A Rural Masterpiece

This new build home in the Cork town of Kinsale has taken elements of the traditional Irish farmhouse to create a stunning example of a contemporary family home.

The owners of this property decided to make the move from their period property in Dublin to the countryside of Kinsale, where they were fortunate to have a greenfield site to build their new home on family land.

As architect Dave Egan from Node Architecture comments, ‘We had worked with the homeowners before, but only on commercial projects and from the outset they had very strong ideas of what they wanted us to achieve with the design of their home. They were looking for a design that would not only accommodate their growing family, but would also work within the rural location. ‘Traditional elements within the design include the courtyard and pitched roof reminiscent of the old farmhouse style. We have finished the roof in a dark, grey slate, which mimics the colour of the rocks in the region, so the home echoes the aesthetic of a large rock bedded in the landscape and protruding out of the ground. It’s a monolithic design approach which appealed to the owners and what they were trying to achieve.

‘Central to the design was the sheltered courtyard on this exposed site. With prevailing south west winds to take into consideration as well as making the most of the sun from the south, we had to carefully consider the orientation of the build and we twisted it in order to make the most of the evening light, but block out the wind.