An extension to this Rathfarnham house has created different zones and a connection to the garden
The family that lives in this terraced home in Rathfarnham needed more space, and Newmark Architects’ design provides storage, a link to the garden and different zones for gathering and relaxing.
Part of a terrace in Dublin’s Rathfarnham, this home was becoming too small for the family of four that live there, Ciara Murray of Newmark Architects explains. “The house did not meet their needs – it had a very small kitchen and dining space, one living room, and no storage,” she says.
The clients’ focus was to create a new kitchen, dining, and living space, including plenty of storage, and a utility space. One of the challenges in the design was that the is 5.5 metres wide, and had a long back garden, meaning the only option was for a long rear extension at ground level only.
Another was how to incorporate light into the space. “The back garden and rear of the house is east facing,” Ciara explains, “and they wanted the new extension to feel light, airy and bright.
“We introduced a courtyard to divide the spaces into three and bring light into the long extension, and you can see through to the garden from the hallway, which is something our clients enjoy very much.”
The courtyard also serves to divide the extension into three spaces. “The kitchen is beside the utility and larder storage, the dining room aligns with the courtyard and is the dividing space between the kitchen and the new living area to the rear,” Ciara says.
“In order to minimise work to the existing house, the existing kitchen became a large utility and storage space. There is a threshold area that separates the old from the new in the house with the utility on one side and the WC and storage on the other. This was finished in a deep terracotta colour emphasising the transition from the existing house to the light filled extension.”
Elsewhere, the extension has a simple palette of white walls, oak details, polished concrete flooring and some pops of colour. Subtle choices like white tiles in the kitchen echoing the white brick used in the living area help the entire space feel cohesive.
The courtyard was planted with ferns and other greenery to add a lush background to this simple interior. It also adds a serene feel to the new living space in the extension, as the clients use it not for TV, but for listening to music and enjoying the garden. Timber fins mean that while it is still connected to the kitchen and dining space, there is also a sense of privacy when desired.
As a result, the finished space feels calm, welcoming and bright, equally suited to busy family dinners and quiet evenings relaxing.
Photography: Aisling McCoy
This article was originally published in November 2023.
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