via the internal courtyards, roof lights and double-height spaces.
Take the full Houzz Tour
Which of these Irish houses are your favourite? Tell us in the Comments below.
This room, in a four-bedroom family home in Ballsbridge, south Dublin, is the only specifically ‘grown-up’ space, designed specifically for the parents to enjoy after the children’s bedtimes. Dark glossy walls and elegant gold make it “really over-the-top”, says designer Roisin Lafferty of Kingston Lafferty Design. And you’d never guess that table used to be a garden bench, would you?