CALL OF THE WILD

A tiny cottage by a loch became Catherine Spain's perfect project, and her inspired renovation blends beautifully with its backdrop of mountains and wide skies

- ALEXANDRA PRATT

As a child in the 1970s, Catherine Spain would go swimming in a tranquil loch surrounded by the Kerry mountains, beginning her love affair with southwest Ireland. So years later, when she moved back to the area from overseas looking for a project, perhaps fate played a part. For not only did she find an ideal cottage to restore, but it was set on the shores of that same loch. From the moment I saw it, I knew this was the one,' says Catherine. It must have been love, as she looked past the cottage's ugly yellow plaster, the uPVC windows and the lack of indoor facilities. What did impress her was the setting in five acres of Ireland's wildly romantic west coast.

As builder Henry Thompson began to strip back the plaster to the original stonework it became apparent that the cottage was at least 200 years old. It dates back to the times when animals were kept at one end and people lived at the other," explains Catherine. Determined to strip away decades of inappropriate changes, she planned to restore the cottage sympathetically using artisan methods so the old stone walls could breathe again. Catherine chose hemp to insulate the building, and traditional lime render for the exterior finish. Inside, the walls are also plastered with lime.