Kilkenny Guest Room

The alteration of and addition to a large Victorian family home in Dublin city provided scope for creating a series of engaging zones, each with distinct personalities, while a brave use of colour has married the old with the new

 Previously a three-bedroom house, this city residence has been transformed into a generous five-bedroom home set over three floors with en-suites, additional living, dining and functional zones framed externally with mature landscaping.  The family – a couple with four young children – has a vision and having followed NOJI Architects’ designs were keen to use them for this project. “The challenge of their brief was to create a one of a kind extension while respecting the integrity of a house built in the 1930s,” says the homeowner. “The glazed triangular windows to the rear maximise the south facing aspect, and the architecturally designed fins protect from excessive solar gain while creating a unique pattern that defines the internal double height space.”

Interior designer Roisin Lafferty, of Kingston Lafferty Design, worked closely with John Monahan of NOJI to merge his ambitious and bold architectural vision with their creative interior approach. “The homeowners wanted to live in a space that excited and delighted them. They wanted to savour colour, be pushed, and challenged creatively,” says Lafferty. This is apparent from the moment visitors cross the threshold – where the hallway plays with colour tones, textures and materials to achieve an evocative atmosphere. The ground floor can be described as one part eccentric formality, one part playful contemporary.  “My brief was colour and I found a kindred spirit in Roisin,” says the owner. “We wanted there to be a connection between the rooms from the whimsy of the playroom and the library, to the feminine and exquisite dining room. Nothing was deemed off limits or too outlandish – including a fully tiled library with indoor planting on the ceiling.”