Third Time's a Charm

Designer Rachel Hobbs and her husband Rob have taken a rundown farmhouse in Ballincollig, Cork and beautifully renovated it to suit their lifestyle needs and interior style.

- Rachel Hobb, Rob

Already living in the area, interior architect and designer Rachel, and her husband Rob, an engineering manager, had gone for planning twice on different plots of land before this house came up for sale.

‘We were refused planning twice before we came across this 170-year-old farmhouse. Although it looks big from the outside, it was a two-up, two-down property and we knew it was too small for our growing family and needed a lot of work to suit our needs,’ explains Rachel, who shares her home on Instagram @rachelhobbsinteriors. ‘At this point, I had Rocco (now six) and Indie was three months old (now four), however, we could also see what could be done to turn it into the home we wanted. Plus it is set in a beautiful location. It is only five minutes from the main road but feels like it is set in the country and only a short distance from Rob’s family. We also have incredible neighbors. It really was the perfect find,’ she adds.

Rachel and Rob sold their house, bought a mobile home and moved on-site, which is where they would spend the next two years, and not only negotiate living with two young toddlers (Rocco was two and a half and Indie was eight months old when they moved into the mobile home), but also welcome baby number three, Forrest (now two) into this temporary accommodation.