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While brides and grooms are advised to relax as much as possible on the eve of their wedding, that isn’t quite how things materialised for Richie Hannify and Ciara McMahon, who tied the knot back in May.
The day before their nuptials dovetailed with the final snagging of their extension project. And with 40 wedding guests due to attend a reception in their newly renovated home the next day, it was all hands on deck.
A 1950s semi-d in Stillorgan, Co Dublin ticked all their boxes and by the time Courtney McDonnell Studio came on board, they had a pretty clear idea of what they wanted.
An L-shaped extension with alcoves and a dining nook, a strong connection to the garden and lots of light were among their non-negotiables. Equally, they wanted to push the envelope and try something new.
“We said to Courtney, ‘This house cannot look like every other home. We don’t want a rectangle on the back of our semi-detached house,’” Richie recalls.
The other items on their wish list were rather more adventurous. Richie wanted an office-cum-cinema room where he could display his collection of Marvel comics and figurines. And then there was his dream shower. On the couple’s first holiday together in 2013, they stayed in the Heure Bleue Palais in Essaouira, Morocco, where they were upgraded to a room with a generous, mosaic-tiled, walk-in shower with an arched doorway. “I remember thinking, I have to have a shower like this in my house one day,” he says.
Along with the shower, the couple’s moodboard featured a photograph of a pink door which, unbeknownst to them, would influence the overall aesthetic of their home. “Courtney very much took the idea of the door and went a bit wild with it,” says Ciara, who was as excited as Richie when the architect suggested an external finish coloured with pink pigment.
The initial idea was to use pink concrete that would be mixed and poured on site. When they discovered it was way beyond their budget, they went back to the drawing board to research clever alternatives. Exploring projects in Spain and Morocco, Courtney discovered a pigmented render finish which is often used to create a concrete-like effect. After months of trial and error, they agreed on a mix that provided light and shade, along with the all-important texture. It’s highly durable, weather-resistant and cost effective when compared to a concrete exterior, which, says Richie, would have cost three-and-a-half times as much.
Harder materials are softened with tactile textures like sheepskin, bouclé and linen. “I’ve noticed with people who come into the house, they don’t even realise they’re doing it but they are always running their hands over something,” says Richie.
Inside and out, the home is full of warmth, visual interest and elements of surprise. “It’s working incredibly well for us,” says Ciara. “And I suppose that’s one of the benefits of designing a house in exactly the way that you want it to work, and in the way that you want to live.”
Photography: Al Higgins and Peter Molloy
Styling: Lesiele Juliet
This article originally appeared in the Autumn/Winter 2022 issue of IMAGE Interiors Magazine. Have you thought about becoming a subscriber? Find out more, and sign up here.