New Horizons

Combining simplicity of form and warmth of materials, in addition to prioritising the light, the views and the practicalities of family life, make Caitriona and Jonathan’s new build stand out from the crowd.

- Penny Crawford-Collins

Originally from Skerries, Caitriona was hankering to move back. Her husband Jonathan, originally from Monaghan, had also caught the seaside bug. Having sold their house in Castleknock they made their move to a spot with magnificent sea views, that offered privacy and plenty of space for them to build a modern, light-filled home. ‘Having the opportunity to build our own home tailored to every single one of our needs was exciting and has been a life-changing and indescribable experience for us and our four children,’ says Caitriona.

After meeting several architects the couple appointed a local one to come up with an innovative design that would strike the right balance between modern design and the day-to-day practicalities of a family of six. ‘Planning can be tricky in this area so we wanted someone that was very familiar with it and what the planners would be amenable to. This was one of our best decisions and the planning went through first time around,’ explains Caitriona.

The couple’s brief was to have a view from every room, to invite the outside in, to incorporate terraced areas around the house and to capture the light both in the morning and in the evening. They also wanted the house to be extremely functional with every inch used to its maximum advantage. The core concept for the design was to incorporate as much glazing as possible, utilising angled windows that maximise the views while maintaining privacy. The architect was also keen to introduce natural stone into the build that would be used both internally and externally.