Houzz Tour: Midcentury Irish Cottage With Vintage Style
A clever renovation makes this simple cottage in Wicklow a pleasure for a family with an eye for design
This family home in a beautiful setting at the foot of the Wicklow Mountains south of Dublin is hiding some serious style inside. Interior designer Tonya Douglas began her transformation by maximizing the home’s light and space, then chose furniture and finishes that are child-friendly and also reflect her travel-loving clients’ taste. “They love the style of members’ club Soho House and wanted to put their own stamp on their property,” she says. “A bit of cool in the countryside.”
Douglas worked with the existing kitchen, painting the dark wood cabinets white to create a bright and airy feel. The contractor added a lip to the island so it could be used as a breakfast bar, and a low brick wall was built along with a banquette to create a separate dining zone.
The room has been designed as a practical family space where a little bit of clutter is no big deal. “When things are left out on the counters, they don’t look out of place — just lived in,” Douglas says.
What looks like immaculate parquet flooring is actually tumbled Italian marble tiles, laid in a herringbone pattern. “I was inspired by a visit to the shop Anthropologie,” Douglas says. “This floor was one of the more expensive things in the house but it dramatically changed the room. Plus, it’s really durable and never looks dirty.” Vintage Tolix chairs surround a secondhand table that one of the builders had in his garage.
Flooring: TileStyle; cabinetry: Chalon; Banquette: Newcastle Design
See more vintage finds in a small Scandi flat
The room has been designed as a practical family space where a little bit of clutter is no big deal. “When things are left out on the counters, they don’t look out of place — just lived in,” Douglas says.
What looks like immaculate parquet flooring is actually tumbled Italian marble tiles, laid in a herringbone pattern. “I was inspired by a visit to the shop Anthropologie,” Douglas says. “This floor was one of the more expensive things in the house but it dramatically changed the room. Plus, it’s really durable and never looks dirty.” Vintage Tolix chairs surround a secondhand table that one of the builders had in his garage.
Flooring: TileStyle; cabinetry: Chalon; Banquette: Newcastle Design
See more vintage finds in a small Scandi flat
Douglas removed the wall dividing the kitchen and the playroom and linked the two areas with an arch. “My experience with kids and playrooms is that they have to feel like they’re part of what’s going on,” she says. “Here, when the grown-ups are in the kitchen, the kids will play. It really works.” A roll of brown paper and a wall painted in blackboard paint encourage creativity in the kitchen. “The adults chip in from time to time and use it too,” Douglas says.
Once a dark and neglected office, the playroom can easily be updated to cater to the changing needs of the house’s two youngest residents. Douglas and her clients are all big fans of typography, hence the giant ampersand on the wall.
Ceiling light: Avoca; ampersand: Coach House
Ceiling light: Avoca; ampersand: Coach House
Glass doors separate the kitchen from the living area without blocking out the light. Douglas found a perfectly sized secondhand piano for a good price after a painstaking search. “It’s great because it’s not precious and the kids are always playing on it,” she says.
Piano: DoneDeal
Piano: DoneDeal
White sofas and young children don’t always mix, but these pieces have removable covers. “There’s always a different blanket or pillows on them. It’s very loungy and cozy,” Douglas says.
Sofas: Powerscourt
Sofas: Powerscourt
The floor in the living room was originally a dark cherry wood. “Everyone knew how much a floor like that costs and they were all saying, ‘You can’t paint that,’ but I’m so pleased I did as it’s made such a difference to this room,” Douglas says. “The floor really stood out initially, but the more it wears, the better it looks.”
Opening up the fireplace wall into the conservatory increased the amount of light in the living area. The double-sided stove can be enjoyed from both rooms. A reclaimed street sign reminds the owners of their previous home in London.
Double-sided stove: Fenton Fires; lighting: Mullan
Double-sided stove: Fenton Fires; lighting: Mullan
Douglas found all of the furniture for the house, with the exception of the leather chesterfield sofa, which the owners brought from their rented home in London. “I sourced a lot of antique and old stuff — nothing with a lot of value, but we wanted it to look lived in,” Douglas says.
The classic conservatory floods the back of the house with light. There’s a more formal dining area here and views of the beautiful countryside that surrounds the house.
The tailor-made storage in this entry area comes with a healthy dose of utility chic, keeping things both cool and uncluttered. Custom cabinetry “lets you make use of space that’s derelict and not serving any purpose,” Douglas says. These made-to-measure solutions have stood the test of time in the three years the family has lived here. “The house has grown so well with them. It always looks tidy and is easy to maintain,” Douglas says.
Woodwork: Newcastle Design
Woodwork: Newcastle Design
A checkerboard floor gives the entrance hall a grand feel. The office-turned-playroom is behind the stairs. Douglas replaced a wall with a steel-frame window, filling the space with light and connecting it to the rest of the house.
Italian Botticino marble tiles: TileStyle; window: Lambstongue
Italian Botticino marble tiles: TileStyle; window: Lambstongue
Douglas used a palette of five grays throughout the house, including Farrow & Ball’s Manor House Gray, Pavilion Gray and Plummett. “We kind of mixed and matched them in different rooms to have that continuation throughout the house,” she says.
A free-standing copper bath was added to the master bedroom, replacing a built-in tub that was removed from the master bathroom. This luxurious addition creates an atmosphere of old-fashioned glamour. A slipper chair and old-school radiator add to the vintage charm.
Bateau tub: William Holland
Bateau tub: William Holland
An old butcher’s block table now serves as a vanity in the master bath. “I love to reuse or upcycle whenever I can,” Douglas says.
Shutters are used throughout the house. “The owners knew they didn’t want curtains, and because we’ve gone for different styles in the different rooms, [the shutters] made up a significant part of the budget,” Douglas says.
Shutters: Shutters of Ireland
Shutters: Shutters of Ireland
A clever attic conversion features bunks tucked into the eaves of the house. “The family wanted somewhere for guests to stay but didn’t want to wait for the planning permission needed for additional height. I showed them how we could make it work,” Douglas says.
Vintage oak soaped flooring: TileStyle
Vintage oak soaped flooring: TileStyle
Classic subway tiles combined with gray grout and utilitarian hardware create a handsome shower room in the converted attic space.
Subway tiles and Samuel Heath brass hardware: TileStyle
Contractor: Francis Rubalcava
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Subway tiles and Samuel Heath brass hardware: TileStyle
Contractor: Francis Rubalcava
Browse more homes by style: Apartments | Barn Homes | Colorful Homes | Contemporary Homes | Eclectic Homes | Farmhouses | Floating Homes | Guesthouses | Homes Around the World | Lofts | Midcentury Homes | Modern Homes | Ranch Homes | Small Homes | Townhouses | Traditional Homes | Transitional Homes | Vacation Homes
Houzz at a Glance
Who lives here: A professional couple and their two young children
Location: County Wicklow, Ireland
Size: Four bedrooms, three bathrooms plus a powder room
Designer: Tonya Douglas of Little Design House
Irish interior designer Douglas was living in the U.K. and still learning her trade when friends asked her to refurbish a neglected house back home. Naturally, she jumped at the chance. “This was my first ever project, so to be able to do a whole house straightaway was amazing,” she says. “They had seen what I’d done to my rented place in London and put their faith in me.”
As even the most experienced designer knows, deadlines can be a challenge, and Douglas had her work cut out making sure the project was done on time. “The final day felt like [British TV show] 60-Minute Makeover — everybody running around to get things finished,” she says. “Somehow, everything was done about half an hour before the owners arrived on a plane from London. Every light was hung, every picture was up … even the beds were made.”