Living life to the maximalist at this €325,000 kaleidoscopic Ballymacoda cottage 

Grow your own enthusiasts will love the expansive gardens

Bursting with colour, cottage in Aghavine, Ballymacoda

Ballymacoda, East Cork
€325,000
Size	118 sq m (1270 sq ft)
Bedrooms	3
Bathrooms	1
BER	D2

DARK and moody on the outside but with a joie de vivre interior, this Ballymacoda home has an energy and personality that will bowl you over.

The owners are not fans of dressing a home in almost nothing at all: celebrity architect Amanda Bone would be overcome. Hugh Wallace would love it though, this kaleidoscopic property that has no truck with matchy-matchy interiors or the greige paint palette so often held up as a pafean to good taste.

Individuality and flair are its hallmarks and the cottage is so much the better for it.

You get the sense from this home (whose owners bought it nine years ago) that it evolved instinctively rather than being the product of careful curation, and that perhaps it had the benefit of an artist’s eye (the bookshelves hint at more than a passing interest in art). Like a lot of artwork, the house itself is very layered with multiple textures and colours, from rich soft furnishings, to eclectic wall displays (pottery, framed prints and original artwork), to bold paint choices, quirky lampshades and upcycled vintage furniture. Even utility items, like the colourful collection of kitchen crockery, have a visual impact.

Kyle Kennedy of Hegarty Properties, the agent selling the three-bedroom, low-slung, detached cottage, says the owners “love colour and contrast, flowing from light and bright spaces into restful and stimulating ones”.

“The vendors feel completely at home in this eclectic mix of colour and design,” Mr Kennedy says.

He adds that they are “really attracted to authentic art from mostly Irish artists as opposed to mass produced pieces”.

When they bought the house in Aghavine, they decided against extending the footprint, opting instead to re-jig the interior to better suit their lives. They introduced a lobby area and re-zoned some of the internal spaces.

 They also rewired the house, upgraded the heating system and fitted black PVC double-glazed windows. New Palladio front and rear doors were fitted too, while the original internal doors were retained. They sit well with the country cottage character of the house, as do the wood-panelled ceilings, which dip and curve and rise, ascending into a vault in the kitchen.

 Below the vault, exposed original stonework is mostly whitewashed, with the exception of an arch above a doorway, where the original warm tones are exposed. Beyond the kitchen, and separated from it by a curtain rather than a door, is a teal-coloured open-plan dining/living area, a gorgeously gilded room, polychromatic, heavily textured, relaxed, and comfortable.

 It’s a room to cosy up in near the stove, although at this time of year, the sunroom — glazed on three sides and jutting out into the south-facing rear garden — is really the place to be.

The garden has evolved considerably over the years, coaxed along by the owners who created an outdoor haven as layered as the house itself. To get a good overview, it’s best seen from the air. 

Subdivided into several sections, it includes a kiddie play area, numerous polytunnels, self-filling wildlife ponds, grape vines and a range of fruit trees: Apple, plum, peach. Rife with growth, it’s a feat of biodiversity.

At the top of this garden is a detached studio, as exuberant as the main house, currently used for remote working, but with excellent conversion potential (subject to planning permission) to a self-contained rental unit.

 As it stands, it has an open-plan kitchen/dining area and a shower room.

 Out back, there’s a terrific, raised deck, built by the owners, which they say is “a great space for reading a book, having a coffee, or sharing a meal with family and friends”.

They add that the sea is visible, across the fields from the deck.

Mr Kennedy says the property, in Aghavine, “is in a fantastic location”, within a few minutes’ drive of Ring Strand and Knockadoon Cliff Walk, from where there are stunning coastal views. Garryvoe Beach and Ballinwilling Strand aren’t far either by car.

The towns of Midleton and Youghal are less than a 20-minute drive away. Cork City is a 40-minute drive.

Youghal has three Blue Flag beaches and a circa 2km boardwalk from the Front Strand to Redbarn.

Mr Kennedy is guiding the 118 sq m cottage at €325,000 and he is expecting interest from both first-time buyers and from overseas.

VERDICT: Delightfully inviting home with terrific garden studio that offers rental potential. Gardening enthusiasts who love to GYO will find plenty to work with. A unique and quirky property that offers an enjoyable lifestyle.