The homes of children with additional needs have design considerations to factor in, says mother-of-three, Life of Everyday Emma
Your home shouldn’t sound like a train station. If it does, it’s the result of bad design.
Hard surfaces can amplify sound. Every room should be decorated in a way that baffles sound to help create a more relaxing ambience, a place you want to spend time in.
If you are a parent of children with additional needs, these considerations are essential to their well-being, says Emma Dooley O’Gorman, whose Insta handle is @Life of Everyday Emma.
It’s a subject that doesn’t get a lot of attention in the worlds of interiors and design, and yet a project done well can be transformative.
Until two years ago, she was an HR manager, juggling three children and a full-time job. She has three children: Caoimhe, age 17; Pippa, age 8; and Jack, age 7. She shares the house with her husband, Niall O’Gorman.
Pippa and Jack have additional needs. Pippa has childhood apraxia of speech, and Jack is profoundly deaf. Irish Sign Language is his primary language.
"He is also autistic and can be a flight risk,” she explains. Both children have had cochlear implants.
She and her husband were three-quarters of the way through building a house when a picture-perfect Arts and Crafts style home came to market.
Set within woodland, it was far away from traffic.
Designed by the late Nicky Fewer of Fewer Harrington & Partners, it was situated in Talbots Inch, a northern suburb of Kilkenny city on the west bank of the River Nore.
It was a peaceful place to bring up the kids. It was also safe. There was also no passing traffic to have to consider, a concern she had with Jack.
The juggle was difficult, so she decided to look after the kids full-time.
“I like to do things right and give something my all,” she explains.
There was also the age gap between Caoimhe and the younger kids to consider. Their home had to make space for everyone.
Their home is set over three storeys. Caoimhe’s bedroom is on the second floor with a breakout room adjoining it.
It is connected to the rest of the house, but it is a place she can go.
Downstairs, Pippa and Jack take over the kitchen, the playroom, and the sitting room, rooms with doors.
“Open plan doesn’t hugely work for us.”
Like many families, they spend most of their time in the kitchen. The kitchen/diner is a large, light-filled room with a big window seat overlooking the garden and nature.
This is the corner of the room Jack is drawn to.
“He adores being outside – it’s partly why we bought the house. He can look out at nature from here.”
It’s especially helpful on rainy days when he can’t go outside. It features scatter cushions and an upholstered seat to help dim down noise.
Blinds and curtains on the windows provide the same function. One of its focal points is the Le Corneau range cooker. Another is the island. It has a sightline directly to the playroom.
“I can see what he’s up to. I still have to keep an eye on him, but at least I’m able to open the doors.”
From here, she can also keep an eye on Jack when on the in-ground trampoline outside.
Jack can be quite noisy and disruptive, she says, so the peaceful setting gives them more space to have a private life.
And when the kids have gone to bed, Emma relaxes by taking a bath and reading a book. The principal bedroom is “our sanctuary”. The couple spends most nights here.
Hundreds and thousands of children have additional needs. "Parents are exhausted and don’t have time to discuss this sort of stuff," she says.
It’s not just children with additional needs that should be factored in. It is good design to consider all these elements within the home. For Emma, bright lights are a bugbear.
“I don’t want to feel like I’m in a football stadium.” She prefers soft light.
“We’re lucky, we have space,” she says. “The schedule is pretty full.”
Emma O’Gorman will be at the PTSB Ideal Home Show at the DFS Interiors Theatre on Friday, October 17th, at 3:20 pm, sharing her top tips on how to make a home work for children with additional needs. The PTSB Ideal Home Show at the RDS Simmonscourt runs until Sunday, October 19th.
