My Houzz: A Former Workshop Becomes a Characterful, Vintage-filled Home
Aoibheann MacNamara took on a huge project when she turned a carpentry workshop and mechanic’s garage into a cosy family house
Kate Burt
4 November 2016
Houzz UK. I'm a journalist and editor, previously for the Independent, Guardian and various magazines. I'm now excited to part of the editorial team at Houzz UK & Ireland, bringing the best of British and Irish design, interiors and architecture to Houzz.com.
Houzz UK. I'm a journalist and editor, previously for the Independent, Guardian and... More
As design dilemmas go, what to do about the mechanic’s pit on the ground floor is a pretty niche one. And that was just one of many that Irish restaurateur and fashion designer Aoibheann MacNamara encountered while renovating her Galway home.
It was a long road to turn a building that had been used as a garage on one side, and a carpentry workshop on the other, into a welcoming and warm family home. Plenty of vintage pieces, lots of textiles and wood, plus underfloor heating were key additions. See the incredible results for yourselves.
It was a long road to turn a building that had been used as a garage on one side, and a carpentry workshop on the other, into a welcoming and warm family home. Plenty of vintage pieces, lots of textiles and wood, plus underfloor heating were key additions. See the incredible results for yourselves.
Houzz at a Glance
Who lives here Aoibheann MacNamara, owner of Ard Bia Interiors, Ard Bia Café and Restaurant in Galway, and The Tweed Project, and her son, Öni, 7
Location West End of Galway
Property A converted carpenter’s workshop built in the 1950s
Size 4 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, two of which are en suite (two bedrooms and one en suite of these are in a self-contained Airbnb annexe)
Architect Patrick McCabe, Galway
Builder Ian Morrissey Renovations
Kitchen design ThisIsWhatTheyDo
Photos by Doreen Kilfeather, except where specified
Aoibheann MacNamara’s aesthetic vision for her home, a former workshop she renovated in 2014, was ‘Nordic industrial’ – but before work started, the building was merely industrial. “And not in a good way!” she says. “It had a roof and walls, but it was very bare and very much a workshop, covered in dust and full of electric saws.”
That was just one half of the property. The other half had been used as a mechanic’s garage and still had the original repair pit in the floor. MacNamara toyed with the idea of keeping this unusual feature, having seen one transformed into a sunken sofa in a restaurant in Dublin to great effect, but her structural engineer wouldn’t allow it.
The living space seen here sits in what was the carpenter’s workshop side of the building. The door at the back of the room leads to MacNamara’s bedroom.
Who lives here Aoibheann MacNamara, owner of Ard Bia Interiors, Ard Bia Café and Restaurant in Galway, and The Tweed Project, and her son, Öni, 7
Location West End of Galway
Property A converted carpenter’s workshop built in the 1950s
Size 4 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, two of which are en suite (two bedrooms and one en suite of these are in a self-contained Airbnb annexe)
Architect Patrick McCabe, Galway
Builder Ian Morrissey Renovations
Kitchen design ThisIsWhatTheyDo
Photos by Doreen Kilfeather, except where specified
Aoibheann MacNamara’s aesthetic vision for her home, a former workshop she renovated in 2014, was ‘Nordic industrial’ – but before work started, the building was merely industrial. “And not in a good way!” she says. “It had a roof and walls, but it was very bare and very much a workshop, covered in dust and full of electric saws.”
That was just one half of the property. The other half had been used as a mechanic’s garage and still had the original repair pit in the floor. MacNamara toyed with the idea of keeping this unusual feature, having seen one transformed into a sunken sofa in a restaurant in Dublin to great effect, but her structural engineer wouldn’t allow it.
The living space seen here sits in what was the carpenter’s workshop side of the building. The door at the back of the room leads to MacNamara’s bedroom.
In a nod to the property’s industrial past, MacNamara had polished concrete flooring laid throughout the ground floor, which is made to feel cosy thanks to underfloor heating.
Another industrial – and very cute! – touch is the metal staircase that leads from the living room up to a hatch in the wall, which is the only way into son Öni’s bedroom.
