Understated Cool

A light laid back interior teamed with cool elegant retro pieces gives Frida and Mark’s Monkstown home a calm and harmonious appeal.

- PENNY CRAWFORD-COLLINS

We loved this house from the moment we saw it, living in a two up two down terrace, with three small children we were craving more space. When we first set eyes on this house, with its four bedrooms and large bright sitting room it felt like a castle, and still does,’ says Frida O’Neill, a merchandiser who moved here sixteen years ago, with her husband Mark, who is in the construction industry, and their three children.

There was work to be done throughout the house, which had been relatively untouched. The interiors were dated with carpet everywhere, old-fashioned blinds on all the windows, a pink bathroom suite, a very old kitchen, and a toilet in the back garden. It was habitable however, and the couple could see the potential to extend at a later stage when funds permitted.

‘We took our time with the renovations, initially ripping out the carpets, blinds and sanding the floors, staining them dark oak and painting the whole place white,’ explains Frida. A year later the couple decided to tackle the bathroom and the kitchen and being on a budget they opted for Ikea fittings for both rooms. ‘This work was done before Ikea came to Ireland so everything had to be meticulously planned and ordered online,’ explains Frida.

Four years ago the couple embarked on the task of extending the kitchen. ‘Our plan all along was to create a large open-plan kitchen dining space, remodel the hall to include a downstairs cloakroom/wetroom and utility area, while also creating a doorway opening into the garage giving us easy access to extra storage. This is particularly useful in the winter for logs for the fire.’