When it comes to linking an old structure with a new addition, the inclination is often to create a seamless join by giving the entire scheme a homogenous look. But, accentuating the properties of both aspects in very different ways, each with meticulous thought and detail for proportion and materials can result in a more exciting outcome. The owners of this Dublin redbrick were determined to marry a strong and brave contemporary extension with a beautiful and elegant remodelling of the period part of the house – without conforming to received wisdom.

With the twin priorities of colour and connectivity, the owners decided on a two-pronged approach, engaging architect John Monahan of NOJI Architects to design “a one-of-a-kind extension while respecting the integrity of the original house”, and approaching interior designer Roisin Lafferty, of Kingston Lafferty Design (KLD), to achieve their vision for the interior but to push the boundaries. “Nothing was deemed off limits,” says Lafferty. “We were encouraged to come up with ideas that would challenge.”

Monahan’s scheme for the two-storey extension included reconfiguring the ground floor of the original house, demolishing the conservatory to the rear, and linking old with new in dramatic fashion. His vision for “a wide-open space relating to the garden” is realised in the angled exterior of the added structure, a deliberate contrast with the cellular nature of the existing house. He describes its form as “a play on traditional roofscapes”. The back wall of the house was redesigned to deliberately delineate the old from the new with accentuated openings from the three rooms leading to the extension. The extension has a substantial footprint and volume, so its connectivity with the more scaled-down proportions of the original presented a challenge: how best to address these two seemingly unrelatable halves of the one house?

The key to the plan, according to Lafferty, was the owners’ clearsighted view of how they wanted to live. They wanted their home to be beautiful, but it needed to accommodate the childhood freedoms of their four offspring so had to be robust. A big open living space was desirable, but so were purpose-oriented spaces like the separate dining room and the playroom. They wanted durable finishes and practical materials but also rooms where family antiques could be used and enjoyed. “I love being able to mix styles, to show you can have high-end design and liveable, practical design side-by-side providing you attach the same consideration and detailing to each,” says Lafferty.

Lafferty proposed a deliberately designed journey with different experiences and atmospheres in each space. “Our spaces are designed to emotionally engage our clients, so with the hall as a starting point, we emphasised its dark, rich, formality, insetting Victorian tiles into the timber floor and choosing a smoky green shade for walls.” Then, the dining room, the owner’s feminine sanctuary, is an elegant home for treasured inherited pieces with some interesting designer acquisitions. “It was the enveloping nature of the muddy pink hue that made us select it; it has a dusty and faded quality to it.” There’s no hint of what lies beyond its custom-made antique brass and mirrored doors, but the transition to the openness of the light-filed voluminous extension is impactful. “It’s like stepping into another world,” says Lafferty.

The contrast is breathtaking. Extending the full width of the house, the scale of the extension is substantial, requiring everything to be scaled up including the floorboards (much wider than usual) and the five-metre-long terrazzo table which required eight men to place in position. It’s an unexpectedly quiet and tranquil space incorporating a living area, informal dining area and a bar, with one wall of slatted timber having a noise-deadening effect, the other glazed wall entirely covered in voiles, filtering a soft, diffused light. As the children use this as their skateboard and scooter route, the materials were chosen to withstand wear and tear.

The kitchen, previously at the back of the house, was relocated from the back of the house to the middle in the new layout. “This generous kitchen became a central room, very much the engine of the house. It has a bistro feel because I wanted to distinguish it visually from the extension,” says Lafferty.

Upstairs, the extension contains a master suite with dressing room and another bedroom and bathroom. The additional roof space has allowed one of the bedrooms in the original house to be extended, with an en-suite added. “It was great to tie in with the architect on maximising the functionality of all this new space,” says Lafferty.

PHOTOGRAPHS BY RUTH MARIA MURPHY

The hall, painted in Green Smoke by Farrow & Ball, features deep panelling and a dark oak floor from Amsterdam Flooring with black and white inset Victorian-style floor tiles from Tilestyle. A large brass mirror by KLD hangs above a custom console, with a Soffio table lamp by Giopato Coombes from Minima.

The marble dressing table in the dressing room is by Oikos, the velvet chair from Woo Design, the handblown smoked glass pendant light by Rothschild and Bickers.