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The owners of this home, Luke and Olwyn, knew it would require a lot of work, with dark spaces, dated details and a floorplan that didn’t work at all for how they wanted to live.
Emma Delaney, senior interior designer at April and the Bear explains that the couple first approached her during the summer of 2023.
“They had undergone the tricky process of purchasing their first home in a place that they hold dear to their heart; a quaint, artisanal cottage located in Stoneybatter, Co Dublin. The property required a full renovation and having just been successful in receiving the Vacant Property Grant, we worked with our clients on establishing an entirely new design concept for their dream home in a location that was special to them.”
Units in the kitchen were kept to the lower level, with an open shelf above helping it to feel more open.
Throughout this home, colour is used to define spaces and create different moods, while varied materials add texture and depth.
Overall, we introduced colour to help define and break up each space of the home – the contrast in colours sparks intrigue when travelling through the home. A variation of considered materials (oak, braided rattan) help create more textural depth throughout each space of the home.
One of Emma’s favourite aspects of this design is the secret door to the main bedroom. “We changed locations of door swings of the original floorplan and incorporated the concept of a secret door to which leads to their main bedroom. The idea of this was to create more novelty to the space, while also giving our client the opportunity of having a more sizable wardrobe space where the original door was to the main bedroom. It offers all visitors a pleasant surprise when they open it to find the doors lead to another room!”
Photography: Ruth Calder-Potts