Dermot Bannon’s Super Small Spaces – Series Overview
As we come through the pandemic, the home has become the focal point of our lives, now more than ever. Many of us have been forced to look at the spaces we live in, regardless of size, from a fresh perspective – for some that meant relocating to another area, for others that meant reimagining their homes in a completely new way.
In this new series, Dermot Bannon travels through the country meeting the people who have designed, renovated, reimagined and rebuilt the spaces around them. He meets those who have brought their dreams to life. From architects to amateurs, Dermot learns how they have changed their environments to suit their needs.
Along the way he puts on his architect’s hat and offers advice to those who need a bit of help. Like the McCarthy siblings in Cork, who bought an old double decker bus to convert it into accommodation. Or the Purcells in Louth, who are building a beach hut, with full beach attached.
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While the way we interact with our homes has changed post-Covid, so too has our relationship with the outdoors and the spaces around us. We’re now looking beyond our four walls to see the undeveloped potential that lies in our gardens, balconies or any outdoor space we come across.
Architects often talk about “bringing the outside in” to our homes but what if we go one step further and make the space we occupy as much a part of the natural environment it lies in as a woodland, lake or old city wall?
Well-travelled animal hide trader and father-of-five Derek McCarthy came across his Cabin in the Woods while on business in Poland. He was so taken by the small structure, he had one imported so he could create his own quirky hideaway in his back garden. And with a newly-installed outdoor shower and a bar with beer on tap, why would he ever want to be anywhere else?
Originally from Australia, Damian Purcell is very much embracing the outdoors and has set out to renovate a beach hut on his very own desert island – in Ardee, County Louth! How realistic is his dream (especially in an Irish climate)? Dermot decides to get stuck in and helps Damian out.
It’s not just woodlands, lakes and trees that should be considered as the natural environment, so too can the concrete buildings and structures that populate our cities. One couple transformed a former warehouse in Phibsboro, Dublin into a beautifully calm and reassuring home. Interior designer Stephanie O’Sullivan, and her architect husband Graham saw potential in the original commercial property. Stephanie has put so much thought into how each room functions within the flow of the house – there are no dead ends – while Graham’s structural design makes the best use of light at any time of day.
The Cottage has long been synonymous with country living but it’s wonderful to see one being given a lease of life closer to the city – and during lockdown! Architect David Shannon and Susie Dillon, after many trials and tribulations, transformed this space from a 28sq m rundown cottage to a bright and airy three-bedroom 150sq m home for their growing family.
If the pandemic taught us anything, it’s that there is a lot to be said for finding your little piece of calm no matter where you are in the world. In Northern Donegal, Dermot visits a thatched roofed pavilion located on top of a rocky cliff in the Ards Forest Park, designed by Tom O’Sullivan.
There have been some pluses to Covid, mainly a slower pace of living and getting to enjoy the more simple things in life. And it looks like staycations are going to be around for much longer! One couple in Donegal Anna and Pete Higgins- who opted out of the rat race a number of years ago – have created not one but three incredible small spaces that don’t just embrace the outdoors but completely immerse you in the ancient landscape close to Glenveagh National Park.