The Cork house on Home of the Year has a big social media following of its own
David O'Brien's Ballygarvan home will appear on our TV screens tonight as it features in the first episode of Home of the Year
Home of the Year returns tonight and among the offerings in its first episode is an impressive self-build in Co Cork.
David O’Brien’s bold Ballygarvan home is eye-catching in its modernity, with a sleek black exterior and a homely yet fashionable interior. One of the unique aspects of this home is the use of an 1800s piano as a kitchen island, which shows how innovative the owners are.
Mr O’Brien lives in the contemporary dormer bungalow and built his home in 2017. He moved in one year later. He set up an Instagram account to document the build and decorating of his home and it has proved popular: @newbuildireland has over 16,000 followers.
Ahead of tonight’s show, Mr O’Brien wrote that he is “nervous but very excited about welcoming you all into my home this evening.
“What a whirlwind it's been since I announced that my home would be appearing on @rtehomeoftheyear last Friday. I'm genuinely taken aback by all the good wishes.”
Last week, after his home was recognised by many viewers during the trailer for the new season of Home of the Year, he described the massive undertaking that being part of the show involved.
“The amount of work that goes into this show is incredible and really has to be seen to be believed. The crew work so hard to get it right and were so lovely throughout the entire process.” He said he will be watching the programme “with a glass of champagne and a pancake from behind a cushion”.
Here are some parts of his home that Mr O’Brien has described in detail on Instagram:
“The piano is around 170 years old. I was able to trace the serial number back to the 1850s.
“Even though the island is a grand piano, I wanted it to be a functioning island. Toughened glass has been ordered and is arriving for the top so that the piano will become a practical kitchen worktop space. It has LED lights underneath so functions as a light source and if you look closely there is a wire running up the leg on the right which runs power to a plug socket underneath which will allow for appliances to be used on it.”
“The house was built to look like 2 separate agricultural barns sitting next to one another, the two buildings are connected by a flat fibreglass roof.
“The buildings are set at slightly different angles to take full advantage of the sunlight.”
“I have very little experience with gardening or landscaping but had a strong idea of what I wanted this area to look like in my head. I wanted it to be a continuation of my indoor space, as the indoor-outdoor feel was one of my major design criterias from the get-go.
“I did all of the landscaping and patio area by myself over a period of months during lockdown with a very limited amount of supplies and on a tiny budget. It included shoveling multiple tons of stone and soil by hand and a lot of improvisation like using old scaffolding planks to build the raised garden beds. I learned a lot, in particular about plant care. It is by no means perfect but I absolutely love this space and the entire process of pulling it all together.”
“I wanted a secret passage, basically a movable wall to hide the fridge and have a walk-in pantry next to the kitchen.
“I am absolutely thrilled with how it turned out and honestly the lads from @rjobrienbuildingcontractors went above and beyond to create my design. There was no margin for error here, it really had to be seamless to work.
“The frame of the painting is screwed to the door and acts as the handle for the sliding door to the hidden pantry.”
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