52,000 people queue to visit dream home

IMAGINE having to cope with more than 52,000 people visiting your home over the holiday weekend.

That’s what happened at the AXA Insurance Ideal Homes

Exhibition in the RDS, Dublin, when a record number of people queued to see inside a stunning 2,000 square-foot timber frame house.

Interior designers Rosemary Blake and Adrienne Purcell were only sorry they could not provide everyone with a cup of tea.

Adrienne explained that the house was built exactly as it would appear on a site, and two people have already expressed an interest in buying it.

Later tonight (Mon),however, the entire building will be knocked down along with all the various fixtures and fittings going back to the exhibitors.

The building features waterproof Venetian plaster paint effects by Noel Whelan. Up to now, examples of such plasterwork could only be seen in the Vatican.

The polished effect that used to take many months to achieve is now completed within a matter of days. Adrienne believes that Venetian plaster is bound to become the latest “must have” by fashion conscious homeowners. “It is a clean and textural finish that

actually feels completely flat,” she explained.

It is possible to get up to 20 different effects and colours with Venetian plaster. Between three and 20 layers go onto the wall

before it is actually finished.

“While it is a bit expensive, it is there forever. It never comes down and does not need any maintenance. You can’t scratch it or mark it. It just looks beautiful,” said Adrienne.

No wall in the house is the same but neither is every wall completely different either. It is only the colour tone that changes in each room. Flooring varies between oak and walnut and sandstone with the same material continuing from room to room to give a feeling of spaciousness.

“It is not about moving house, it is about using the space you have wisely. That’s why we emphasise that the theme should start at the hall door and brought all the way through. It is not about breaking up the rooms, particularly if you live in a small house, which most of us live in.”

Adrienne said people have been queuing up to see the house a second or even a third time. “The queue moves along every 10 minutes, so people are not left standing in the same place for too long, but that can be a bit hard on people who want to stop and stare for a bit longer.”