This 1970s riverside bungalow marries heritage and modern family life
Vaulted ceilings, natural light and a renewed connection to the River Shannon breathe new life into this 1970s bungalow.
For the young active family who owns this home, the bungalow held deep personal significance – a house inherited from a family member and rooted in the landscape of their past.
But while the location was idyllic, the house itself had the typical limitations of its era. Low ceilings, modest proportions and a lack of natural light made the interior feel constrained, and the connection between indoors and outdoors felt underdeveloped.
“This project was the refurbishment and extension of a 1970s bungalow along the River Shannon,” explains Rachel Carmody of Rachel Carmody Design. “The original house had a protruding gable, which we removed to simplify the form and emphasise its linear character. A modest 3m extension at the southern end gently lengthens the line while keeping the overall shape intact.”
The clients wanted flexible, open-plan interiors and generous outdoor spaces. “This included a sheltered riverside kitchen and dining area and an outdoor shower, alongside spaces for family life and entertaining,” Carmody says. “Rather than adding elements that might feel tacked on, we carved spaces out of the existing linear form.”
Inside, vaulted ceilings in the kitchen, dining area, and master bedroom create openness, while lightwells and glazed doors illuminate previously dark areas. “The result is a hallway that feels open and connected to the outdoors, rather than a narrow transitional space,” Carmody notes.
The design also honours the family’s history. “Another consideration was how to modernise the home while keeping it personal,” Carmody says. “The clients brought furniture with sentimental value, which was reupholstered and integrated into the design. The inherited nature of the home also made this a very personal project, so we wanted the redesign to feel familiar and connected to the family’s story.”
Materials and details were chosen with care. “The client has a love for natural stone,” she adds. “And Calacatta marble is used sparingly but purposefully: in the kitchen, as a custom floor-mounted basin in the guest en suite, and as marble plinths beside the bed in the master bedroom. These details bring warmth and tactility to the home.”
“It is a family home for a new generation, retaining views and connections to the river and landscape they have always known,” Carmody reflects. “The design is about continuity, connection, and quiet moments of delight rather than dramatic gestures.”
Today, the home flows effortlessly between interior and exterior, offering spaces for everyday family life, summer evenings by the river, and moments of quiet reflection.
A place where past, present, and nature coexist in harmony.
Photography: Ste Murray
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