My Houzz: Carpenter’s Workshop Becomes a Cozy Family Home
A creative Irish homeowner converts the shop and a mechanic’s garage into a warm, rustic, industrial-style dwelling
As design dilemmas go, what to do about the mechanic’s pit on the ground floor is a pretty niche one. And that was just one of many that Irish restaurateur and fashion designer Aoibheann MacNamara encountered while renovating her Galway home.
It was a challenge to turn a building that had been used as a garage on one side and a carpentry workshop on the other into a welcoming and warm family home. Plenty of vintage pieces, lots of textiles and wood, plus underfloor heating were key additions.
It was a challenge to turn a building that had been used as a garage on one side and a carpentry workshop on the other into a welcoming and warm family home. Plenty of vintage pieces, lots of textiles and wood, plus underfloor heating were key additions.
In a nod to the property’s past, MacNamara had polished concrete flooring laid throughout the first level, and cozied it up with underfloor heating.
Another industrial touch is the metal staircase that leads from the living room to a hatch in the wall, the only entry into son Öni’s bedroom.
Many of the other details came from or were inspired by trips abroad. “The floor cushion is from Marrakesh and the old world map on the wall is from an antiques shop in Lisbon,” MacNamara says. “The wood-burning stove is an Eastern European-style one; it has decorations on the sides. You can slow-cook tagines on it, which I do, because it has a cooktop. I’m big into utilitarian and things being multifunctional.”
The box artwork is by Eimearjean McCormack, an Irish artist. “It’s a natural light box rather than an electric light box,” MacNamara says, “so it’s not lit from the back, but reacts as light hits the front of it.”
Another industrial touch is the metal staircase that leads from the living room to a hatch in the wall, the only entry into son Öni’s bedroom.
Many of the other details came from or were inspired by trips abroad. “The floor cushion is from Marrakesh and the old world map on the wall is from an antiques shop in Lisbon,” MacNamara says. “The wood-burning stove is an Eastern European-style one; it has decorations on the sides. You can slow-cook tagines on it, which I do, because it has a cooktop. I’m big into utilitarian and things being multifunctional.”
The box artwork is by Eimearjean McCormack, an Irish artist. “It’s a natural light box rather than an electric light box,” MacNamara says, “so it’s not lit from the back, but reacts as light hits the front of it.”
“There’s an amazing restaurant in northern Sweden called Fäviken … which was the inspiration for all the wood,” MacNamara says. “We used oil to darken it.
“The sofa’s about 10 years old, from Laura Ashley, but in good condition,” she adds.
“The sofa’s about 10 years old, from Laura Ashley, but in good condition,” she adds.
Photo by Ben Geoghegan
There was a wall between the workshop and the garage, which MacNamara took down to unify the building. The exposed ceiling is about 16 feet high. The 33-foot-long room now forms the first floor of the home: At one end is the open-plan living area; at the other, the kitchen.
“I had a fantastic builder and architect,” MacNamara says. “Both were incredible and a complete pleasure and professionals. The kitchen was designed by Dublin-based ThisIsWhatWeDo, who salvaged the boards and created beautiful, simple units. The handles are made from the steel of the scaffold poles. It’s a lovely detail.
“I love open-plan kitchens,” she says. “We do [cooking] events and entertain and I love open shelving. I like to see my ingredients — it just makes cooking easier. You have a sense of what you’ll make from what you see. I’m a very simple chef, so no gadgets — I’m not into fiddly things. If I have a can opener I’m happy. And good knives.”
Seen in the left foreground of the photo is a ceramic water filter. “You change the filter maybe once a year and it holds two liters at a time and has a tap on the side,” MacNamara says.
White PS cabinet, white Ranarp lamps: Ikea
There was a wall between the workshop and the garage, which MacNamara took down to unify the building. The exposed ceiling is about 16 feet high. The 33-foot-long room now forms the first floor of the home: At one end is the open-plan living area; at the other, the kitchen.
“I had a fantastic builder and architect,” MacNamara says. “Both were incredible and a complete pleasure and professionals. The kitchen was designed by Dublin-based ThisIsWhatWeDo, who salvaged the boards and created beautiful, simple units. The handles are made from the steel of the scaffold poles. It’s a lovely detail.
“I love open-plan kitchens,” she says. “We do [cooking] events and entertain and I love open shelving. I like to see my ingredients — it just makes cooking easier. You have a sense of what you’ll make from what you see. I’m a very simple chef, so no gadgets — I’m not into fiddly things. If I have a can opener I’m happy. And good knives.”