Many of the other details came from or were inspired by various trips abroad. “The floor cushion is from Marrakech and the old world map on the wall is from an antiques shop in Lisbon,” MacNamara says. “The wood-burning stove is an Eastern European-style one; it has decorations on the sides. You can slow-cook tagines on it, which I do, because it has a top hob. I’m big into utilitarian and things being multi-functional.”
The box artwork is by Eimearjean McCormack, an artist from Cork living in Galway. “It’s a natural light box rather than an electric light box,” MacNamara explains, “so it’s not lit from the back, but reacts as light hits the front of it.”
Another industrial – and very cute! – touch is the metal staircase that leads from the living room up to a hatch in the wall, which is the only way into son Öni’s bedroom.
Many of the other details came from or were inspired by various trips abroad. “The floor cushion is from Marrakech and the old world map on the wall is from an antiques shop in Lisbon,” MacNamara says. “The wood-burning stove is an Eastern European-style one; it has decorations on the sides. You can slow-cook tagines on it, which I do, because it has a top hob. I’m big into utilitarian and things being multi-functional.”
The box artwork is by Eimearjean McCormack, an artist from Cork living in Galway. “It’s a natural light box rather than an electric light box,” MacNamara explains, “so it’s not lit from the back, but reacts as light hits the front of it.”
“There’s an amazing restaurant in northern Sweden called Fäviken – one of the World’s 50 Best – which was the inspiration for all the wood,” MacNamara explains. “We used oil to darken it.
“The sofa’s about 10 years old, from Laura Ashley, but in good condition,” she adds.
Browse more industrial interiors in the Houzz Photos Stream
“The sofa’s about 10 years old, from Laura Ashley, but in good condition,” she adds.
Browse more industrial interiors in the Houzz Photos Stream
Photo by Ben Geoghegan
There was a wall between the workshop and the garage, which MacNamara took down to reunify the two halves of the building. The exposed ceiling is around 4.9m high. This 10m-long room now forms the ground floor of her home; at one end there’s the open-plan living space, at the other, the kitchen.
“I had a fantastic builder and architect,” she says. “Both were incredible and a complete pleasure and professionals. The kitchen was designed by Dublin-based ThisIsWhatWeDo, who salvaged the boards and created beautiful, simple units. The handles are made from the steel of the scaffold poles. It’s a lovely detail.
“I love open-plan kitchens,” MacNamara continues. “We do cookery events and entertain and I love open shelving. I like to see my ingredients – it just makes cooking easier. You have a sense of what you’ll make from what you see. I’m a very simple chef, so no gadgets – I’m not into fiddly things. If I have a tin opener I’m happy. And good knives.”
At the front of the image, on the worktop, is a ceramic water filter. “You change the filter maybe once a year and it holds two litres at a time and has a tap on the side,” she says.
White PS cabinet; white Ranarp lamps, all Ikea.
There was a wall between the workshop and the garage, which MacNamara took down to reunify the two halves of the building. The exposed ceiling is around 4.9m high. This 10m-long room now forms the ground floor of her home; at one end there’s the open-plan living space, at the other, the kitchen.
“I had a fantastic builder and architect,” she says. “Both were incredible and a complete pleasure and professionals. The kitchen was designed by Dublin-based ThisIsWhatWeDo, who salvaged the boards and created beautiful, simple units. The handles are made from the steel of the scaffold poles. It’s a lovely detail.
“I love open-plan kitchens,” MacNamara continues. “We do cookery events and entertain and I love open shelving. I like to see my ingredients – it just makes cooking easier. You have a sense of what you’ll make from what you see. I’m a very simple chef, so no gadgets – I’m not into fiddly things. If I have a tin opener I’m happy. And good knives.”
At the front of the image, on the worktop, is a ceramic water filter. “You change the filter maybe once a year and it holds two litres at a time and has a tap on the side,” she says.
White PS cabinet; white Ranarp lamps, all Ikea.
The painted dresser in the living space was upcycled by one of MacNamara’s friends.
See 10 brilliantly effective upcycling projects
See 10 brilliantly effective upcycling projects
Having done up a lot of restaurants over the years, MacNamara’s very confident in her aesthetic. “But you still don’t know how it’s all going to come together,” she says.
