This Killarney family home has been updated to improve flow, create calm and add warmth
Eilish Rickard Interiors has transformed this beloved home thanks to a full renovation and extension.
The owners of this family home in Killarney, Co Kerry, had lived there for eight years, before deciding it needed an update. “While the house had great bones,” designer Eilish Rickard of Eilish Rickard Interiors explains, “the spatial layout on the ground floor was not optimised for contemporary family life. The rooms felt disconnected, and the flow between living, dining, and circulation areas was inefficient. It was clear that a strategic redesign was needed to unlock the home’s full potential.”
At the heart of their desire for change, Eilish explains, was a wish for “a calm, contemporary home rooted in warmth and timelessness. They were drawn to natural timber, muted colour tones, and clean, simple lines but they also needed it to feel inviting, practical, and built to last. Their brief was not about chasing trends; instead, they wanted an elegant yet easy-to-live-in home that could evolve with their family over time.”
She explains that when making a big change such as this, “The most important step is to really understand how you live and what you need from your home. That clarity ensures your home not only looks beautiful but also feels deeply personal and welcoming.”
In order to create this, Eilish’s design included a full renovation and extension. The ground floor layout was reworked to create more purposeful zones, improving the flow and light throughout. “The new extension accommodates a large, airy kitchen and dining area with high ceilings and natural light,” Eilish explains. “Custom joinery in oak was introduced in multiple places: the staircase, a hallway window seat with storage, and a wall-to-wall media unit in the living room. Every element was shaped with both design and day-to-day functionality in mind.”
And in order to create the sense of calm the owners wanted, Eilish carefully chose a palette to reflect this. “The palette is elegant, restrained but rich in texture. Oak is the dominant material, used in the joinery, staircase, and flooring, bringing warmth and craftsmanship to the forefront.” The walls throughout most of the house are painted in soft, muted neutrals, while the kitchen units contrast in a deep, inky blue which grounds the space. Marble and brass details in bathrooms and hardware add textural contrast, as do linen and ceramic details. “This softens the overall feel and adds a lived-in, tactile quality.”
There are several key features that stand out in this design. “The foundation of balancing function and calm was smart, abundant storage,” Eilish explains. “Every piece of joinery was designed to be both practical and beautiful.”
A bespoke oak staircase has traditional spindles and a continuous handrail, while an oak window seat in the hallway conceals deep drawers and open shelving – both combine function and beauty. Eilish also points out the “full-height oak media wall in the living room, crafted by Nedas Carpentry, that envelopes the space in warmth and provides generous storage. There are also thoughtful styling vignettes featuring items from Dwell: vases, trays, and pottery that feel curated but not fussy.”
The finished result encapsulates the sense of serenity its owners wished for. “Walking through Wildwood feels like entering a serene sanctuary that is both considered and personal,” Eilish says. “The flow is intuitive, moving from bright, soaring zones in the kitchen and dining area to quieter, more intimate corners in the living room and bedrooms. The neutral base, combined with rich natural timber and carefully curated details, gives the house a grounded elegance. It’s a home designed to be lived in. It’s calm, warm, and flexible enough to respond to the rhythms of family life.”
Photography: Jessica Glynn
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