Seen in the left foreground of the photo is a ceramic water filter. “You change the filter maybe once a year and it holds two liters at a time and has a tap on the side,” MacNamara says.
White PS cabinet, white Ranarp lamps: Ikea
The painted dresser in the living area was upcycled by one of MacNamara’s friends.
Having decorated her share of restaurants over the years, MacNamara is confident in her aesthetic. “But you still don’t know how it’s all going to come together,” she says.
While the house renovation was underway, she scaled back on work so she could be around to oversee the project. Some of the contractors weren’t immediately sold on all of MacNamara’s ideas, chiefly aesthetic ones, but she was unfazed.
While the house renovation was underway, she scaled back on work so she could be around to oversee the project. Some of the contractors weren’t immediately sold on all of MacNamara’s ideas, chiefly aesthetic ones, but she was unfazed.
Photo by Ben Geoghegan
The faucets in the kitchen are an example. “I don’t think taps should make a statement,” MacNamara says. “I think they should be functional. I like the simplicity of that kind of thing.”
She asked the plumber to make these faucets, which involved some creative customization and welding. “He didn’t like me for it,” she says with a laugh, “but we’re friends now.”
The tray was a gift from a friend.
The faucets in the kitchen are an example. “I don’t think taps should make a statement,” MacNamara says. “I think they should be functional. I like the simplicity of that kind of thing.”
She asked the plumber to make these faucets, which involved some creative customization and welding. “He didn’t like me for it,” she says with a laugh, “but we’re friends now.”
The tray was a gift from a friend.
In a similar vein, MacNamara had to push hard for this sliding door, made of scaffold planks by her builder to match the shelf seen in the previous photos. It wasn’t a cheap design decision; in fact, the project went over budget by $40,000 to $50,000. MacNamara was undaunted and covered the costs by taking out a bigger mortgage. “I’d rather pay now and live with something forever,” she says. “As Frank Lloyd Wright said, ‘Quality lasts a lifetime.’ If you scrimp and cut corners, you end up paying twice.”
MacNamara deliberately sought out muted colors. “I’m a bit obsessed with 50 shades of gray as a palette,” she says.
The concrete counters were made by the same contractor who laid the floor. The whitewashed wall was another detail that raised some eyebrows among the builders; they assumed MacNamara would want it plastered. “It was a very basic cement wall,” she says, “and I said to the guys, ‘Just paint it.’ ”
The abundance of wood adds to the rustic, relaxed feel. “I wanted to integrate wood to soften the look of the polished concrete floor,” MacNamara explains.
The French farmhouse-style sink is a vintage piece. “I love the sense of history you get with it,” MacNamara says. The tiles above it are from Marrakesh.
The table was made by carpenter Nathan Nokes. “The base is made from scaffold poles and the top was new rather than salvaged wood,” MacNamara says. “I wanted it to be really clean, not to have cracks in it that crumbs could drop into. I think the wood is elm; it’s very durable and is sealed extremely well.”
“I’ve had the dining chairs a very long time,” MacNamara says. “They’re probably 100 years old, and came from an old cottage. They’re painted in white and gray.”
Although the open-plan space has three large, industrial pendant lights (not visible here), MacNamara prefers to use the lamps dotted around the room — or candlelight.
Cabinet paint: Plummett, Farrow & Ball
The concrete counters were made by the same contractor who laid the floor. The whitewashed wall was another detail that raised some eyebrows among the builders; they assumed MacNamara would want it plastered. “It was a very basic cement wall,” she says, “and I said to the guys, ‘Just paint it.’ ”
The abundance of wood adds to the rustic, relaxed feel. “I wanted to integrate wood to soften the look of the polished concrete floor,” MacNamara explains.
The French farmhouse-style sink is a vintage piece. “I love the sense of history you get with it,” MacNamara says. The tiles above it are from Marrakesh.
The table was made by carpenter Nathan Nokes. “The base is made from scaffold poles and the top was new rather than salvaged wood,” MacNamara says. “I wanted it to be really clean, not to have cracks in it that crumbs could drop into. I think the wood is elm; it’s very durable and is sealed extremely well.”
“I’ve had the dining chairs a very long time,” MacNamara says. “They’re probably 100 years old, and came from an old cottage. They’re painted in white and gray.”
Although the open-plan space has three large, industrial pendant lights (not visible here), MacNamara prefers to use the lamps dotted around the room — or candlelight.
Cabinet paint: Plummett, Farrow & Ball
The gym rings are a quirky touch, made by MacNamara’s business partner’s partner. “Öni swings on them all the time. We have the space for it, so it’s lovely.”
