This Cork bungalow has been redesigned to draw in the surrounding landscape
Jamie Whelan Studio reimagined the Mitchelstown home to add light, make it feel more open, and provide spaces to connect.
Like many traditional bungalows, this one in Mitchelstown, Co Cork, had little connection to its surroundings. “The original bungalow felt closed off and didn’t take advantage of its setting,” explains Jamie Whelan, director at Jamie Whelan Studio. “Despite having the town to the front, open countryside to the rear, and a public pathway with a mature line of trees along one side, the layout didn’t reveal this richness as you moved through the house. Light levels were uneven, and the plan felt fragmented.”
The aim of this redesign was to change how its inhabitants moved through it, and experienced it day-to-day. “As with all our work, we focused on shaping the experience of the house rather than simply re-planning rooms,” Jamie explains.
Changes were also made to create connections between the home and its location. “A key design move was coring a clear line of sight from front to back so that, on arrival, the view to the trees becomes the first moment you encounter. This amplifies the dual aspect of the site – town to the front and countryside to the rear – and draws in the sense of the landscape that runs alongside the house toward St Fanahan’s Well.”
Although the original home was dark, Jamie notes that while the aim was to incorporate more natural light, they also leant into spaces that receive less daylight. “Light is used to guide movement and mark transitions,” he explains. “Window proportions were refined to improve daylight quality and outlook, and the house opens more fully to the rear, where light and landscape become part of daily life. There’s a deliberate balance of light and dark throughout: the entrance hall is intentionally a more subdued, darker space so that your eyes adjust and are drawn immediately to the views beyond, while a vaulted, top-lit volume contrasts this by welcoming you into the brighter, more public social areas of the home.”
When it came to the palette of the home, some original materials such as the white rendered walls were retained, while new concrete and timber elements were added, and the roof tiles were replaced with black fibre cement slates. All building work was carried out by Kieran Walsh Construction.
“A bespoke Accoya timber front door marks the point of entry, while a new pergola structure to the front helps establish a clearer sense of frontage that the original house lacked. Internally, washed European oak, black stone, and black metalwork were selected as natural, hard-wearing materials that will age well over time and deepen in character through use.”
For Jamie, the success of this project lies in the simplicity of the design. “Small but precise design moves made a disproportionate difference to how the house is experienced,” he explains. “Clearing the space on entry creates a key moment in the home, immediately amplifying the sense of the house sitting between town and countryside. Placing a window to focus on the line of trees leading toward the well acts almost like a camera lens, drawing the landscape into everyday life. But the real success is hearing from the clients that the house has genuinely improved how they live – that it makes coming together as a family richer, and daily life feel more grounded and connected.”
Photography Peter Molloy
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