Overlooking a park, the design connects the house to this green space, while making living spaces feel more sociable.
Backing onto a park, the location of this Dublin home was undoubtedly a draw for its owners, but as Róisín Power, director at Aró Architects explains, it was in need of an upgrade. “The house was a conventional detached suburban home, well-located on a generous plot backing onto open parkland, but failing to make anything of its beautiful setting. The existing layout was inward-looking and compartmentalised, with rooms that bore little relation to the garden or the views beyond.”
What its owners wanted was a home that felt connected to these green surroundings, whilst still feeling in keeping with the other homes around it. “They wanted to adapt the outdated layout to work with modern living through more open and sociable living spaces anchored by a generous kitchen and dining area at the heart of the home,” Róisín explains. “There was a clear appetite for quality of design and materials from the clients also.”
As a result, the firm’s approach for this project involved a two-storey front, side and rear extension, “entirely transformed the internal layout as well as reimagining the external elevations of the original house.” To the front of the house, the extension is red brick to maintain the materials used by surrounding homes, while to the back, an off-white textured brick feels bright and contemporary.
A new layout was key to this project, and the new open plan living, kitchen and dining space has a large picture window and sliding doors that look out to the terrace, garden, and park. “Internally, the plan flows from the entrance hall through a generous corridor, itself made into an architectural moment with bespoke fluted timber wall panelling, curved oak stair threads and full height timber doors,” Róisín explains. “The old stairs were relocated to allow a much more generous entrance hall with uninterrupted views through to the rear of the home and the garden beyond.”
Adding light wherever possible was also essential to this design. “Light is the defining quality of this project,” Róisín says, “which was maximised through the use of rooflights in key locations. A large linear skylight over the dining table features a rhythmic grid of timber beams creating a constantly shifting play of shadow and light as the sun tracks overhead. A new rooflight over the staircase makes the journey between floors an unexpectedly calm and considered experience.”
The material palette that was chosen carefully, from inside to out. “Outside, the pale buff brick of the extension is the dominant gesture chosen for its texture, warmth, and its ability to sit comfortably alongside the existing light rendered neighbouring houses,” Róisín notes. “It is a material with quality and permanence and the careful detailing gives it a refined quality. The existing stone garden wall was rebuilt and elevated creating a beautiful backdrop to the garden views from the house. The terrace is finished in a large format light paver allowing light to bounce and reflect.”