Past Meets Present

Sympathetically updating their period home, Sarah and Ian have worked in contemporary elements, adding luxe, cool, unique touches particularly in the Christmas season.

If space is in short supply it takes a good deal of creative vision to utilise it to it’s best advantage, and if your style is modernist and minimal, your eye has to be even more inventive, particularly at Christmas when the clutter of decorations appear. ‘We had been searching for sometime for an inspiring property, one that we could make our mark on, and this was just what we had been looking for,’ explains Sarah, a fashion buyer, who has a background in design and was not at all phased about the enormity of the renovation project of this redbrick in Portobello, Dublin. ‘We knew the house needed to be fully renovated, even the roof needed replacing, and we worked with an architect to come up with an innovative plan that would realise our wish list. Practicality, storage and daylight were our main concerns. This takes a bit of thought, particularly in a small home, some of the storage is hidden and we maximised the high ceilings for additional storage, and used ottoman storage furniture where we could. We also had pull-down attic stairs fitted to make the roof space easily accessible. It is the perfect spot for storing all our Christmas decorations,’ explains Sarah.

Read more in the December issue…