A sympathetic renovation of this five-bedroom Regency villa reflects all aspects of family life, with the inclusion of entertaining areas and more intimate spaces …
On moving back to Ireland from London in 2018, interior designer Tara McNally and her husband came across a Regency villa in Monkstown, Co Dublin. “We fell in love with its original features, the high ceilings, cornicing, sash windows and fireplaces. It was different to anything else we had viewed and had so much character.”
Though the villa had been well maintained, the biggest challenge was to fully reconfigure the layout to suit a young family of three boys (aged ten, seven and five). “There was a lack of flow between rooms. The kitchen was in the darkest part of the house on the lower ground floor,” explains McNally. “On the upper floor, the bedrooms required the addition of new bathrooms and storage space.”
The McNallys engaged conservation architect Colm Doyle of DMVF who, together with his colleague Aisling Donnelly, worked on the brief to create an inviting family home. Doyle’s task was also to balance sensitive restoration work of the original 1830s building with reconfiguring the layout. “While acknowledging the house was a magnificent protected structure, a priority was to make it work for how we live now and not exist purely as a museum piece,” he explains. “We turned the house upside down. The lower ground floor now comprises a home office, guest bedroom with en suite, utility and boot rooms in addition to an open-plan games room for the boys that leads onto the garden.”
The dining table is from E15 with Eames-style chairs by Swivel UK, and armchairs from Soho Home.
On the ground floor, the former formal drawing room overlooking the garden was remodelled to become an open-plan kitchen and dining room. “We wanted a well-designed, beautiful kitchen that complemented the original features of the room,” says McNally. “We also wanted the kitchen and sitting room to connect to the garden and lower ground floor.” French doors which open onto a terrace leading to the garden were added. “It’s great for entertaining. We have another terrace in the back garden which is a suntrap.” A second atmospheric sitting room was designated as a cosy evening room.
The Folding Door Company provided the glass for the glass box extension: a small addition with a big impact.
The lower ground floor and ground floor is now linked by a new glass box extension, which added functionality and visibility. “This was the key addition that helped create the flow we wanted in the house,” says McNally.
Apart from the elegant plasterwork, key features of the impressive Italianate entrance hall such as the grand pedimented door, Corinthian columns and stained glass oculus were carefully restored. The cross-frame upholstered metal bench was designed by Tara McNally, the sisal rug is from The Natural Flooring Company and the Chinese porcelain jars were found at an antiques fair. The paint shade is Slipper Satin by Farrow & Ball.
Artist Michael Dillon was commissioned to create a mural for the hallway. It took three days to complete. The original floorboards were stained a dark walnut. The marble-topped console is from One World.
The Rhatigan & Hicks kitchen, beautifully symmetrical when viewed from the dining table, has a clever corner unit which serves as a spacious pantry. The sink in the marble-topped island faces the garden. The pendant lights are by Jim Lawrence.
The master bedroom is painted in Farrow & Ball’s Pale Powder with striking artwork and chandelier from Soho Home. The simple curtains have a wave trim by Schumacher fabrics tying in with the soft blue fabric on the armchair and stools.
The en suite bathroom, with sanitaryware by Bathhouse, features a large Ledbury vanity unit and matching mirror designed by McNally, available at Design Emporium. Lighting is by Original BTC.
In the sitting room, the forged iron coffee table and media cabinet were both designed by McNally. The rug is from Oka.
It’s clear the synergy between Doyle and McNally helped when it came to maximising the design and functionality of the rooms. McNally, an alumna of Parson’s School of Design, New York and KLC School of Design, London, had accumulated a lot of furniture and artwork in a variety of styles. She sourced statement mirrors and lights from Dublin’s Francis Street and auction houses. Working directly with makers, McNally designed many additional pieces herself, including coffee tables, stools, console tables and vanity units. This furniture design is a service she provides for private clients.
Panelling helped to create a moody evening room, painted in a dark green from Paint and Paper Library with a Knowles & Cristou Lulu cabinet.
Of the two-year renovation, McNally says: “These projects can be quite daunting but I thoroughly enjoyed the process and we all worked well together. The result is a comfortable family home we absolutely love living in.”
Photography by Ruth Maria Murphy.
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