Houzz Tour: Clever Design Brings Light Into This Dublin Home
Internal courtyards, double-height spaces and an abundance of skylights fill an unusual house with warmth and light
This Dublin home sits in what was originally a walled orchard, and the local planning commission didn’t want the owners to change the facade of the space. “What was needed was a house that didn’t look like a house,” architect David O’Shea says in explaining the largely windowless front elevation.
“Historically it was a walled enclosure, so we were keen on trying to replicate that identity. It’s just that now we have a house behind the facade, rather than an orchard,” O’Shea says. He worked with interior designer Emily Maher of Lost Weekend Interiors to create a bright and contemporary home with plenty of light and bursts of color.
“Historically it was a walled enclosure, so we were keen on trying to replicate that identity. It’s just that now we have a house behind the facade, rather than an orchard,” O’Shea says. He worked with interior designer Emily Maher of Lost Weekend Interiors to create a bright and contemporary home with plenty of light and bursts of color.
The home’s layout is somewhat unusual. All of the living spaces are upstairs, with the bedrooms down below — largely due to the light. “The best light is always at the top of a property,” O’Shea says.
The kitchen is simple and contemporary, featuring handleless white cabinets with a high-gloss lacquered finish and a white Corian countertop. “The clients aren’t huge kitchen buffs, but they love to entertain, so keeping it open and sociable was important,” O’Shea says.
“We wanted to keep it very simple, contemporary and light, but still bright and cheerful,” designer Emily Maher explains.
Orient copper pendants designed by Jo Hammerborg in 1963: Light Years
The kitchen is simple and contemporary, featuring handleless white cabinets with a high-gloss lacquered finish and a white Corian countertop. “The clients aren’t huge kitchen buffs, but they love to entertain, so keeping it open and sociable was important,” O’Shea says.
“We wanted to keep it very simple, contemporary and light, but still bright and cheerful,” designer Emily Maher explains.
Orient copper pendants designed by Jo Hammerborg in 1963: Light Years
Because of the lack of windows on the home’s exterior, light had to come in through internal courtyards, skylights and the use of double-height spaces.
The homeowners are big entertainers, so creating a good flow between the communal areas was important to them. You can see right through the main courtyard, which gives a feeling of spaciousness even though the home is quite narrow.
A certain amount of open space was a requirement in this area. The architects didn’t want to do a typical front and back yard, so they integrated the outdoor areas throughout the house.
There are two internal courtyards on the upper level: one between the kitchen-dining area and living room and one on the other side of the living room.
There are two internal courtyards on the upper level: one between the kitchen-dining area and living room and one on the other side of the living room.
The living room can be accessed from the courtyard or via an internal corridor leading from the kitchen-dining area. At the end of the corridor are stairs that lead down to the bedrooms and study.
“We wanted to keep it very neat in the living room so as not to take away from the environment,” Maher says. The Arne Jacobsen Egg chair is a statement piece that keeps the look bright and cheerful.
Egg chair: Fritz Hansen; sofa: Hay; sideboard: String Shelving
“We wanted to keep it very neat in the living room so as not to take away from the environment,” Maher says. The Arne Jacobsen Egg chair is a statement piece that keeps the look bright and cheerful.
Egg chair: Fritz Hansen; sofa: Hay; sideboard: String Shelving
The front door is at the bottom of these stairs, which lead up to the living areas.
Next to the staircase is the ground-floor corridor, which wraps around the study and bedrooms. ,
At the end of this passage, it turns to the right, and on the right-hand side is the study. It then turns to the left, with all of the bedrooms on the left-hand side, looking out onto an internal courtyard.
At the end of this passage, it turns to the right, and on the right-hand side is the study. It then turns to the left, with all of the bedrooms on the left-hand side, looking out onto an internal courtyard.
The study is the only room that’s exposed to the street, but it’s sunken, so it remains quite private. “We imagined the client working from home and being able to look out onto the street,” O’Shea says.
