RTÉ Home of the Year: Top marks for Cork schoolhouse through to final
The living space in the school-house-turned-home. Pictures: RTÉ
Its magical living spaces and “wow” art captivated the judges as the 10th series began — earning the West Cork former schoolhouse the first spot in the final.
Ian and Sarah share their home with their son Jo Jo.
They purchased the 1900s-built property in 2019 and had numerous renovations to complete when they bought it, including removing plaster to expose the original brickwork and levelling the floor in the main room.
They wanted the original features and the character of the building to do the talking.
Ian Humphreys, a well-known artist, placed the “red dot” in the artist’s studio attached to the property for the judges to find in the first episode this year, the 10th to air on RTÉ One.
“My favourite spot is my studio,” he says. “A studio is never touched — it’s your own space.
"I don’t want to see outside because that would be a distraction.”
Their house, he adds, has “an old rustic charm” about it. “If someone does or doesn’t like it, we like it, and that’s what matters,” he adds.
Architect and judge Amanda Bone shares his passion for the studio when she visits.
“I am just blown away. I think it’s amazing I’ll stop now before I start crying,” she says.
All three judges are impressed by the art that is on display throughout.
“I’m gobsmacked; for the first time. I’m not just looking at the architecture, my eyes are drawn to the paintings,” says Amanda.
“The artwork provides the story, provides the character; it is the lifeblood of the home.”
Of the vast art collection, fellow judge and interior designer Sara Cosgrove adds: “Wow, seriously wow.”
All three admire the height and scale of the interior as well as the light-filled rooms.
“This schoolhouse conversion was done with such attention to detail but also whimsy,” says Sara.
“It wasn’t precious, but that living room was just magical and that artist’s studio — a really special space.”
Architect Hugh Wallace, who has been a judge for all 10 series of , describes the school-house-turned-dwelling place as “effortless and full of personality”.
Hugh admires the clever use of space and the reimaging of the schoolhouse as a family home.
However, Hugh is not a fan of the use of a recycled furniture element, while Sara loves it.
“It feels of the locality, West Cork bohemian. It’s got its own culture and vibe and I think this house reflects that beautifully," she says.
The West Cork house is, in Amanda’s words, “a very characterful finalist”.
Amanda gives the Cork schoolhouse a ten, Sara a nine, and Hugh an eight.
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John and Kasha live in an eco-minded self-build home in Co Clare with their daughter.
In 2021 the couple started building their contemporary house. John and Kasha were conscious of the environment when building the home and wanted a grass roof as a place for wildlife and bees to live.
They also sought to blend the traditions of Ireland and Kasha’s native Poland.
Their home has a natural cooling breezeway designed for the summer months that brings the outside in, and, after working with the Jon Eliason Studio in Sweden to draft the concept of the living space and kitchen of their house, they decided on a 20-foot-high ceiling in the main room to allow the spectacular scenery to be a part of the space.
The grass roof blends in aesthetically, says John and “functionally it creates a warm home”.
Their style is minimal, practical, warm and cosy, adds Kasha.
Their favourite spot is their outdoor pool, overlooking the mountains.
Sara and Amanda award the home nine marks each, while Hugh gives it an eight.
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Their love for indoor-outdoor living spaces won the judges over but Aoife and Tim’s hotel-inspired bedroom and bathroom quarters perplex all three.
The Dublin couple share their end-of-road 1960s semi-detached home with their two young daughters, teenage son and four dogs.
Aoife and Tim work in construction, which came in handy when drawing up a wish list for their dream residence, they say.
They had been living in an apartment previously so the first thing that went on that list “was space”, says Aoife.
They gutted the whole house and gardens and designed a layout that works best for their family, creating a five-bed and five-bath energy-efficient home. “Working in construction [means] we do this for other people the whole time, and you get many ideas — [and] so to do this for ourselves was really special,” says Aoife.
Their favourite spot is their indoor-outdoor room — which also impressed Hugh, Amanda and Sara. We had sliding doors to the garden — that was always the plan because I always wanted the indoor-outdoor space and a garden area,” says Aoife.
Their other favourite spot is their bedroom suite.
“Our bedroom is our sanctuary — we adore staying in hotels,” she says.
But its design, which merges their bedroom with a large bathroom is not a hit with the three visitors. “It’s obviously heavily influenced by hospitality, but hotels are made for one or two nights — not forever,” says Sara.
Amanda adds: “For me not having a division between a bedroom and a bathroom just doesn’t work.” Hugh awards their home a nine, while Sara and Amanda each give it an eight.
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- airs on Tuesdays at 8.30pm on RTÉ One and is on RTÉ Player
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