Downsizing not downgrading
Interior designer Lynn O’Loughlin’s client planned to sell her six-bedroom house in Athlone and retire to a two-bedroom apartment by the sea. Creating a warm and welcoming scheme that eased this transition was the brief, she tells Marie Kelly.
The challenge for interior designer Lynn O’Loughlin was to transform a generic new-build apartment in Salthill into a characterful retirement home with the same comfortable and welcoming feel as the Athlone house her client had lived and raised children in.
“These new A-rated homes are very efficient, but they’re often just boxes, with no chimney breast, no character and nothing but straight lines,” explains O’Loughlin. It may have had a soulless interior, but the two-bedroom apartment, part of a two-block development, had the enormous advantage of a spectacular view from every vantage point with expansive floor-to-ceiling glass doors leading from the living area out to a generous-sized balcony with sheltered overhang.
The first decision O’Loughlin made was to open up the space by removing an internal door and allowing light to flood into previously gloomy corners. “Taking away the door between the living area and the hallway made an enormous difference to the feeling you have when you first step inside. Now when you enter the apartment, what was a dark corridor has plenty of natural light and direct views of Galway Bay out to the Atlantic Ocean.” O’Loughlin painted the door frame in Farrow & Ball’s Red Earth so that it acted like a frame for the picture-perfect view.
O’Loughlin’s client, a divorced businesswoman with three children and several grandchildren, had no fixed idea of what she wanted in terms of style or colour, but she knew she needed a home that would accommodate her lifestyle, which involved lots of cooking, baking and entertaining. With the intention of retiring in a few years time, her plan was to spend weekends at the apartment until then, but what she didn’t want was to leave her beautiful six-bedroom house for a basic uninviting apartment. She needed a fully functioning home that felt warm and welcoming.
“She was happy to let go of the big house, several bedrooms and a range cooker as long as she had enough counter space to cook comfortably and sufficient living space to have friends and family over,” says O’Loughlin. So the Galway designer suggested extending the kitchen beyond the original U-shaped design to include two additional full-length wall units, one of which houses a coffee dock and drinks cabinet – otherwise referred to as the “party press”. “We included a double oven at eye level so in years to come, she won’t have to bend down to reach it, and we also made use of the height available by building a glass-fronted cupboard to display all of her lovely dining sets; she has a small step ladder to give her extra reach.”
To economise and reduce waste, O’Loughlin used the carcass of the original kitchen but changed the doors and handles. The new doors, overhead cabinets and extended units are all bespoke and were made by a Galway-based carpenter. While this may sound extravagant, O’Loughlin explains that very often local craftsmen offer a less expensive solution than traditional kitchen companies. “They don’t have big fancy showrooms so they don’t need to charge prices based on covering those overheads, and their work is top-notch.”
The overhead cabinets have wing doors and an oak veneer interior, which made them a more expensive option, but O’Loughlin says this kind of hybrid design where you cut your cloth in places allows for some premium fixtures and fittings. The kitchen was finished with a coat of Farrow & Ball’s Drop Cloth, a gentle mid-grey beige, and the vibrant patterned rug, from homewares store Townhouse Westport, was chosen for the burst of colour and personality it introduced to the otherwise muted space.
Choosing furniture from independent stores and artworks from contemporary local artists was an approach both were keen to take as this would banish any blandness and give the apartment a sense of time and place.
Building a false chimney breast with a tactile paneled surface and installing an electric fire brought warmth and texture to the room. To make the space as sociable as possible, O’Loughlin created a variety of zoned seating areas within the open-plan room, including the carpenter-built bench seating along the same wall. It was upholstered by a local woman, Carmel O’Toole. “She does all of my blinds and upholstery,” says O’Loughlin. “I’m often asked about her work, but she has no online presence; she also works for Ashford Castle so I suppose she doesn’t need one,” O’Loughlin says laughing. The coordinating cushions are from Provenance Interior in Clifden.
Choosing furniture from independent stores and artworks from contemporary local artists was an approach both were keen to take as this would banish any blandness and give the apartment a sense of time and place. Works by Galway artists Siobhan McNutt and Olga Evenden, bought at Outset Gallery in Galway, are peppered through the 87 sq ft apartment, while the artwork above the fire is in fact a Samsung Frame TV with oak surround, ideal for creating a cohesive aesthetic unbroken by a clunky black box.
Furniture that does double duty is a prerequisite for maximising the potential of limited space so O’Loughlin suggested a sofa bed from Finline Furniture and a footstool by Ethnicraft from Browsers in Limerick. She placed a removable tray on top so the footstool could function as either a footrest or coffee table. The Eames-style lounger from CA Design in Dublin has an iconic familiarity that both women felt would inject character and a touch of tradition into the modern build.
Coordinating the dining room furniture and wall shelves – all are Ethnicraft’s Pi range from CA Design but in different finishes – gave the dining area a streamlined feel, while the sisal rug from Galway’s Carpet & Rug Centre defined the eating area and complemented the herringbone pattern of the Amtico vinyl flooring. “The floor had already been put down when the client bought the apartment. I might have chosen something a little bit lighter, but the rugs break it up nicely,” explains O’Loughlin.
A few well-chosen ceramics from local designers stocked at Townhouse Westport were used to create a discreet display on the shelves. O’Loughlin wanted this area to feel loved and lived in but without appearing in any way cluttered. To achieve a similarly homely but harmonious aesthetic in the bedroom, O’Loughlin designed a bespoke wall of cupboards to house wardrobes and a dressing table, painting them once again in Farrow & Ball’s Drop Cloth for continuity. “The final two doors lead into the en-suite,” O’Loughlin explains. “So when the client is in bed, she sees only a wall of cabinetry, which makes the bijou room feel calm and ordered.”
O’Loughlin was keen to introduce tactile finishing touches to the bedroom to create the intimate feel of a boudoir. A full-length voile curtain conceals a motorised blackout blind and a deep button headboard and bed frame, bought from Pod Furniture in Cork, creates a softer aesthetic than a wooden or iron surround. The full-length mirror from Ferm Living, the bed linen and throw from Foxford in Mayo and the handmade bedside lamps from Spark & Bell create a restrained palette perfect for encouraging a restful night’s sleep. The occasional chair, also from Pod Furniture, makes the space feel more like a suite than simply a place to sleep.
Maximising light and accommodating and reflecting the owner’s lifestyle were the key to elevating this uninspiring new-build into a cosy and modern forever home, because downsizing should never be depressing, explains O’Loughlin.
This article was originally published in The Sunday Times Ireland, January 2025