Barn conversions and Scandi design inspire Cork home 

Relocating homeowners join forces with designer and architect to create interior and exterior to reflect the rolling countryside 

The newbuild outside Kinsale, Co Cork. Pictures: Visual Feasts

Leaving city streets far behind to lay the foundations for la dolce vita in the countryside is unquestionably many young families’ idea of heaven right now.

It’s especially tantalising after two years of increased remote working seems to have opened up a world of new possibilities.

But well before the pandemic, Kiara Daly and Gregg Barry were planning their relocation from Dublin — realising their goal in August 2020, when they moved to County Cork with their two small children, now aged nearly four and a year respectively, and their dog.

Node Architects designed the home. 

Construction started on their home on a greenfield site near Belgooley, outside Kinsale, in mid-2019, and it was completed early last year.

“We love the Kinsale area. Gregg is from Kinsale originally and grew up here,” says Kiara.

Amber Design Group created the interior design in the rustic family home.

“His parents, grandparents and some wider family still live here. My own grandparents also lived here for most of my childhood and some of my extended family still live in the area too so it is a place we were both very connected to.”

Kiara is a partner with a recruitment firm that has offices in both Dublin and Cork, and Gregg, a dentist, owns two Dublin-based dental clinics and splits his time between Dublin and Cork.

Creating the living space they envisioned was a team effort, according to all involved.

The couple engaged Node Architects to design their home and Liz Moloney of Amber Design Group (www.amberdesigngroup.co.uk) to create their interiors. Both firms had previously worked on the design of Barry’s dental clinics in Dublin’s Docklands.

Liz Moloney, Amber Design Group.

Node designed the house around two traditional barn-like structures separating the living and bedroom spaces linked with a central entrance living area.

Once the shape started to emerge clearly, interior designer Liz arrived from her base in Notting Hill, London.

As she approached the Belgooley site, Dungarvan native Liz observed that externally the design was “simple and discreet but internally had a great sense of openness and space”.

“The project had a dual brief; one to create a modern architectural farmhouse while also creating a warm, welcoming family home and this element was the key to our interior design brief.” Creating “a modern home with a rustic feel” meant that Liz ensured the residence featured an abundance of earthy tones echoing the rural surroundings.

“When I first saw the architect’s plan for the build I immediately started to think about the internal layouts and finishes,” she says.

“I drove to Kinsale at the very early stages of the construction with Gregg and we had a very strong idea of the overall look we wanted to achieve and also making sure to incorporate the striking surrounding farmland landscape.”

INSPIRATION

What inspired the interior design and colour palette?

“I looked to other barn conversions and designs for inspiration and of course Scandinavian/Nordic design; lots of soft neutral colour schemes with a modern rustic vibe to the interiors,” says Liz.

And a sweeping glance around the finished spaces shows a modern farmhouse that is a comfortable and welcoming family home — discreetly integrated into the land that has generations of personal heritage.

While internally the spaces were always going to flow quite freely around the centrally organising courtyard, at early stages there was some debate about whether externally the building should be a light (largely glazed, frame structured or even floating) volume within the landscape or an intentionally heavy, carved and monolithic object, embedded into the rural earth, according to the architect Node.

Several versions of the exterior were explored, with cladding solutions ranging from charred wood (Shou Sugi Ban) to Corten steel.

The architect was also keen to ensure the dark grey walls and roof set against the alternating greens and browns of the annual farming cycle, “would mean the exterior brings to mind an arrangement of grey stone boulders protruding from the earth to form a nook that is sheltered from the more hostile of Cork’s coastal weather”.

The interior designer adds: “I wanted to complement the architect’s original brief for the exterior function/aesthetic of the house.

FAVOURITE PERCH

As for Liz’s own favourite spot in the residence?

“I love the central living space that also functions as the entrance hallway this space also links the kitchen/dining area and the bedrooms,” she says.

Is there anything she is aware of now that she wishes she was up to speed with starting out? Liz has no hesitation in answering. 

I wish I’d known we’d face a pandemic and the sudden need for home working space! We scrambled to redesign the loft space to function as a home office for two working parents!”

And does the interior designer have any advice for others who might be considering a similar project?

“The idea of a newbuild can seem extremely daunting but with diligent planning, meticulous attention to detail and with the proper advice and guidance, clever solutions to budget constraints, the outcome can be far more rewarding than facing a traditional home renovation,” says Liz.

• Interiors: Amber Design Group, Notting Hill, London www.amberdesigngroup.co.uk; Instagram: @amberdesigngroup;
  architecture: www.node.ie
  
  
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