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Houzz Tour: A ’70s Home Transformed With Abundant Light and Rich Colour
This playful yet grown-up family home has been re-energised with bold colour and elegant furniture
It’s immediately clear how much Roisin Lafferty of Kingston Lafferty Design enjoyed creating this fun home for a young family by the animated way she talks about the choices behind each very individual room. With full control of the project from the start, she was tasked with entirely restructuring the house, which initially comprised a semi-detached house and a separate granny flat.
‘We knocked the two together and reconfigured the whole space to form one large family home,’ says Lafferty. ‘There was a lot of structural steel involved, and we had to take off most of the back of the house and rebuild it. But that meant we could add a lot more glazing to create a very contemporary space with lots of light.’
‘We knocked the two together and reconfigured the whole space to form one large family home,’ says Lafferty. ‘There was a lot of structural steel involved, and we had to take off most of the back of the house and rebuild it. But that meant we could add a lot more glazing to create a very contemporary space with lots of light.’
Lafferty created a reading nook by the window. ‘It’s like a picture window,’ she says. ‘We got it made specially to make the most of all that lovely natural light.’
Window seat, custom-designed by Kingston Lafferty Design.
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Window seat, custom-designed by Kingston Lafferty Design.
Find some simple ways to bring art into your home
The kitchen-diner, at the far end of the house, as it used to look.
Around the corner, the space transitions into a dining room. ‘We got to use these amazing handblown glass chandeliers above the dining table,’ Lafferty says. ‘To add texture, we ribboned the timber flooring up the wall to make the space feel warmer.’
The designer says the homeowners were very trusting and open to her ideas, which included this bespoke dining table with painted trestle legs.
Lafferty is always keen to use plenty of mirrors in her interiors, too. Here, there’s a large panel strategically placed opposite the glazing to bounce the light around and show off the garden as much as possible.
Assorted chairs, all CA Design. Painting, Daniel Henson. Accessories, Dust. Chandeliers, Jan Plecháč and Henry Wielgus for Lasvit’s Never Ending Glory collection.
The designer says the homeowners were very trusting and open to her ideas, which included this bespoke dining table with painted trestle legs.
Lafferty is always keen to use plenty of mirrors in her interiors, too. Here, there’s a large panel strategically placed opposite the glazing to bounce the light around and show off the garden as much as possible.
Assorted chairs, all CA Design. Painting, Daniel Henson. Accessories, Dust. Chandeliers, Jan Plecháč and Henry Wielgus for Lasvit’s Never Ending Glory collection.
The original corner kitchen had cramped worktop space and old-fashioned finishing.
The kitchen now has a very different look, with yet more unique features. ‘We tend to design all of our kitchens bespoke,’ says Lafferty. ‘I never want a kitchen to look as if it’s just been added in. The house has a hint of industrial – I like to call it industrial opulence – so we used salvaged brick from the Dolphins Barn area of Dublin alongside a Carrara marble worktop, which provides such a nice contrast.’
All the glass cabinets are backed with mirrors to reflect more light.
Splendor brass pendant lights, Mullan Lighting Design & Manufacture. Crystal Bulb pendants, Lee Broom.
All the glass cabinets are backed with mirrors to reflect more light.
Splendor brass pendant lights, Mullan Lighting Design & Manufacture. Crystal Bulb pendants, Lee Broom.
Decorative blue tiles line the corridor into the utility room. ‘We carried the navy tones through there to make more of a statement,’ says Lafferty.
The foundation of this design job was ensuring the home could be adapted over time, as the children grow up. ‘The main thing was focusing on the journey and experience within the space,’ says Lafferty. ‘Right now, the children need to be supervised, but in time that will change, and though open-plan living is very popular, there’s also the desire to have some privacy as well. In this house, there are no dead ends; there are lots of routes throughout. It’s a jigsaw to put together and so much fun.’
Lafferty created a moodier room for the library. ‘It’s a family home, but the young professional couple who own it like to entertain,’ explains Lafferty. ‘This is the only non-child-friendly room in the house, so we kept it really moody and atmospheric. It has a dark navy with gloss finish, and is deliberately over the top.’
This unusual coffee table was made specially for the couple. Lafferty does a lot of repurposing in her design work, and this structure started life as an outdoor bench positioned around a tree. It was spray-painted black and had a glass top added.
