Five of the best Cork houses ever featured on Home of the Year

We rounded up some of the best homes the rebel county has offered up to the hit programme over the years

Saoirse Fitzgerald's restored lighthouse keeper’s cottage in East Cork is one of the show's most memorable properties.

With the Home of the Year final looming and a stunning Cork property up for the title, we took a look back at some of the most enviable rebel homes to have featured on the show to date.

The lighthouse keeper’s cottage 

Saoirse's Youghal home.

Who could forget Saoirse Fitzgerald’s Youghal home from last year’s series, where she showed off the stunning views from her lighthouse keeper’s cottage.

That’s right, for those that missed the initial airing, Saoirse’s backyard is home to a 200-year-old functioning lighthouse.

Saoirse went to school nearby the plot and was living in London when she spotted the for sale notice. 

The judges loved the home's character.

She spent five months renovating it with conservation architects and with the help of her dad, turned it into a modern and bright cottage full of character and light, which pours in from floor-to-ceiling sea-view windows.

Saoirse's favourite spot was her bathroom.

The judges gave the home a 28 out of 30, pushing it into the final. However, it missed out on the prize to a Dublin loft.

The good news is that anyone wanting to book a staycation in the cottage can now rent it out on Airbnb. The bad news is that you might want to book very far in advance.

Margaret and Mark’s Fastnet lookout 

The contemporary split-level home of Margaret and Mark Conway in south-west Cork.

Margaret and Mark Conway split their time between the UK and this beautiful West Cork property, which was featured on the show in 2018. They knocked the original bungalow on the plot when they purchased it and built this beautiful, contemporary, two-storey home in its place.

 The family love the area and all that West Cork has to offer. 

The Fastnet Rock Lighthouse, which the home peers out to in the distance, was a big influence on the design of the home. 

Stone walls mirror nearby rock faces and the kitchen is washed in the colours of the sea. Large windows also baste light and views of cliff, sea, and headland onto every corner of the house.

Margaret put a lot of thought into the plans of the house, working closely with the architect so that they could incorporate as much of the surrounding landscape and views into the house itself.

The gorgeous home was beaten for the Home of the Year title by a Wicklow property.

The renovated mill 

Also featured in that year’s final was the house of Gary Owens, who transformed his West Cork property from an 18th-century mill to a stunning, surreal-looking home nestled into the quiet countryside.

Gary and Michi Owens renovated the building to emphasise its original character.

“It’s a wonderful piece of vernacular architecture, beautifully restored,” said award-winning architect and judge Patrick Bradley upon seeing the home on the show.

Inside the mill.

Gary and his wife Michi breathed new life into the building when they bought it over ten years ago, filling it with collectible furniture and artwork and replacing its windows and doors with ones they sourced or had made to emphasise the character of the building.

The Owens' traditionally inspired ktichen.

Unfortunately, Michi passed away before the final, which was attended by the couple’s friends in their place.

The architect’s artful paradise 

Loic DeHay's 2020 featured home.

Cork architect Loic DeHay had his property featured in last year’s final after his artistic flair and eye for design impressed the judges.

Loic bought the formerly derelict house in 2017 and gutted the property, as well as adding a two-story timber-based extension to the house.

The judges loved Loic's details.

The open plan extension connects the indoors to the out, extending back to the wide garden. 

The low-hanging ceilings and wooden accents, highlighted by bright artwork and plain white backgrounds, had judges swooning - but it wasn’t enough to push Loic to the title.

A home for two

Val and Karl's modern Cork home didn't make the cut.

Val O’Kelly and Karl Slyne completed the build of their contemporary home in Cork in 2017. 

Their architect-designed house, which was built to amalgamate their two families, featured in this year's series but failed to secure a place in the final.

The judges didn't like some features, but there is no denying how spectacular this home was.

The couple live in their home with their six teenage sons and built an endless stream of interesting features into their property, including vaulted ceilings, glass ‘bridges’, large sliding doors, and interesting artwork.

The home's stunning artwork.

Many thought the judges were harsh on the home, only awarding it a 22 out of 30.

David's modern barn

David's home is featured in tonight's final.

We couldn’t skip over this year’s rebel county representative before rounding off this list. David O’ Brien’s bespoke Ballygarvan home will be featured in tonight’s final, along with six other contestants’ properties. The home has been making headlines since it was revealed earlier this season, with many pinning the prize to be brought to Cork.

David's piano island.

It took David over two years to build his contemporary, black paint-coated, open-plan barn down the road from where he grew up.

The bright and open interior surprised this year’s judges, who gave the home a score of 28 out of 30.

Judge Amanda Bone said that the kitchen, which features a centuries-old piano as an island, was one of the most creative she had ever seen.

 

Hugh Wallace loved the window extending to the yard.

Hugh Wallace also complemented the furniture, which David has been collecting for years.

Tune in to RTÉ One at 8:30pm tonight to see if David will be Cork’s first Home of the Year winner.