The collage-style artwork is by Lisbon artist Joana Astolfi, a friend of MacNamara’s. It hangs above a colorful display of cactuses.
This is MacNamara’s bedroom. “I had the shelf built because I like to rotate my artworks,” she says.
The clothing rod is made from an industrial steel pole. “I think a [closet] creates a lot of dead space,” MacNamara says. “As with the dry goods in the kitchen, you can see what you want to wear. It’s cleaner and nicer and lighter and airier for a room.”
The clothing rod is made from an industrial steel pole. “I think a [closet] creates a lot of dead space,” MacNamara says. “As with the dry goods in the kitchen, you can see what you want to wear. It’s cleaner and nicer and lighter and airier for a room.”
Öni’s bedroom sits in the roof space.
Photo by Ben Geoghegan
The home’s entryway features a piece by American artist Spencer Tunick, as well as a coat rack, a small desk and MacNamara’s collection of vintage tennis rackets.
The staircase, the only one in the house apart from the metal one leading up to Öni’s room, leads to a self-contained, private apartment, which MacNamara rents out through Airbnb.
Desk and stool: Ikea
The home’s entryway features a piece by American artist Spencer Tunick, as well as a coat rack, a small desk and MacNamara’s collection of vintage tennis rackets.
The staircase, the only one in the house apart from the metal one leading up to Öni’s room, leads to a self-contained, private apartment, which MacNamara rents out through Airbnb.
Desk and stool: Ikea
The shelves full of hats are in the downstairs hallway, next to the stairs and on the way to a room MacNamara uses for her fashion business, The Tweed Project.
The Tweed Project’s showroom is in the house. A rustic clothing rod is used to display the pieces.
At the top of the stairs to the rental apartment, MacNamara used old windows to boost the amount of light the space gets.
She had hoped to use the building’s original windows, but they fell apart. Instead, she and the builders designed a patchwork of mismatched reclaimed windows to create the striking glass feature.
The bathroom sink, mounted on scaffold poles, is a vintage kitchen piece, complete with drainer. The tiles match those in the kitchen.
“The backlit mirror is like the ones at the Hotel Michelberger in Berlin,” MacNamara says.
Sink: CS Architectural Salvage (Derry); mirror: Ikea
“The backlit mirror is like the ones at the Hotel Michelberger in Berlin,” MacNamara says.
Sink: CS Architectural Salvage (Derry); mirror: Ikea
Witchy the cat lounges on a soft throw.
Builder: Ian Morrissey Renovations
My Houzz is a series in which we visit and photograph creative, personality-filled homes and the people who inhabit them. Share your home with us and see more projects.
Browse more homes by style: Apartments | Barn Homes | Colorful Homes | Contemporary Homes | Eclectic Homes | Farmhouses | Floating Homes | Guesthouses | Homes Around the World | Lofts | Midcentury Homes | Modern Homes | Ranch Homes | Small Homes | Townhouses | Traditional Homes | Transitional Homes | Vacation Homes
Builder: Ian Morrissey Renovations
My Houzz is a series in which we visit and photograph creative, personality-filled homes and the people who inhabit them. Share your home with us and see more projects.
Browse more homes by style: Apartments | Barn Homes | Colorful Homes | Contemporary Homes | Eclectic Homes | Farmhouses | Floating Homes | Guesthouses | Homes Around the World | Lofts | Midcentury Homes | Modern Homes | Ranch Homes | Small Homes | Townhouses | Traditional Homes | Transitional Homes | Vacation Homes
Houzz at a Glance
Who lives here: Aoibheann MacNamara, owner of Ard Bia Interiors, Ard Bia Cafe and Restaurant and The Tweed Project, and her son, Öni, 7
Location: Galway, Ireland
Size: Four bedrooms, three bathrooms, two of which are en suite (two of the bedrooms and one of the en suites are in a self-contained Airbnb annex)
Architect: Patrick McCabe
MacNamara’s vision for her 1950s home, which she renovated in 2014, was “Nordic industrial.” But before work started, the building was merely industrial. “And not in a good way!” she says. “It had a roof and walls, but it was very bare and very much a workshop, covered in dust and full of electric saws.”
That was just half of the property. The other half had been used as an auto shop and still had the original mechanic’s pit in the floor. MacNamara toyed with the idea of keeping this unusual feature, having seen one transformed into a sunken sofa in a restaurant in Dublin to great effect, but her structural engineer wouldn’t allow it.
The living space seen here sits in what was the carpenter’s workshop side of the building. The door at the back leads to MacNamara’s bedroom.