Canadian pride in the heart of Waterford

WHEN an owner gets heavily involved in the planning and design of their house, there is always something that marks it out as special.

Usually, the passion of the owner and the skill of the architect combine to create truly remarkable residences. Woodfield Lodge in Dunmore East, Co Waterford, proves just how much this is born out in reality.

After spending several years living in Canada, the owner of the house wanted to take the traditional aspects of Canadian house design and transport it to one of the country's most scenic settings.

Completed in 2001, the property is a testament to the will of the owner and the insights of local architect Paul Curran.

With its mellow stone base and cedar cladding and a partial wraparound pond, the first impression is one of warm invitation. On Entering the property, that first impression is resoundingly reinforced.

The inner hall of the house has a ceramic tiled floor, open fireplace and double glazed pine french doors leading to the rear patio. Much of the interior of the property is finished with natural materials, and the colour schemes have been chosen to complement them.

Light brown tones and creams are used throughout the house. But bold splashes of colour, such as muted reds and aquatic blues, are used as an interesting counterpoint to the varying wood tones.

To the left of the large inner hall are two doors: one leads to the drawing room, the other has been included only to add a sense of proportion to the room.

The drawing room has a double aspect and is suffused with light. A coloured ceramic tiled floor which in part matches the walls, makes this large space inviting and cosy. The large brick fireplace and the wooden barn style ceiling only adds to the charm of the room.

To the left of the inner hall is a small set of stairs leading to one of the gallery landings.

From here you enter what undoubtedly is the heart of the house. The kitchen is extremely large in size and has a cathedral ceiling with apex windows. The scale of the room however is not overwhelming: The well-judged placing of units, including a central island with enamelled sink (as well as a large Belfast sink to its right) unit cleverly make this room very extremely user friendly.

With the input of the owner the kitchen, was crafted by Waterford artisan Chris Hayes. The wood used in the kitchen is elm and there is a quarry tiled floor.

Marble work tops complete the unfussy yet luxurious feel of the kitchen.

Large wooden french doors lead you out to the upper timber deck which overlooks the front, side and rear of the gardens.

A staircase takes you from this level to a Crow's Nest study with wonderful views of the bay. Back on the same level, two bedrooms are situated at the opposite ends of the house to the kitchen.

The first has a pine timber floor and built-in shelving. The second is the master bedroom and comes with french doors leading to a balcony with sea views.

Throughout the house there is plenty of storage space with two well-designed large walk-in airing cupboards.

The lower level reception hall was originally designed as a conservatory, but given its large size, potentially has many uses.

The house was built along an east-west axis which means that this part of the property gets the morning light while the side and rear patios get the afternoon sun.

The conservatory has French doors on to the patio the perfect place to take breakfast.

The family room is located to the right of the conservatory. It comes with a maple floor and open brick fireplace.

One of the great touches of the property is that one of the ponds is located directly outside the windows of this room. This which allows the dappled light of the water to play on its ceilings and walls.

Three further bedrooms are situated to the left of the conservatory, and all have pine flooring.

The land surrounding the house has been planned so that a family can use it as much as possible.

There are two large patio areas: one to the front and the other to the rear of the house, ensuring that you can enjoy the sunshine no matter what time of day.

The rest of the extensive gardens have been laid out in lawns and shrubbery. Given the youth of the residence there is still plenty that any avid gardener can add to make their own mark upon the gardens.

Well thought out and meticulously finished, Woodfield Lodge is a true gem of a house.

Given the time and energy ploughed into the planning and design of the property you would hardly expect it to turn out any other way.

The house is on the market with Palmer Auctioneers, who quote a €1.3 million price guide.