This 1930s Mount Merrion home has been rejuvenated for modern living
Rich jewel tones nod to the home’s history, whilst its layout has been reoriented to make the most of the space.
When the owners of this 1930s home in Dublin’s Mount Merrion approached Ceardean Architects, they knew what they wanted from the space. Architect Nick Hegarty explains that, “the house had clearly evolved over time, but not always with purpose. Nearly half of the ground floor’s potential was occupied by an underutilised garage and a large, ambiguous storage space that didn’t quite know what it wanted to be. The kitchen had become more of a corridor to the garden than a functional heart of the home, requiring a convoluted route through both the garage and storage area to reach the outdoors.”
The clients knew they wanted an open-plan kitchen and dining space, a formal living room, a home office and an additional master suite, so as Nick explains: “The starting point for the project was really about triage: addressing the inefficiencies, rethinking the layout, and unlocking the potential that was already there but buried beneath decades of makeshift planning. Our challenge was to bring this vision to life while honouring the elegance and integrity of the original Art Deco house. It was about balancing the practical needs of modern living with a respect for architectural heritage.”
This architectural integrity was important to the team, which also included interior designer Louisa Egan of Ceardean. “When working with a house designed by John Kenny in the 1930s, the architecture does most of the talking,” she explains. “Your job is to listen carefully, and then respond with subtlety and confidence. It had remarkable architectural integrity, and with architect Nick Hegarty on board to lead a sensitive reconfiguration, we had the opportunity to breathe new life into it while staying true to its Art Deco spirit. Nick’s architectural vision honoured the original lines while opening the house up for modern living – and my job was to carry that same respect into the interior detailing. Our approach was to honour that heritage while introducing a rich, contemporary palette and modern functionality.”
In order to achieve this, the design worked to reorient the home’s focus towards the garden, ensuring the kitchen and dining areas felt connected to the outdoors. “We carved out a southwest facing patio, forming a semi-enclosed suntrap that enhances the home’s relationship with light and the garden beyond,” Nick says. “Crittall-style glass doors through the entrance hall provide a striking visual link from front to back, immediately setting the tone on arrival.”
Louise agrees that these doors were important to the design. “They introduced both rhythm and transparency – defining zones while allowing the house to breathe. The grid of the steel echoed the strong geometry of the original window frames and gave the interiors a crisp, architectural edge.”
Nick notes that Louisa cleverly leaned into the Art Deco style of the original house, “not by replicating it but by complementing it using detailing, colours, textures and finer touches that echo its spirit.” Saturated jewel tones are found throughout, such as the front sitting room which was painted in Brinjal by Farrow & Ball. “It’s a deep, complex aubergine that shifts from warm plum to eggplant depending on the light,” Louisa says. “It wraps the room in richness and creates a moody, elegant space for evening entertaining.”
While at the rear of the house, the kitchen is painted in Farrow & Ball’s Wine Dark. “Paired with brushed brass hardware, fluted glass, and quartz countertops, the cabinetry adds a grounded drama.” This palette is continued through details such as black-and-white checkerboard floor tiles in the hallway, velvet accents, and soft lighting.
In the bathrooms, the Art Deco influence is seen in the use of texture, Louisa explains. “We used a mix of textured tiles and a fluted porcelain free-standing bath to create subtle visual interest without overwhelming the small spaces. It’s a material-led approach that plays with light and shadow – a quiet echo of the Deco love for layered detail.”
The result is a beautifully rich space that feels cohesive and warm. “There is a quiet confidence to the finished design,” Nick believes. “It pays homage to the home’s Art Deco roots without being loud about it. It feels natural, considered and cohesive. And that to me is the sign of a successful design: it doesn’t shout; it speaks with clarity and purpose – a home reimagined not by reinvention, but by revealing the beauty that was always there.”
Louise is in full agreement. “This interior is not about copying the past, but conversing with it – recognising the architectural rhythm and responding with bold, tactile design. Every decision in this house was a conversation with the architecture. The clean lines, the Deco elements, the interplay of light and shadow – we wanted the interior to feel like it belonged here, not as a pastiche, but as a respectful evolution. It’s a house with history, but also with clarity, strength, and just the right amount of boldness.”
Photography: Anette Brock
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