HOME OF THE YEAR SERIES 7 – EPISODE 7
House 1
When Adrian Duyn bought his 1980’s bungalow in Co. Kerry, it needed a complete revamp. Adrian gutted the house completely so he was left with a shell and a blank canvas to work with. He designed the interior layout himself with a little help from his brother Killian who is an architect. He raised the ceiling above the entrance and in the kitchen dining area to create a sense of space, and placed the hallway through the centre of the home. He made the kitchen-living dining area open plan, with doors opening on to a south facing decking area. Adrian works in furniture design and conservation and he designed all of the interiors himself including most of the cabinetry, furniture and woodwork. He built, made and fitted all of the interior fittings. Adrian describes his two-bedroom home as cosy with a luxury hotel or superyacht feel because of the tactile surfaces; such as material walls, velvet window surrounds, and hardwood timber walls. He also has a few cherished antique pieces dotted around as a nod to his restoration work. He said it’s his own personal style and loves the feeling every time he enters his home.
House 2
Art Director Jen Connell and her husband Shane Keyes searched for three years to find the perfect home for them in Dublin. They decided to buy a new build that they could creatively transform and bought their house in 2017. They have brought their own creativity, personality and aesthetic to the home. They took inspiration from their favourite films, travel destinations and music to inform their design choices. It was a new build, so came with some basic finishes like a simple kitchen and minimal bathrooms. They floored the entire downstairs in a wood parquet to bring warmth to the spaces. They knew they wanted to go dark in the sitting room and hallway to create a sense of drama. The house has four bedrooms and they converted what would have been the box room/single bedroom into a pink home office for Jen. They painted everything in the room pink, woodwork, ceiling and even the piano. It was a new build, so it had the bare minimum done, no major work needed to be done, but Jen had ideas for the interiors and wanted to put her own stamp on it. They describe their style as glamorous, eclectic and creative. They say their style aligns with their own personal style, how they dress and their tastes in fashion, music and film.
House 3
Kate and Cian O’ Driscoll dedicated almost two years to restoring their modernised period home in Dublin. The house was originally built in the late 1880’s and they wanted something old, with character, and something they could put their own stamp on. They were very hands on in the restoration process and when they bought their house in 2018, it was divided up into five bedsits. The house hadn’t been lived in since the late 70’s or early 80’s and still had an outhouse in the garden. Although it was a protected structure, it had been pretty much derelict with a lot of the original features either rotted or covered over with lots of paint and wallpaper. They moved into the house in October 2018 and had no kitchen, no central heating and only a bath. Over six to eight months, they restored original floors, staircases, doors and architraves themselves and installed a temporary kitchenette. They enlisted the help of an architect to plan a kitchen extension as what was there was very dark and small with low ceilings. They built an extension, had new glazing installed, the entire house was rewired and replumbed, and all external walls insulated. They also hired conservation specialists to restore the original fireplaces and to restore and double glaze all the original sash windows in the house. Although it is a period house, Cian who works for a tech company turned it into a smart home. They wanted to keep the character of the Victorian house while making their home suitable for modern living.
SERIES OVERVIEW
One of Ireland’s favourite lifestyle shows Home of the Year is back for a seventh series with two new judges at the helm. This year returning judge, architect and founding partner of Douglas Wallace Consultants, Hugh Wallace is joined by two new judges, award winning interior designer Suzie Mc Adam and award-winning architect Amanda Bone. (Further information on the judges is available below)
As a nation we’re still at Level 5 and we’re being encouraged to stay at home. With the new series of Home of the Year you can visit three other houses virtually from the comfort of your own couch (whether it’s a Chesterfield sofa or a hanging egg chair!) every Tuesday for 8 weeks from February 16th. Join judges Hugh, Suzie and Amanda as they take us through the keyhole of 21 stunning homes from the four corners of Ireland. The series features homes in Antrim, Clare, Cork, Dublin, Down, Galway, Kerry, Limerick, Louth and Westmeath.
The seventh series of the hugely popular Home of the Year
will champion creativity and showcase individuality and clever design.Over 8 weeks, 21 homes will compete for the Home of the Year title in 2021. From new builds, restorations and re-design the series features people who have created their dream homes. The series this year features a diverse mix of homes including converted mills, a converted schoolhouse, apartments, bespoke architectural new builds, re-imagined cottages and bungalows, DIY homes, restored period homes and vernacular buildings. Looking for individuality, functionality and clever design, the three 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 in April, where the ultimate winner will be crowned.
Home of the Year is produced by ShinAwiL for RTÉ One.
Home of the Year is proudly sponsored by Phonewatch.
The series airs on Tuesdays at 8.30pm on RTÉ One until Tuesday April 6th.