While the build was underway, she scaled back on work so she could be around to oversee the project. A couple of the contractors weren’t immediately sold on all of MacNamara’s ideas, chiefly aesthetic ones, but she was undeterred, sticking to her guns and her vision.
While the build was underway, she scaled back on work so she could be around to oversee the project. A couple of the contractors weren’t immediately sold on all of MacNamara’s ideas, chiefly aesthetic ones, but she was undeterred, sticking to her guns and her vision.
Photo by Ben Geoghegan
The taps in the kitchen were one such example. “I don’t think taps should make a statement,” she says. “I think they should be functional; I like the simplicity of that kind of thing.”
MacNamara asked the plumber to make these taps, which involved some creative customisation and also some welding. “He didn’t like me for it,” she says with a laugh, “but we’re friends now.”
The tray was a gift from a friend.
The taps in the kitchen were one such example. “I don’t think taps should make a statement,” she says. “I think they should be functional; I like the simplicity of that kind of thing.”
MacNamara asked the plumber to make these taps, which involved some creative customisation and also some welding. “He didn’t like me for it,” she says with a laugh, “but we’re friends now.”
The tray was a gift from a friend.
In a similar vein, MacNamara really had to push for the sliding door, which was made out of scaffold planks by her builder to match the shelf (see previous photos), because it wasn’t a cheap design decision.
The project went over budget by €40-50,000, but MacNamara wasn’t daunted (and covered costs with a top-up mortgage). “I’d rather pay now and live with something forever. As [iconic architect] Frank Lloyd Wright said, ‘Quality lasts a lifetime.’ If you scrimp and cut corners, you end up paying twice.”
The project went over budget by €40-50,000, but MacNamara wasn’t daunted (and covered costs with a top-up mortgage). “I’d rather pay now and live with something forever. As [iconic architect] Frank Lloyd Wright said, ‘Quality lasts a lifetime.’ If you scrimp and cut corners, you end up paying twice.”
The colours are deliberately muted. “I’m a bit obsessed with 50 shades of grey as a palette,” she says.
The concrete worktops were made bespoke by the same contractor who laid the floor. The whitewashed wall was another detail at which the builders raised their eyebrows, assuming MacNamara would want it to be plastered. “It was a very basic cement wall,” she says, “and I said to the guys, ‘Just paint it.’”
The abundance of wood adds to the rustic, relaxed feel. “I wanted to integrate wood to soften the look of the polished concrete floor,” she explains.
The French farmhouse-style sink (larger than a Belfast) is a vintage piece. “I love the sense of history you get with it,” says MacNamara. The tiles above the sink are from Marrakech.
The table was made by her carpenter, Nathan Nokes. “The base is made from scaffold poles and the top was new rather than salvaged wood,” she says. “I wanted it to be really clean, not to have cracks in it that crumbs could drop into. I think the wood is elm; it’s very durable and is sealed extremely well.”
Cabinets painted in Plummett, Farrow & Ball.
The concrete worktops were made bespoke by the same contractor who laid the floor. The whitewashed wall was another detail at which the builders raised their eyebrows, assuming MacNamara would want it to be plastered. “It was a very basic cement wall,” she says, “and I said to the guys, ‘Just paint it.’”
The abundance of wood adds to the rustic, relaxed feel. “I wanted to integrate wood to soften the look of the polished concrete floor,” she explains.
The French farmhouse-style sink (larger than a Belfast) is a vintage piece. “I love the sense of history you get with it,” says MacNamara. The tiles above the sink are from Marrakech.
The table was made by her carpenter, Nathan Nokes. “The base is made from scaffold poles and the top was new rather than salvaged wood,” she says. “I wanted it to be really clean, not to have cracks in it that crumbs could drop into. I think the wood is elm; it’s very durable and is sealed extremely well.”
Cabinets painted in Plummett, Farrow & Ball.
The gym rings are a quirky touch, made by MacNamara’s business partner’s partner. “Öni swings on them all the time. We have the space for it, so it’s lovely.”
“I’ve had the dining chairs a very long time,” MacNamara says. “They’re probably 100 years old, and came from an old cottage. They’re painted in white and grey.”
