Want to go out and get inside parts of Dublin unseen by the public? Open House is the perfect way to explore private spaces with talking point features.
As date nights go, coffee, drinks, or dinner can feel a bit too predictable, as if you haven’t really made any effort.
If you really want to see if it merits a second meet-up, why not sign up to one of some 200 events, many of which are free, at this year’s annual Open House festival?
Hosted by the Irish Architectural Foundation (IAF), the nine-day event is designed to bring out your curious side.
It’s an invitation into private homes that have been architecturally designed, which will also elicit ideas for your own place.
It offers talking point features, so there’s less likely to be a lull in conversation, should there be enough of a spark that you decide to go for coffee, drinks or dinner afterwards.
In the home of John Barry Lowe, principal at Eden Architects, pictured in the lead image, you can see how he designed his own home to passive house standards.
Heated by just three towel rails, this new build is low on energy consumption and high on clever design features. You can book tickets to explore it here.
On Grenville Terrace in Dublin 8, Rachel Carmody Design turned a partly derelict single-storey cottage into a two-storey abode to fit a family of four.
It has 10 rooms across its 110 square metres, and there’s a tea station concealed in the kitchen cabinetry. For tickets, book here.
Those interested in expanding their homes will also be interested in the compact two-storey extension, a timber frame construction, for a growing family in Portmarnock by Robert Burke Architects. Tickets for it can be booked here.
Brennan Furlong’s reimagining of a mid-20th-century house, designed by the then chief schools architect with the OPW, Basil Boyd-Barrett, in the garden of an 1850s seaside villa, takes advantage of its location and spectacular views.
Architectural practices have also opened the doors of their studios to show you how they work.
These include Newmark Architects, whose recent project in Dublin 11 was reimagined to frame one of Glasnevin Cemetery’s lookout towers.
Its main bathroom also has a modesty switch that obscures the glass in its round window, where you can obscure the glass at the flick of a switch.
Get to hear more about this and other projects by the firm by booking tickets here.
In many of the public spaces listed, you get to see behind the scenes, how the place operates, a bit like an invitation behind the curtain, to meet the Wizard of Oz.
There are some 200 events to choose from: landmark buildings, outdoor spaces, alongside exhibitions, conversations, a weekend of family-friendly events, and more.
The line-up also includes unique Open House events at IAF House, Charlemont Square.
But hurry. Some tours, such as that of the French ambassador’s residence on Aylesbury Road, Dublin 4, and behind the pillars of the GPO on O’Connell Street, Dublin 1, are already booked out.
Most events are free to attend but are ticketed and need to be pre-booked. See Open House, Dublin for a full programme, times, and dates.
