An architect-designed and owned home, featuring Amanda Bone’s favourite pendant light, gets a golden key to go through to the next round of Home of the Year. Here’s why.
Home of the Year is back and has a new feature, a golden key that the judges can give to a property if they feel they have adjudicated too harshly.
The properties that featured in the first episode, which aired last night, included architect Áine Nic an Riogh’s own Dublin 3 home, one she designed while living in the house next door.
An architect specialising in residential new builds and extensions for VCL Consultants, a practice in Drogheda, its redbrick exterior blends seamlessly into its terrace of 1930s-built homes in Dublin 3.
It was a neighbour who introduced her to the red Avon by Northcot Brick she used.
Now, when you stand at the top of the road, the ridge heights, the windowsill heights, the head heights of the windows, they’re all the same, she says.
There is just one small difference.
Their front façade is technically to the side of the house, but still echoes that line.
Newly married and pregnant with their first child, daughter Aoibhínn, now aged 5, she and her husband bought the end-terrace house and moved into it.
The large side garden was hidden by a high hedge.
After a few years, they decided to trade up and built their new A-rated home in what had been their own side garden.
“We spent a couple of years living effectively on the site, and so we knew where the sun fell. We were able to design for ourselves,” she explains.
In the hall, the staircase wowed judge Hugh.
“I had an idea in my head what I wanted, a slim handrail, and they found a really nice piece of oak,” she explains.
It was fabricated by Fitzsimons in Kells. Co Meath.
It’s a punctuation point and also introduces the use of an engineered oak parquet floor throughout the ground floor.
Supplied by Whiteriver, it blends well with the sage green and pale oak kitchen that was fabricated by Kerwood Design in Co Wicklow, who also supplied all the wardrobes.
The kitchen is positioned to take advantage of the western light that beams in through its side windows, which are screened from the road by the hit-and-miss screen, a pattern set out in brick.
As well as adding individuality, it also gives them privacy and dials down the intensity of the sun.
The three-bedroom house has a flexible living space layout.
It has an open-plan kitchen cum living room with a dining area by the window.
Most of the time, the table sports an oilcloth to protect it from the kids marking its surface.
Beside it is a room that can be opened and closed on demand.
At Christmas or when they have a crowd round for lunch, it can be opened up to the rest of the room,
The rest of the time, it is closed off to create a playroom cum music room, even a fourth single bedroom for guests.
Fitzpatrick & Henry, a specialist joinery in Fairview, made the full-height folding doors that fold back against the wall.
In the living room is Amanda Bone’s favourite light.
The Hay Saucer bubble light, designed by George Nelson, was first produced in the 1950s and was supplied by Hicken Lighting.
Daughter Aoibhínn has a cumulus pink cloud mural found on Hovia and printed to fit the exact space.
They gave her several swatches to choose from, and she mimicked her mother's actions and held each up to the wall before making her final selection.
Judges Siobhan and Amanda did not love the fabric headboard in the principal bedroom. The off-the-shelf design from Murtagh Interiors features a Harlequin x Sophie Robinson fabric, customised by Aine’s dad using a staple gun.
On the other hand, Hugh was effusive about the off-centre light pendant over the bath, a subtle way to bring drama into the bathroom.
The side garden plot extends to about 200 square metres, of which the three-bedroom house takes up 126 square metres over its two floors.
When it came to reviewing the marks given to this property, architect Amanda had second thoughts. She produced a golden key, a new back door way to bring back in homes that really merit inclusion, but that may be overlooked on first viewing.
The house fits perfectly into the surrounding streetscape, and its layout suits family life. Each of the kids has a room that embodies their personality, and there is plenty of social space for the family to spend time together.
And if you want to escape, there is a reading nook under the stairs that you can curl up in.
Home of the Year series 12 is broadcast on Tuesdays at 7 pm on RTÉ One and can also be viewed on RTÉ Player.
