work of art

With meticulous planning, Declan Moylan turned a dark and dated terrace into a bright home with plenty of space to display his colourful paintings

An art lover has turned a once dark and dingy cottage in Dublin into a calm home with with plenty of scope to display his favourite pieces

Being near the Grand Canal Dock in Dublin was one of Declan Moylan’s primary considerations when it came to purchasing this small terraced house. ‘It was the location of the cottage that drew me to it,’ he says. ‘Over recent years, the dock has undergone a huge amount of development, and is now headquarters to a number of hi-tech businesses, such as Google and Facebook. I was very keen to buy somewhere that was a home – but could sometimes be rented out to friends and colleagues.’

The property was, however, in quite bad condition. Its roof had suffered damage in a recent fire and the layout was unimaginatively planned with two small bedrooms and a dark pokey living room to the front of the house, and a single storey extension that housed a kitchen and bathroom to the rear.

Architect David Leyden of LHA Architecture was commissioned to come up with a design to make the most of the available space. ‘I had been involved in the fit out of The Cross Gallery in Dublin,’ he explains. ‘As an art collector, Declan had regular dealings with the gallery and really liked my design of the space, so he asked me to work with him.’

Declan knew that David would have already have a good understanding of his needs. ‘Creating a comfortable and sophisticated modern home facilitating the display of art was paramount,’ he

SITTING AREA The double-height ceiling and a large expanse of glass ensure this simply furnished space is lovely and bright. Grasshopper-style floor lamps, £227, Ca design. lugo coffee table, £363, boconcept. Miko designs hamilton Mosaic silver rug, £139, Modern rugs

KITCHEN The airy space has large glass doors that open onto a sunny courtyard. units, supplied by healy Mangan Kitchens, price on application