See how this Cork family created a patio paradise at their home 

Taking the indoors outdoors can work well even in unpredictable Irish weather. We visit a home in Riverstick to see how it's done

Barry and Nicole Reid with their children Gwyn and Eva. Pictures: Larry Cummins

Being an interiors snoop by profession had me longing to return to the home of Nicole and Barry Reid near Belgooly, Co Cork, to see how their restored and extended country cottage had developed into phase two, the garden project.

Last time I visited, I remember negotiating my way around remnants of building rubble and puddles before entering the gorgeous airy interior which is the design handiwork of Nicole who happens to be co-owner of the gorgeous Cork-based home interiors boutique Interiosity. 

Intrigued to see how the outdoors had developed, I popped round on what turned out to be the treat of a sunny, photoshoot-friendly morning, and Nicole put the kettle on.

“The house was the priority,” she tells me over coffee, “and we thought we’d leave the garden for a couple of years.”

But given the cottage is compact with just two bedrooms, there really wasn’t enough room for entertaining in the way they wanted even though Nicole’s space-planning was exacting for a young family’s needs, so the outside was to be their entertainment space.

As it was for so many others, the cloud of Covid provided Nicole and Barry with a silver lining of time to start the project, with the unexpected bonus of continuous dry weather for outdoor work.

“I was used to designing for indoors”, Nicole tells me. “You know where the windows and doors are, but outdoors is so open it was very different.”

Nevertheless, she rose to the challenge where priorities were to create an outdoor dining area, a kitchen with a rustic vibe, a fire pit, and to create a nook for catching the evening sun, plus lots of space for Eva aged eight and toddler Gwen who arrived mid-project and is now fifteen months old.

“I looked at where the sun lands throughout the day and that decided where we’d put everything,” Nicole explains.

Dining al fresco at the Reids Riverstick home.

Starting with a large patio outside the front door, which is to the side of the house concealed from the quiet country road, midday sunshine hits the patio full on from the south with the dining area and kitchen shaded by high fencing bordering the garden and two overlapping sails hoisted overhead to provide dappled shade.

Heading to the rear of the property is a living area with a fire pit, and tucked into a recess is a little snuggery with seating for Nicole and Barry to enjoy a drink together and watch the sun go down once the girls are in bed.

“The rest of the garden is devoted to the kids and friends coming over,” says Nicole.

The garden and patio and outdoor kitchen/dining area.

Part of this includes a hilly grassed area with a dreamy playhouse gifted to the children by Nicole’s parents, and to which Barry has added a long deck for adults to sit and enjoy the view from this elevated position.

But the success of the entire project comes from the attention to detail which involved considerable creativity and sideways thinking to achieve the desired outcome within budget, and where Barry’s considerable handyman skills came into their own.

The fire pit and seating area at the Reids' home.

When he’s not teaching in a city-based primary school, he can be found making electric gates for his house, developing welding skills and making decorative garden planters.

But it was when Nicole had her heart set on really big patio flagstones with gravel gaps that were outside their budget that they decided to make their own.

Barry got to work constructing a timber framework, marking out where the flagstones would be sited with Nicole having the clever idea of adding a dye to the concrete mix so they’re not the typical dreary grey but a warmer creamy hue. Extended family chipped in to help with the labour including Nicole’s dad Paul.

Taking concrete work a step further, Barry has crafted a pizza oven, shaping it around a yoga ball which was later deflated after the concrete set, and he’s made a concrete kitchen counter on metal legs which he welding himself and is easy to maintain.

Concrete tabletop/counter on a black steel frame. Picture: Larry Cummins

If by now you’re thinking this is a lot of trouble for something which only gets sporadic use over an unpredictable Irish summer, Barry says, “The Christmas ham was cooked in the pizza oven. Even in winter or rain we sit under the umbrellas.”

“Lighting keeps us out a little bit longer too,” says Nicole, with her selection including solar powered lights and spots which come on automatically, plus festoon lights and candles.

Barry also installed outdoor speakers for background music to add another layer of ambience.

Nicole adds in extra styling elements to achieve her indoors outdoors look.

A transparent plastic roof on Gwyn and Eva Reid's garden playhouse ensures plentiful daylight inside the wooden structure.

“I have a big basket of textiles and use the inside cushions outside,” she says, “and I dress the table the same as indoors with cloths and mats. Living in a cottage I don’t use bright colours as that would be too busy. I’m braver outdoors with more pattern and peachy tangerine which goes with grey chairs.

“All weather furniture is low maintenance,” she adds. “I don’t want to be constantly moving things in and out. It means we can go outside in the winter as nothing is covered up like wood and rattan.”

WHAT TO DO

Are you a total beginner creating an inviting outdoor space? 

This is Nicole’s advice:

 

•  Talk to your local garden centre, show them photos, where the sun is at different times of the day. They’ll tell you what plants will work
•  Start with easy to grow things like bamboo and grasses to build up confidence
• Decide what time of day you’re using the different spaces. With people going back to work choose a sunny area for evening dining
•  Put your barbecue and kitchen in the shade