Sínann Fetherston speaks with Home of the Year judge Siobhan Lam about the latest season of the long-running show, and the legacy of Hugh Wallace.
Series 12 of Home of the Year is set to air tonight at 7pm on RTÉ One, bringing viewers inside a fantastic mix of homes from across Ireland, and showcasing judge Hugh Wallace’s final episodes.
Completed before his death, this season will no doubt stand as a monument to the architect, whose quick wit and undeniable warmth have featured on the long-running programme since its inception.
Fellow judge Siobhán Lam, who joined the show in 2025, told RTÉ Lifestyle that promoting this season has been exceptionally bittersweet.
“It’s a funny one,” she admits. “Obviously, we’re very excited about the new season, but at the back of your mind, you’re constantly thinking that it’s Hugh’s last series.
“It’s a weird one, but I think from sitting down with production, the consensus is that this is a tribute to Hugh and what he really loved to do. He adored his TV shows; it’s where he shone.”
“It’s a tribute to Hugh and what he did best,” she surmises.
An award-winning interior consultant and founder of popular interiors shop, April and the Bear, this will be Lam’s second run on the show.
Reflecting on her time on television so far, she says she learned a lot from her fellow judges.
“Going into a show that is so established and so well-loved was very daunting, initially, but to be totally honest, Amanda and Hugh were just so welcoming and so lovely. It’s a small production team, but it’s close-knit. It was such a lovely experience.
“I learned so much from everyone on set,” she insists, “but particularly Hugh and Amanda.”
From reimagined semi-detached houses to restored period homes to architectural new builds, this series brought the judges inside 21 stunning homes across Armagh, Clare, Cork, Down, Donegal, Dublin, Galway, Kildare, Kilkenny, Kerry, Mayo and Wicklow.
“It’s wild, but it’s also kind of lovely,” she says of the mad-dash shooting schedule. “You are seeing Ireland, and one of the parts that I really enjoyed with Hugh was getting to know these little hidden gems all over Ireland in terms of an amazing bakery or an incredible restaurant.”
Each week, the judges score three homes on their individuality, functionality, and clever design, with the highest-rated home proceeding to the grand final in April, where one lucky homeowner will be crowned the winner of the series.
Of course, each of the judges has their own tastes and preferences, and Lam says she always looks for quirky interiors that show a lot of personality.
“I love a home with personality, a bit of history, or a story to it,” she muses. “Something that makes it obvious that the homeowners adore their home and put their own spin on it.”
“I get excited when I think the home is going to be a treasure trove of personality, with cool, bold, quirky interior choices,” she adds.
Thinking back to Hugh’s preferences, Lam says that he always gravitated towards passionate design, but also liked to add a little mischief to his comments.
“Hugh was really interesting because one day he could side with Amanda on absolutely everything, and the next day he would be with me on absolutely everything,” she laughs. “He played into that, certainly, but I think Hugh and I were quite similar in that, if we saw the passion of the homeowner in the home, that was really important to both of us.
“I think we were quite aligned in finding homes that were full of personality and authenticity.”
That said, the thing that made Hugh so popular was his ability to surprise the audience, even after 12 years.
“This season is absolutely gas,” says Lam. “The homes that Hugh really pushed forward and favoured… I was very, very surprised by some of them, but I won’t give away any more than that!”
Home of the Year returns on Tuesday, March 3rd, 7pm on RTÉ One and RTÉ Player, and airs every Tuesday for eight weeks.