With incredible views, it was built on the site of an old fisherman’s cottage.
The owner of this Kinsale home, Emma O’Dowd, explains what appealed to them about the site their home now sits on. “There was a 1900s two room fisherman’s cottage on the site which had been lived in until 2016,” she explains. “When we purchased it in 2020 it had fallen into bad repair, so we set along the path of designing a modern A-rated home that took in the views of Kinsale town, James Fort, Kinsale outer harbour and views up the Bandon River.”
They had a few requirements of the house, including that it be on one level to accommodate them into the future, “and to sit quietly and peacefully into the landscape. We commissioned Conneely Wessels Architects in Kinsale to come up with a design. We started the build in September 2023. Pat and Stephen Dwyer of Knockleigh Construction from Belgooly were amazing – nothing was an issue and the attention to detail was beyond expectations.”
The interior of the house was designed by Emma. “All natural surfaces were to match the external landscape of water and the beach nearby,” she explains. “The ethos of the house is to make you feel calm and relaxed when you enter. All details were meticulously designed from the white square door handles and white hinges – square recessed lighting – to keep the house calm. All details were to not be noticed, everything was to be quiet and subtle.”
The poured concrete floor is from a sandstone quarry nearby which gives the internal floor throughout the whole house a warm tonal finish, and cream linen curtains are on all the windows with exception of the master room which has dark sand linen curtains. All the curtains were supplied by Lucan Fabrics.
When it came to making decisions about the home’s interior, the kitchen was their first big one. “Kube in Cork were fantastic to deal with,” she says. “The kitchen has no upper cabinetry, and the ovens stop at head height – this idea was a bit different to what Kube had designed in the past, but they rose to the challenge and designed the kitchen perfectly and it sits seamlessly into the space.”
This decision is her favourite aspect of the space. “I didn’t want full height presses as I could never reach them, so I kept the cabinets to a level within my reach. The fact that there are no upper cabinets means every part of the kitchen is accessible and easy to use. Emptying the dishwasher is no longer a chore as it’s at hip height and a great design idea in the kitchen.”
The choice of colour and material came from a desire for the kitchen to blend into the rest of the house. “We went with jet black cabinetry and jet back Dekton countertops and backsplash, which made the kitchen disappear into space. The kitchen is complemented with Crea chairs from Sweden and a Calligaris Table which was supplied by Kube. All appliances were sourced and installed through Kube which made the whole process so easy. They supplied a Bora hob which took some engineering as its four gas and two induction units along with two extraction units. Kube also supplied the Quooker tap and arranged the installation process.”
Elsewhere, microcement was installed by Cementec Ireland in warm tones of camel which were used on all wet surfaces in the bathrooms. “No tiles means no grout and therefore a dream to clean.”
Externally, Ducon slabbing was used on the roof and external Baumit Insulation and Shou sugi ban cladding to add contrast to the building. The drive and surrounding paths are a resin composite and this is softened using Japanese inspired planting of ferns, grasses and large tree ferns.
Emma’s favourite space in the house is “by the 12 metre window that takes in the whole view of Kinsale town, Kinsale harbour and up the Bandon river. The finished house surprises me everyday – it’s like living in a moving picture.”
Photography: Ted Murphy
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