"Try to keep it simple. Try to keep it classical, so that it won’t date and you won’t get tired of it," says Terry O'Driscoll.

The Lake House near Toormore in West Cork is a gem finished to highest standards, combining taste and practicality, writes Tommy Barker.

Rose Martin unearths a sublime, waterside home at Toormore, Schull, crafted from a windswept, unremarkable lump of rock and bog.