The office could become a fourth bedroom if necessary, so the architect wanted to keep the space flexible. Maher used primary colors here, as in the living room and kitchen-dining area, to make a statement yet keep the look simple.
Eileen Gray daybed and Eileen Gray E1027 side table: Aram; CH24 Wishbone chair by Hans J. Wegner: Skandium
The office could become a fourth bedroom if necessary, so the architect wanted to keep the space flexible. Maher used primary colors here, as in the living room and kitchen-dining area, to make a statement yet keep the look simple.
Eileen Gray daybed and Eileen Gray E1027 side table: Aram; CH24 Wishbone chair by Hans J. Wegner: Skandium
As windows were not an option for the ground-floor hallway, O’Shea borrowed light from the upstairs living room and courtyard. “It’s almost like a maze in some parts,” he says. “It needs to work really hard to get light into those cavernous spaces.”
By making the hallway double-height, O’Shea was able to install high windows that bring in light from the courtyard, while a partially open wall in the living room adds light and a sense of connection.
By making the hallway double-height, O’Shea was able to install high windows that bring in light from the courtyard, while a partially open wall in the living room adds light and a sense of connection.
The master bedroom used to be the old coach house of the Victorian home, which had fallen into disrepair. “We had to mostly rebuild it to bring it back. The planners liked that,” O’Shea says. A bank of full-height closets covers one wall, providing plenty of storage.
Swan chair by Arne Jacobsen: Skandium
Swan chair by Arne Jacobsen: Skandium
Given the high ceiling, Maher wanted to go for a statement light fixture. “It’s made from Japanese paper and is totally gorgeous,” she says. “From the courtyard, you can look in on it at nighttime.”
Steps go up to the second of the two courtyards, between the living room and the roof of the master bedroom.
Pendant light: Céline Wright Paris
Steps go up to the second of the two courtyards, between the living room and the roof of the master bedroom.
Pendant light: Céline Wright Paris
The master bathroom is contemporary and simple, with a skylight up to the courtyard above. The client specified the gray tiles; the mirrors are heated to prevent them from fogging.
Tiles: Tile style; hardware: Dornbracht
Tiles: Tile style; hardware: Dornbracht
There are two more bedrooms on the lower level, including this kids’ room. All of the rooms open onto a narrow external courtyard. “We had to keep the house away from the party wall for the planners, but we also wanted a way to get light down into these rooms,” O’Shea says.
The architect laid gravel initially, but the courtyard has since been fully planted by the clients.
Duvet covers: Debenhams
The architect laid gravel initially, but the courtyard has since been fully planted by the clients.
Duvet covers: Debenhams
A family bathroom on the ground floor features frosted glass that brings in light from the same external courtyard.
Tiles: Tile style; hardware: Dornbracht
Browse more homes by style: Apartments | Barn Homes | Colorful Homes | Contemporary Homes | Eclectic Homes | Farmhouses | Floating Homes | Guesthouses | Homes Around the World | Lofts | Midcentury Homes | Modern Homes | Ranch Homes | Small Homes | Townhouses | Traditional Homes | Transitional Homes | Vacation Homes
Tiles: Tile style; hardware: Dornbracht
Browse more homes by style: Apartments | Barn Homes | Colorful Homes | Contemporary Homes | Eclectic Homes | Farmhouses | Floating Homes | Guesthouses | Homes Around the World | Lofts | Midcentury Homes | Modern Homes | Ranch Homes | Small Homes | Townhouses | Traditional Homes | Transitional Homes | Vacation Homes
Who lives here: A family
Location: Dublin
Size: Three bedrooms, two bathrooms
Designers: David O’Shea of ODOS Architects and Emily Maher of Lost Weekend Interiors
The property used to be the side garden, or orchard, of a large 19th-century property. “We wanted to put a modern structure in the garden of a Victorian house,” architect David O’Shea says. That idea “went down like a lead balloon” with the planning commission. “We realized that if it didn’t look like a house, we might be able to make it work,” he says.