This Belfast new-build is inspired by laid-back mid-century design
This home takes design cues from mid-century modern architecture, and blends seamlessly with its natural surroundings.
Low-slung and edgy, Tara Thallon and Curt Wigham’s contemporary family home sits neatly into the Antrim landscape, a line of dramatic trees piercing the sky behind it. All clean lines and natural textures, it shifts persona in the changing light, sometimes feeling Japanese, sometimes Scandinavian. And then there’s that pervading mid century modern sensibility, paying more than a passing nod to America’s great design movement.
But there is nothing derivative about this striking new build. Original and bespoke, the considered design was over two years in the making. “We bought the site six years ago,” Tara explains, noting that, on the day we speak, it is the first anniversary of when they moved in. Surrounded by fields, yet 10 minutes from Belfast city centre, the home offers a countryside idyll without the stress of a big commute. Tara co-owns interior design store Boünd in Belfast city while Curt owns a chain of cafés around greater Belfast. With three boys under 12, it is a busy, joyful and hard-working house.
Architect Robert Gilmour designed the house, having been recommended by a builder friend. “He was very open to our identity,” Tara recalls. “We were quite clear about what we wanted, and he really listened to us, working together on the plan.”
Partly inspired by mid-century Californian bungalow architecture, Tara and Curt knew they wanted lots of glass, light and natural materials. “It had to be very modern and comfortable. I prefer a wide, open-plan space than a narrow tall building.”
The couple project-managed the build and, while most things went to plan, there were occasional setbacks along the way. “Towards the end of the project we realised that there was a problem with our poured concrete floor. The levels were wrong so we had to rip up the whole thing, including the underfloor heating. We were going to try and just leave it, but we couldn’t open the front door.”
They were surprised to see that the replacement floor had a very different texture and tone to the original. “It’s an interesting material to work with, and you never really know exactly what you’re going to get. I quite like that it is so unpredictable and different,” Tara says.
The front of the house is dominated by five large Internorm windows, 13 metres in height, of which two slide fully open. The polished concrete floor continues outside, forming a terrace that’s neatly protected by the eaves, and connecting the garden and sitting room in one seamless flow. “That was probably one of our biggest and most expensive decisions. When you open those huge panels in summer, the inside and outside become one with the kids running about. It’s really lovely,” she enthuses.
The exterior is clad in dark larch, blackened using the Japanese method of shou sugi ban. Developed in the 18th century as a way to treat wood and weatherproof it, the technique involves charring the wood’s surface to render it a deep charcoal-black. Fire-treated by hand by Sasha Stewart of Toasted in Co Down, the artisan individually “toasts” each piece of timber to a custom shade.
