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HOME OF THE YEAR

Artist Jane Willoughby's home - Episode 6 Home of the Year Image Name: Artist Jane Willoughby's home - Episode 6 Home of the Year
Artist Jane Willoughby's home - Episode 6 Home of the Year Image Name: Artist Jane Willoughby's home - Episode 6 Home of the Year
Artist Jane Willoughby's home - Episode 6 Home of the Year Image Name: Artist Jane Willoughby's home - Episode 6 Home of the Year
Limerick converted church - Episode 6 Home of the Year Image Name: Limerick converted church - Episode 6 Home of the Year
Limerick converted church - Episode 6 Home of the Year Image Name: Limerick converted church - Episode 6 Home of the Year
Limerick converted church - Episode 6 Home of the Year Image Name: Limerick converted church - Episode 6 Home of the Year
Orna Tubridy's Dublin home: Episode 6 Home of the Year Image Name: Orna Tubridy's Dublin home: Episode 6 Home of the Year
Orna Tubridy's Dublin home: Episode 6 Home of the Year Image Name: Orna Tubridy's Dublin home: Episode 6 Home of the Year
Orna Tubridy's Dublin home: Episode 6 Home of the Year Image Name: Orna Tubridy's Dublin home: Episode 6 Home of the Year

Episode 6

House 1

Des Kingston is a garden designer and he came across the derelict church in County Limerick 30 years ago. He was struck by the sense of neglect and felt inspired to transform it into a distinctive family home. Incredibly he did most of the work himself. The ground floor is open plan with a lot of internal glass to maximise light. It consists of a large sun room/foyer, leading to the main living space-the church proper- combined with kitchen, the former alter area and a separate utility, the former sacristy. The original entrance porch is now Des’s office, entered through the dining room. Upstairs there is one very large main en-suite bedroom, two smaller bedrooms, one large main bathroom and a separate shower room.

House 2

Artist Jane Willoughby were searching for a home that had a traditional Victorian walled garden and something that was not a full restoration project. Jane wanted something that she could work on to reflect her aesthetic as an artist. They didn’t restore the home but added their own touches. They bought the home 2 years ago and began collecting and buying items of furniture that were then held in storage while they waited for the sale of the house to go through. Jane was aiming for an eclectic scheme with modern pieces that would fit in a period setting with older mahogany furniture. The interior has a calm and elegant charm with soft heritage colours with original artworks by Jane on all of the walls. What makes the interior distinctive are the many decorative art panels which are painted by Jane.

House 3

Engineer Diarmuid Cory and architect Orna Tubridy were both working and raising their family in the States when they purchased this home in 2010. It had been designed and built by an older couple in the back garden of their original home for their retirement. When Diarmuid and Orna bought the house, they rented it to tenants for 4 years before making plans to move into it themselves. They enlisted Orna’s cousin Colm to help realise their design of a fully accessible home for Diarmuid to function in. Orna had a clear brief that she conveyed to Colm – to make the home wheelchair accessible without it looking clinical. They have created a gorgeous functional family home.

Series synopsis

Popular series Home of the Year is back for a fifth series. Over 8 weeks, 21 homes will compete for the Home of the Year title in 2019, with three very different properties featured each week. From restoration, new builds, renovations and re-design Home of the Year features people who have created their dream home. The series showcases homes from all across Ireland including a converted church building, a restored 1800’s manor and a restored Georgian farmhouse, inspiring architectural new builds, restored cottages and period homes with creative interiors.  Making the tough decisions on which homes go through to the final are our three expert judges; design legend Hugh Wallace, renowned interior designer Deirdre Whelan and award-winning architect Peter Crowley.

Looking for individuality, functionality and clever design, the judges will individually score each of the homes out of 10, the home with the highest combined score in each programme will go through to the final, where the ultimate winner will be crowned.

Home of the Year is produced by ShinAwiL for RTÉ ONE