Miles Davis light fitting, Eichholtz, available from Harrogate Interiors. Accessories, Dust. Wall light, Hicken Lighting. Connor sofa, Made.com. Side tables, Zara Home.
This unusual coffee table was made specially for the couple. Lafferty does a lot of repurposing in her design work, and this structure started life as an outdoor bench positioned around a tree. It was spray-painted black and had a glass top added.
Miles Davis light fitting, Eichholtz, available from Harrogate Interiors. Accessories, Dust. Wall light, Hicken Lighting. Connor sofa, Made.com. Side tables, Zara Home.
‘We hid a lot of storage behind panelling in this room, and created a cocktail bar,’ says Lafferty. ‘We got to have fun with these clients, including with the lighting. It’s quite a strong look, but playful.’
Chair, clients’ own, reupholstered in Smoothie by Emily McGuinness.
Chair, clients’ own, reupholstered in Smoothie by Emily McGuinness.
The front of the house – comprising the library and hallway – was kept more traditional, with coving and panelling, in contrast to the open and contemporary rear section. Joinery in general, however, is a key theme throughout the house.
Wall light, Atelier Areti. Flowers and accessories, Dust. Chair, CA Design.
Wall light, Atelier Areti. Flowers and accessories, Dust. Chair, CA Design.
Upstairs, the whole space above the original house is a master en suite for the couple. ‘These rooms are designed as a place where they can escape from family life – if they get the chance!’ Lafferty says. ‘It includes the bedroom – a relaxing sanctuary for them – and an en suite bathroom.’
Main light, Jonathan Adler. Painting, Daniel Henson. Side lights, Hicken Lighting. Bed linen and accessories, House of Fraser. Twiggy occasional table, Graham & Green.
Main light, Jonathan Adler. Painting, Daniel Henson. Side lights, Hicken Lighting. Bed linen and accessories, House of Fraser. Twiggy occasional table, Graham & Green.
‘I focused on lovely textures to make the bedroom really comfortable and sensual. The rich velvet headboard was designed to wrap around the bed like a snug,’ says the designer.
‘The master en suite was quite brave,’ Lafferty admits. ‘We used monochrome tiles along the floor and up the back wall, with marble parquet under the freestanding bath. The vanity unit was custom made as well.’
Tiles, Fired Earth. Mirrors, custom-designed by Kingston Lafferty Design. Schoolhouse pendant, Hicken Lighting. Wall lights, Mullan Lighting Design & Manufacture. Roll-top bath, Heritage Bathrooms.
Read professional advice about how to stay on top of a bathroom renovation
Tiles, Fired Earth. Mirrors, custom-designed by Kingston Lafferty Design. Schoolhouse pendant, Hicken Lighting. Wall lights, Mullan Lighting Design & Manufacture. Roll-top bath, Heritage Bathrooms.
Read professional advice about how to stay on top of a bathroom renovation
Finally, the almost black spare bedroom was designed with New York in mind, in a masculine, industrial style. ‘There was definitely a gasp when the paint went on the wall!’ says Lafferty. ‘Charcoal grey does make the room feel smaller, but it’s also so calming.’
TELL US…
What do you think of this bold, stylish home? Share your thoughts in the Comments below.
TELL US…
What do you think of this bold, stylish home? Share your thoughts in the Comments below.
Who lives here A family with two young daughters
Location Ballsbridge, south Dublin
Property A semi-detached house built in the 1970s
Size 4 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms
Designer Roisin Lafferty of Kingston Lafferty Design handled all the architecture and interior design from start to finish
The brand-new extended section at the back of this home now houses the living room, dining room and kitchen, all in one space. ‘We left a partition between the dining room and kitchen so it doesn’t feel like one large room, and we concentrated on creating a different experience in each area,’ says Lafferty.
For the living area, this meant a huge, comfy sofa for the family to lounge on, with plenty of display shelves and storage cupboards in the joinery all along the wall. ‘We had serious fun with the 2m diameter light in here,’ Lafferty says. ‘Lighting is my favourite thing; I’m obsessed with it!’
Vertigo pendant light, available from Made in Design. Sofa, Roche Bobois.
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