‘Our Pink House project that we completed last year is my ultimate favourite’

Redesigning her family home in 3D on Sims started award-winning architect Courtney McDonnell on her design career journey.

Architect, and founder of Courtney McDonnell Studio, Courtney McDonnell, is one of Ireland’s most exciting design talents. Gifted and artistic, her design projects have been featured in IMAGE Interiors Magazine, on Home of The Year on RTÉ and in Dezeen.

Here we chat to her about where she finds her inspiration, what her favourite project has been to date and the exciting plans coming down the line.

Courtney McDonnell’s love for design began at a young age. Growing up in Castletroy, Co Limerick, she regularly took after-school art classes.

“When I was a teenager my parents hired a local architect to renovate our family home and my fascination with architecture was born,” Courtney begins. “I was really interested in the process, listening in on the design presentation and viewing the drawings.

“I particularly liked the technical details and how they highlighted the design features in the scheme. I had my own ideas and opinions of course, and when the computer game The Sims came along, redesigning our family home in 3D became an obsession.”

She eventually moved to Dublin and studied architecture at DIT Bolton Street. “I gained experience in various other creative industries, such as set design, graphic design, and interiors before starting employment in a firm and completing my postgrad in Architectural Practice,” she says.

Courtney took the brave step to establish her own architecture and interior design studio in 2017, with a desire to design houses and spaces that blended architecture and interiors holistically and seamlessly. Today, she runs a team of three architects, with a studio based on Duke Street in Dublin 2.

For Courtney, inspiration comes from myriad sources. “When I travel abroad, I am always inspired by different cultures, skylines and how architecture can define a city or place,” she muses. “I like to search out lesser-known architectural gems or one-off houses to visit or catch a glimpse of.

“Sometimes, I could just stumble upon something clad in an interesting material and I’d think about how that could be applied in an Irish climate and context. I also love design fairs like Milan Design Week or Maison et Objet in Paris for their incredible art and architecture installations and to check out the latest trends.”

In Ireland, Courtney spends a lot of time in Clare, where she and her husband recently renovated a bungalow on the Wild Atlantic Way. “The beach walks and sea air always help me to recharge and give me a fresh perspective.”

“Our Pink House project that we completed last year is my ultimate favourite,” she says. “We added a bold pink extension to a suburban semi-detached in Dublin. We had adventurous clients who allowed us to take risks from day one, and we pushed the boundaries with both the architectural forms, materials and the interior fit-out.

“The project was featured in IMAGE Interiors Magazine, on Home of The Year on RTÉ and in Dezeen. To get a nod from Dezeen, was a pinch-me moment, as it’s one of the biggest design publications in the world and my go-to source of online inspiration since my college days.”

Courtney is currently working on several different projects and can’t wait for others to see the fruits of her and her team’s labour. “We are working on a beautiful contemporary courtyard home that is an extension to a protected gate lodge in Dublin,” she explained.

“Our clients have restored the existing lodge house and we are adding a series of contemporary blocks clad in burnt timber larch with asymmetrical metal roofs. The overall design will be single-storey with sliding glass doors providing access to a series of sunrise and sunset terraces.

“We have a new dwelling we are hoping to take to site in the coming months that is our take on a Palm Springs home in the suburbs of Limerick. Our Irish client, who lives in California, was inspired by contemporary architecture visible in the likes of Malibu and Palm Springs. The design is a series of contemporary white render and pale brick blocks with floor-to-ceiling glazing and planted palm tree beds lining the front exterior.”

“I couldn’t be more excited for people to see it.”

Pink House photography by Peter Molloy.

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