THE ARTIST’S WAY
How artist and film-maker Cléa van der Grijn transformed a tired Sligo bungalow into her dream home and studio
Everything has a story, remarks artist Cléa van der Grijn about her newly renovated home and studio in the idyllic Irish village of Rosses Point, Co Sligo. Once a plain 1980s bungalow on this wild northwestern coast, Cléa had very definite ideas of what she wanted – one main living space, clean lines, no paint, no skirting boards, concrete (lots), natural wood, metal and polished waxed plaster, all finely finished and to age naturally. Now modern, rustic and to the highest specification, the original interior was gutted and extended, with huge glass windows offering views over the coastal landscape. Every detail was meticulously designed and the plans drawn up by Cléa, then passed to an architect and engineer for technical drawings for planning permission. The result is a masterpiece. Working directly with the craftsmen and builders, Cléa was essentially the site manager for the project, which took ‘two very painfully slow years’ to complete.
PAINTING A PICTURE
However, the end result is stunning.
The huge open-plan living area has a high, arched, beamed ceiling and a large feature wall of concrete – the most important piece for Cléa, an engineering challenge with its exposed surface and marks from the supports left intentionally. The polished concrete floor has geothermal heating underneath, and there is a vast, solid, poured concrete kitchen island with polished surface, again with the rough texture left on the side to add interest. Cléa loves to cook, so in close collaboration with Bulthaup Kitchens in Dublin, the kitchen was designed with an industrial, practical feel that is also beautiful, streamlined with aluminium panels holding floating Gagganau ovens. Just off the kitchen is a pantry and utility space built especially to accommodate a 12ft Welsh dresser bought years ago in a reclaimed furniture warehouse in the Midlands. This used to live in the large monastery and church that Cléa had renovated previously, before her move to Sligo. Her old enamel lampshades were discovered in one of the many outhouses at the monastery.
The centrepiece is the enormous bespoke table, big enough to seat 18, which was built on site. With its solid oak top and steel legs, it’s so heavy it will never be moved. A large old
church bench down one side was a beloved 40th birthday gift; the textiles were picked up on travels in the Middle East. The table was designed by Cléa, and made possible by cabinet maker Padraigh Fogarty along with steel fabricator Jason Kelly. Floating solid oak shelves house a varied book collection and the many finds from Cléa’s extensive travels. All her life she has collected bits and pieces when travelling, most recently spending four months in Italy and Mexico with her family to experience life there while working on art exhibitions. Everywhere you look is a flash of inspiration – much-admired Frida Kahlo mementoes, other Mexican artefacts, personal photos, textiles and paintings from lands afar – all with their own tales to tell. The faded leather and linen sofas and chairs – designed by Cléa and made by David at John O’Connell Furniture – blend colour, depth and comfort, and are carefully placed to maximise the tranquillity of the space. A large rug with hues of autumn and a hint of blue (brought back from Essouira in Morocco) is the perfect choice for the floor, adding warmth and vibrancy to the
‘Living by the sea provides me with a sense of space and calm. It is intrinsic to my health and wellbeing’
polished concrete. The Stovax solid fuel stove makes for cosy comfortable evenings in front of that concrete wall, – with Cléa’s Dead Man Feet in patinated bronze from her show Ambivalence 2014 close by. On the beam above is a Mexican clay skull covered in dried rose petals – part of Cléa’s international experiential show Reconstructing Memory 2016 – next to an Aztec clay pot that got broken on its way back to Sligo, and which was painstakingly reformed with gold powder resin in the Japanese style. A wool rug from Greece given to Cléa by her father years ago sits on an old antique chair.
With her Fine Art background, Cléa’s many paintings and installations line the walls, creating a very clean and visual style. As you enter, there is a vibrant painting, Marigold, from her
Reconstructing Memory show, inspired by the months of growing and harvesting marigolds (to guide the returning dead) as seen on her four-month stay in the jungle of Sayulita with her family in Mexico. Nearby, In the Head, an oil and mixed media painting inspired by Cléa’s experience of migraines, sits next to a Frida Kahlo portrait. In the cloakroom, a neon sign Perfect sits above the sink. A framed white Victorian dress in the master bedroom, found by Cléa’s mother, is a focal point for one of her shows. There’s an antique carousel horse with patinated bronze sculpture. Every item, found or received as a gift, is carefully placed.
A STYLE OF ITS OWN
A sliding steel barn-style door leads to a small snug room and simple master bedroom. Cléa’s bespoke bed with builtin under storage, was again made by Padraigh Fogarty, and the grey bedlinen and curtains are from Ikea. The continuity of washed and waxed plaster walls and wide oak floorboards throughout lead to the walk-in dressing room, designed around the concept of an old gentleman’s clothing shop, is beautifully made in birch ply. The bathroom, with its poured concrete wall, wash-hand basin and bath, is based on a Japanese style, with geothermal heating under the floor and within the poured concrete bath and basin, ensuring the concrete is at room temperature and the water does not go cold. The simple Agape orange shower fittings add a hint of style and colour.
A neat, narrow bespoke oak staircase with a steel handrail leads to the upper floor where Cléa’s sons, Maximillian and Orlando, have their rooms. There is also a guest room for visitors and her older son Oskar when he visits. Artificial lighting in the house is minimal, with natural light filling the house from the main glass front.
As you’d expect, the exterior has had as much care and attention lavished on it as the interior. The garden studio is a large wooden structure with black corrugated cladding, polished concrete floors and white walls. Steel climbers in the garden are purposely untreated to give a modern rustic twist. Everything has been chosen to mirror something inside the house. Cléa’s creativity in her home and studio make this a very special and much-loved place indeed.