The open-plan space has three large, industrial pendant lights (out of shot), but MacNamara prefers to use the lamps dotted around the room, or candlelight.
The open-plan space has three large, industrial pendant lights (out of shot), but MacNamara prefers to use the lamps dotted around the room, or candlelight.
The collage-style artwork is by MacNamara’s friend, Lisbon artist Joana Astolfi. It hangs above a colourful display of cacti sitting on an Ikea PS cabinet.
This is MacNamara’s bedroom, as glimpsed previously off the living space. “I had the shelf built because I like to rotate my artworks,” she explains.
The clothes rail is made from an industrial steel pole. “I think a wardrobe creates a lot of dead space,” says MacNamara. “As with the dry goods in the kitchen, you can see what you want to wear. It’s cleaner and nicer and lighter and airier for a room.”
The clothes rail is made from an industrial steel pole. “I think a wardrobe creates a lot of dead space,” says MacNamara. “As with the dry goods in the kitchen, you can see what you want to wear. It’s cleaner and nicer and lighter and airier for a room.”
Öni’s bedroom, at the top of the stairs in the living area, sits in the roof space.
Photo by Ben Geoghegan
The entrance hall features a piece by American artist Spencer Tunick, as well as a coat rack, a small desk and MacNamara’s collection of vintage tennis rackets.
The staircase, the only one in the house apart from the metal one up to Öni’s room, leads up to a self-contained, private apartment, which MacNamara rents out to holidaymakers through Airbnb.
Desk and stool, Ikea.
The entrance hall features a piece by American artist Spencer Tunick, as well as a coat rack, a small desk and MacNamara’s collection of vintage tennis rackets.
The staircase, the only one in the house apart from the metal one up to Öni’s room, leads up to a self-contained, private apartment, which MacNamara rents out to holidaymakers through Airbnb.
Desk and stool, Ikea.
The shelves full of hats are in the downstairs hallway, next to the stairs and on the way to a room that MacNamara uses for her fashion business, The Tweed Project.
The Tweed Project has its showroom in the house. A rustic hanging rail is used to display the pieces.
At the top of the staircase, MacNamara brought in old windows to boost light into the Airbnb room, from which this photo is taken.
MacNamara had hoped to use the building’s original windows here, but these fell apart. Instead, she and the team designed a patchwork of mismatched reclaimed windows to create this striking glass feature.
Photo by Ben Geoghegan
The claw-foot tub in the main bathroom was picked up at a salvage yard and already painted in one of MacNamara’s favourite 50 shades. The tiles are from Marrakech. The table is an upturned wine crate, while a reindeer hide bought on a holiday in the Arctic Circle is used as a bathmat.
The claw-foot tub in the main bathroom was picked up at a salvage yard and already painted in one of MacNamara’s favourite 50 shades. The tiles are from Marrakech. The table is an upturned wine crate, while a reindeer hide bought on a holiday in the Arctic Circle is used as a bathmat.
The bathroom basin, mounted on scaffold poles, is an old kitchen sink, complete with drainer. The splashback tiles match those in the kitchen.
“The backlit mirror is like the ones at the Hotel Michel Berger in Berlin,” says MacNamara. The main lights in here are dimmable.
Basin, CS Architectural Salvage in Derry. Backlit mirror, Ikea.
“The backlit mirror is like the ones at the Hotel Michel Berger in Berlin,” says MacNamara. The main lights in here are dimmable.
Basin, CS Architectural Salvage in Derry. Backlit mirror, Ikea.
Witchy the cat is a fan of the renovation.
What’s your favourite detail in this industrial home? Share your thoughts in the Comments below.
What’s your favourite detail in this industrial home? Share your thoughts in the Comments below.
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Lovely, warm, simple and creative home, everything i like!
I'm not surprise it's in Ireland, one of my first trip 30 years ago and still one of the best people and places i've seen, and Galway and places around are so beautiful....
The mismatched windows are beautiful, asymmetrically pleasing.
LampsUSA Aren't they?! Just my favourite feature in this lovely home, I've tried to find somewhere in my own home to create something similar but I think I'll need to move!