Seeing potential and helping something reach its potential are two very different things. It’s easy to appreciate what something can be, but putting the hours and labor into it inspires a whole new level of appreciation and creates something beautiful. Siobhan and Jamie took a risk when they bought this Portobello, Dublin home, but the potential was too great to pass on.
Siobhan Lam, owner of homeware and interior consulting company April and the Bear, and Jamie Hughes, a retail manager, followed a hunch on a vague home listing and it landed them at the door of a house with tons of need and tons of potential. The 1850s house was renovated previously into three separate flats. Siobhan and Jamie decided to transform it back into the home it once was through intense restoration done primarily without the help of professionals. “Once we got the keys, we decided to move into the bedsit upstairs. The plan was we would live upstairs and demolish and then renovate downstairs and then vice versa,” Siobhan says. “The renovation involved a lot — we knocked down walls, replaced doors, removed stairs, knocked down chimneys, plastered ceilings, installed coving, installed new windows and doors and we filled A LOT of skips.” The results are incredible — traditional charm mixed with whimsy. It’s a space that suits them perfectly.
The renovation has slowed down with increased business and wedding planning, but the home is functional, beautiful and very personal. “To be honest, the house is still a work in progress — we’re nearly there, but not quite,” Siobhan says. “The most important thing to us was to create an open, inviting space that we could just relax in and have our friends and families over to. We’re real home birds so creating that kind of home was our top priority.” This home is filled with character, architectural stunners and so much personality — way beyond its original potential. —Lauren
Photography by Mark Scott and Siobhan Lam
SOURCE LIST
Living Room
Coffee table – Made.com
Sofa – Hand-me-down from Siobhan’s family
Shelving & lighting – IKEA
Paint – Abstract by Fleetwood
Mirror & Bell jars – April and the Bear
Industrial Trunks – April and the Bear
Dining Room
Table & Wooden Chairs – Hand-me-down from Siobhan’s family
Metal Chairs – Made.com
Pendant lights – The Conrad Shop at Arnotts
Vase & jugs – April and the Bear
Shelving & curtains – IKEA
Skull & prints – April and the Bear
Kitchen
Stools – Secondhand store on Ebay
Kitchen – IKEA
Tiles – Tilestyle, Sandyford
Lights – The Conrad Shop
Hallway
Coving – The Old Mould, Dublin
Dinosaur head – April and the Bear
Mirrors – IKEA
Raven – April and the Bear
Office
Tabletop – Woodworkers, Dublin
Table legs – IKEA
Bedroom
Cushions & throw – April and the Bear
Bed base – Pallets (thrifted)
Large cushions – IKEA fabric
Washi tape – April and the Bear
via Design*Sponge http://ift.tt/1IaXHC7 From Lauren Chorpening
No comments:
Post a Comment