Interior designer Geri O’Toole’s Limerick cottage incorporated old outbuildings for a gorgeous combination of old and new
From exposed stone walls to a vaulted ceiling that echoes the building’s previous form, the home is full of character, all finished to perfection thanks to Geri’s impeccable eye.
When you think of a cottage, you think of many of the qualities that people love about them: their character, their idiosyncratic details, and often their peaceful locations. What they are usually lacking in, however, is space, and this was the issue that interior designer Geri O’Toole, and her husband, Cathal Glynn, ran into with their Limerick cottage.
Cathal originally bought it 15 years ago in a derelict state, loving its personality and its rural location that’s still accessible to Limerick city. The couple renovated it around 10 years ago and moved in, but once their second child was on the way, they realised they needed more space, but didn’t want to move.
The solution lay not in a straightforward extension, but in making use of the existing outbuildings on the site. “We engaged architect Des Ewing,” Geri explains, “and he came up with a concept to link the cottage to the outhouses to make a bigger house to suit all of our needs.”
The original cottage is now linked to what was once a cow shed, and forms the kitchen and dining space, while a glass-walled extension became the new living space. Although the space obviously needed extensive work to incorporate it into the cottage, it retains a sense of what it used to be, with exposed stone gable walls still visible, and a vaulted ceiling that emphasises the height and space of the generous room.
An island that stretches to almost four metres is the centrepiece of this space, while a walk-in pantry keeps clutter out of the main kitchen. “I love the natural materials in the space,” Geri says.
“Good materials have inherent characteristics and beauty. We installed French tumbled limestone on the floor that has variations in colour which I love, and the island has Calacatta gold marble.” The natural tones are continued in the banquette, a curved oak bench upholstered in sage green mohair fabric.
“I wanted the kitchen to feel spacious,” Geri explains, “as that’s where we spend the majority of our time. And coming from a cottage that was darker, we adore the natural light that has been afforded by raising the roof of the outbuildings to take light at all times of the day. It’s so relaxing here in the evenings when we come home from a busy day at work.”
Elsewhere in the home, Geri’s eye for design is on full display. “I love to lean on interesting materials to give interiors a depth,” she explains. “I designed a pattern for the floor in the entryway in Nero Marquina and Carrara marble for some impact, and this juxtaposition with the rustic stone and oak doors means that even though it’s neutral, there is a lot going on which I love.” Colour is added through art and fabric, but she has kept the main materials in soft neutrals, ensuring a calm, restful mood.
Despite Geri’s experience as an interior designer, and her husband’s job as a contractor, the process was still challenging, but as Geri explains, “it was a labour of love between us. We lived in the old part of the house while renovating, so it was noisy and a busy site to live in but we couldn’t be happier with the end result.”
Photography: Ruth Maria Murphy
Also Read
