‘Part Hollywood Hills, part Parisian townhouse - and somehow it works in the Limerick countryside!' - Ireland News Beep

“PART Hollywood Hills, part Parisian townhouse, and somehow it still works in the middle of the countryside in Limerick!”

That’s the verdict of leading architect and TV star Dermot Bannon, who visited the home of Geri O’Toole in the first episode of his new series over the weekend.

Interior designer to the stars, Geri has curated homes for celebrities, chic hotels, and high-end showhouses.

But now she has opened the doors of her own beautiful home in Lisnagry – which she transformed herself from dilapidated stone outhouses.

“They were in rack and ruin to be honest with you. But we reimagined them. We needed more space as our family was growing,” she told Dermot in the show, which aired on Sunday night last.

The presenter of the show compared the entrance to Geri’s home to an Italian street, with little hidden piazzas.

Geri said “I am a maximalist at heart”, when describing her house.

The interior designer works primarily on high-end residential projects, and has worked as far afield as the Middle East.

She admitted there can be apprehension when there is no limits to the budget.

“It can get more complicated. There is no limitation. You can do A to Z in what you want to do. Sometimes it’s trying to find containment,” she explained.

Asked what style is about, Geri added: “Your personality coming through, and what lights you up. That gives you your style.”

Hailing from nearby Castleconnell, and also featuring on the show, leading singer-songwriter Don Mescall let Dermot enjoy a nosey around his home in Cavan – a converted church.

He revealed he found the house online, and immediately decided it was for him.

“I booked a flight to Dublin, I hired a car and booked into a hotel in Cavan. I’d never been there before,” Don explained.

He found the church – completed in 1856 – in a “really dark state”.

But he filled the building with, as Dermot said, “history, creativity and a bit of rock and roll spirit!”

The show is available in Ireland through the RTE Player, and will continue next Sunday evening from 9.30pm on RTE One.

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‘Part Hollywood Hills, part Parisian townhouse – and somehow it works in the Limerick countryside!’

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