Houzz Tour: An Irish Home With Hamptons Style
This new house exudes character with smart cabinetry, beautiful features and some movie magic
Gail Wall Morris was delighted when her client gave her a very specific directive for this special project on the Irish coast: “Make it look like the Hamptons’ beach house in the Jack Nicholson and Diane Keaton film Something’s Gotta Give.”
“It was lovely to have such a strong request,” Wall Morris says. “I find when clients can give you good feedback on what they want, it becomes a great relationship. The homeowner was really into the design and the process, and we were on the same page throughout, so it was a wonderful project. Every month or so, we’d go back and have another look at the film.”
“It was lovely to have such a strong request,” Wall Morris says. “I find when clients can give you good feedback on what they want, it becomes a great relationship. The homeowner was really into the design and the process, and we were on the same page throughout, so it was a wonderful project. Every month or so, we’d go back and have another look at the film.”
On top of the owner’s Something’s Gotta Give request, Wall Morris’ main design challenge was to create coziness and intimacy within the double-height, open-plan space. “We did this by using clever lighting and creating built-ins to define areas,” she says. “Layer upon layer of detail is built up through the use of beading, paneling and shelving, as well as devices such as window seats, cabinets and desks. The clean-lined character is classic in style, with hints of New England.”
Black granite counter: Artefaction
Black granite counter: Artefaction
To define the kitchen, dining and living areas of this large room, Wall Morris used various kinds of woodwork. “Around the kitchen, we built alcoves to separate the lower areas from the upper areas of the room. The upper areas have random-width paneling — an idea borrowed from Something’s Gotta Give.
“In the dining area, we used a group of pendant lights to act as a screen for that area. The separate rugs also help.”
Custom fireplace: Artefaction
“In the dining area, we used a group of pendant lights to act as a screen for that area. The separate rugs also help.”
Custom fireplace: Artefaction
The built-ins and paneling are designed to link the interior doors to the wall paneling to the staircase and even to the vanity in the bathroom.
“I wanted to create a layer of luxury and character through the built-ins and paneling,” Wall Morris says. “As you can see here, it helps ground spaces, center seating arrangements and frame the walls to center wall lights, paintings or a piece of furniture. Also, the upper wall paneling in the double-height space helped us balance the very high [18-foot] vaulted ceiling.”
Wall Morris and her client chose a layered neutral color palette. “I like to use a tone-on-tone color scheme,” she says.
Paneling paint: Off White and Old White, Farrow & Ball; wall paint: Light Gray, Farrow & Ball
Wall Morris and her client chose a layered neutral color palette. “I like to use a tone-on-tone color scheme,” she says.
Paneling paint: Off White and Old White, Farrow & Ball; wall paint: Light Gray, Farrow & Ball
In the hall, Wall Morris changed the colors slightly.
Woodwork paint: Tunsgate Green, Farrow & Ball; wall paint: Inviting Gesture 0393, Colortrend
Woodwork paint: Tunsgate Green, Farrow & Ball; wall paint: Inviting Gesture 0393, Colortrend
“My client and I share a love of dark wood floors,” Wall Morris says, “and the contrast of them really sets off a tonal scheme like this. It gives you the base to mix in a second [wood] if you want, as we did with the furniture, and glass and metal finishes work really well against it. In fact, anything natural works. Then you can also add an accent color if you wish. That’s my general approach to a color scheme.”
Wood flooring: Trunk
Wood flooring: Trunk
The house is in a remote part of the country, so organizing and coordinating was a challenge. Wall Morris’ client also hired a project manager to help with this.
The study is just off the hall on the ground floor. “This room is a really lovely scale,” Wall Morris says. “Coming out of the double-height space, it’s lovely to step into this small room, which has a dual-aspect feel to it — the views are beautiful.”
“So many people ask me where this large clock came from,” Wall Morris says. “It’s my client’s, from the States, and I’ve been unable to track an identical design down, but there are plenty of similar options out there.”
As you enter the en suite, there’s a walk-in shower and toilet on your left, and this vanity on your right.
“We used the same paneling style for the vanity unit, and incorporated a leg detail to make it look more like furniture,” the designer says. “It also has a panel behind the legs, so nothing can fall under there and it’s easy to clean.”
Lighting: Visual Comfort & Co
“We used the same paneling style for the vanity unit, and incorporated a leg detail to make it look more like furniture,” the designer says. “It also has a panel behind the legs, so nothing can fall under there and it’s easy to clean.”
Lighting: Visual Comfort & Co
Paneling continues in the master bedroom, with banding and beading detail on the ceiling and walls. This room was deliberately kept simple — just a place to sleep, with a reading chair in the corner.
There’s also a small dressing area off this room.
Pendant: Barbara Barry in soft silver, Visual Comfort & Co.
There’s also a small dressing area off this room.
Pendant: Barbara Barry in soft silver, Visual Comfort & Co.
The two external-wall porthole windows — one seen here beyond the round landing window, and one shown in the first image in the kitchen — had already been fitted when Wall Morris started on the job.
“We echoed these in the porthole window at the end of this dormer-level corridor, which overlooks the kitchen on the inside wall [seen in the second kitchen image]. This one wasn’t originally a circle, but we ended up building the [woodwork] that way so there’s consistency throughout the house. When we came up with it, it was definitely a ‘Why didn’t we think of this before?’ moment!”
“We echoed these in the porthole window at the end of this dormer-level corridor, which overlooks the kitchen on the inside wall [seen in the second kitchen image]. This one wasn’t originally a circle, but we ended up building the [woodwork] that way so there’s consistency throughout the house. When we came up with it, it was definitely a ‘Why didn’t we think of this before?’ moment!”
This is the view down the dormer-level corridor in the other direction. The ceiling here is quite low, and Wall Morris decided to panel it entirely to make a feature of it.
This bathroom in the dormer part of the house has amazing views. Wall Morris continued the tonal theme with the selection of tiles and stone in here.
“The upstairs of the property is carpeted, so we felt it was nice to have dark wood vanity units for contrast to echo the wooden floor downstairs,” she says.
Vanity unit: Artefaction
“The upstairs of the property is carpeted, so we felt it was nice to have dark wood vanity units for contrast to echo the wooden floor downstairs,” she says.
Vanity unit: Artefaction
The built-in wardrobes in this dormer bedroom have bifold doors for fuss-free access.
The skylights in here were painted in the same color as the walls for a seamless look.
Cabinetry: Teamwoodcraft
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Cabinetry: Teamwoodcraft
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Who lives here A young professional
Location Southern Ireland
Size: Four bedrooms, three bathrooms
Designer: Gail Wall Morris of Wall Morris Design
When Wall Morris got involved in this project, the house was already under construction, and it was quite an intense start, as the planning permit was on the brink of running out. “I’m based three hours away from this property,” Wall Morris says, “so all our design meetings took place on the phone or via email. But we got to know each other really well, and it was great fun to work on.
“I got involved just in time,” she says. “We had to make a few changes so everything lined up for all the [woodwork] we were planning. A whole level of plasterboard, alcove and ceiling covers went on later.”
This home is heavily paneled to bring personality and detail to what was originally a big empty space.
Lighting: Hicken Lighting; cabinetry: Teamwoodcraft; furniture: client’s own and shipped from the U.S.