SMALL BUT PERFECTLY FORMED
How the owners of this compact cottage in Dublin used clever design ideas to make the most of the available space
Spiraling house prices in Dublin meant that Julie O’brien, an artist and photographer, and her boyfriend Julian Palmer, a photographer, despaired of ever being able to afford to move out of their parents’ homes. ‘There was very little even to rent in Dublin,’ says Julie. Then her father, property scout and designer Wesley O’brien, spotted this tiny rundown cottage as an investment project. ‘It was very small,’ she says, ‘ but Dad was sure he could make something of it, and he’s really good at renovations.’
The cottage had been in the same family for generations, and had hardly been altered from the original layout. There was no bathroom, only an outside toilet, and the kitchen consisted of an ancient gas cooker and a Belfast sink in a tiny scullery. ‘The house was untouched, which was what attracted me to it,’ explains Wesley. ‘The ceilings were 3.35 metres high, and there was a reasonably sized back yard to use for an extension.’
Wesley worked on a new design while the house was gutted. ‘The main problem was that there was no place for a sofa in the sitting room,’ he explains. ‘It had an internal porch one side and an unusual diagonal wall shared with the room on the other.’
This was solved by taking out the internal porch and shifting the diagonal wall to create space for a three-seater sofa opposite the fireplace. The original plan to install radiators was changed to underfloor heating, freeing up more wall space. The beige-tiled 1950s fireplace was removed and the surround brought back to its original shape. Julie and Julian wanted at least two separate workstations where they could work on projects, so overhead shelves and a wider desk shelf were added to the niche beside the fireplace. ‘
Another oddity was that the bedroom ceiling was also very high, so the room seemed taller than it was long,’ explains Julie. ‘Dad suggested dropping the height to add an attic for storage, which we did. There was enough space for a reasonable extension, so I wanted to have a good-quality bright kitchen,’ says Wesley. ‘ We used the full height of the space, bringing the units up to the ceiling to provide valuable extra storage in such a small house.’
With the building work done, Julie set about making the house comfortable and giving it a unique identity on a miniscule budget. ‘I prefer an eclectic look anyway so we gathered old and recycled pieces from markets and internet sites and mixed them with Ikea and DIY store buys,’ she says. ‘We painted the study a deep marine blue, which seemed bold at first, but was a stroke of genius, because it becomes a totally separate space and makes the house feel larger.’
It didn’t take long for the couple to settle into their new home. ‘It’s very small but feels spacious enough for two,’ says Julie. ‘We love the location and can cycle everywhere – we’re very happy here.’
de s i gn ti p ‘Use straight-edged tiles for a kitchen splashback that requires electrical sockets, as the finish will be much neater than with bevel-edged tiles’