{"id":327972,"date":"2026-03-04T06:42:11","date_gmt":"2026-03-04T06:42:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/327972\/"},"modified":"2026-03-04T06:42:11","modified_gmt":"2026-03-04T06:42:11","slug":"the-late-hugh-wallace-gives-it-socks-in-poignant-return-of-this-fun-series-the-irish-times","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/327972\/","title":{"rendered":"The late Hugh Wallace gives it socks in poignant return of this fun series \u2013 The Irish Times"},"content":{"rendered":"

Home of the Year (RT\u00c9 One<\/a>, Tuesday, 7pm) was never intended to bear the weight that is placed on its shoulders as it returns three months after the death<\/a> of its lead judge Hugh Wallace<\/a>. <\/p>\n

This is disposable property telly<\/a> in which we watch three experts snoop about a carefully designed abode, then make cutting remarks about the colour of the fridge or the positioning of the bath. But in the wake of the unexpected death of the chummy and clubbable Wallace, the latest season has an aura of tragedy that makes for disconcerting viewing. <\/p>\n

That\u2019s no fault of the show, and it is obviously wonderful to see Wallace on screen one final time, and joined by his fellow judges, architect Amanda Bone and interior decorator Siobh\u00e1n Lam. They\u2019re the best sort of property television power trio in that all are naturals in front of the camera and they are prepared to quietly disagree when required. As ever, Wallace is the star \u2013 radiating enthusiasm as he peeks into a bedroom or takes in the view from the back window. <\/p>\n

In the context of the housing crisis<\/a>, there is of course the issue of property television risking insensitivity in so far as it is about the haves \u2013 those already on the ladder \u2013 when so many in Ireland are have-nots. It is telling, moreover, that two of the three homes in this episode are in the Dublin commuter belt \u2013 the endless fade to grey radiating ever outwards from the capital. This is modern Irish living: neither city nor countryside, but an unhappy muddle that has the disadvantages of both (high prices, poor connectivity) and none of the upside. <\/p>\n

In any event, Wallace gives it socks as the team visits Lorcan and Adrian\u2019s luxuriant farm-style home in Straffan, Co Kildare, before popping over to Wicklow and Dean and Denise\u2019s terrace house, which has been painted an ominous shade of what can only be described as \u201cMordor black\u201d. <\/p>\n

Then it\u2019s off to Dublin, where \u00c1ine and Nollaig are installed in a new build designed to blend seamlessly into the surrounding 1930s houses in Clontarf. \u00c1ine is an architect \u2013 as are two of the experts passing judgment on her abode, which is absolutely peak 2026 Ireland, where architects make nice Clontarf houses for other architects to admire and everyone else is stuck in the sticks waiting for a bus or train that may or may not turn up. <\/p>\n

Still, Wallace gives it socks. He whizzes through the rooms, basking in the fabulosity \u2013 \u201cit\u2019s like a graphic postcard,\u201d he says at one point \u2013 and occasionally tutting his disapproval (\u201cthe inconsistency in the design styles feels jarring\u201d).<\/p>\n

[\u00a0Hugh Wallace radiated sheer joy on the screen. His death leaves a huge gulfOpens in new window<\/a>\u00a0]<\/p>\n

Wallace was a successful architect who came late to his status of national treasure and brought with it humility and self-awareness. His death at 68 was a huge loss to Home of the Year<\/a>. With an entire season in the can, the question of whether the show should continue without him can be kicked down the road. For now, this is a respectful sign-off, even if knowing that Wallace has since died casts a shadow over a series that was designed to be carefree, inconsequential fun.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Home of the Year (RT\u00c9 One, Tuesday, 7pm) was never intended to bear the weight that is placed…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":327973,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[42,96709,3662,94951,12283,43,4310,6085,40,38,41,39],"class_list":{"0":"post-327972","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-headlines","8":"tag-headlines","9":"tag-home-of-the-year","10":"tag-housing-crisis","11":"tag-hugh-wallace","12":"tag-interiors","13":"tag-news","14":"tag-property","15":"tag-rte","16":"tag-top-news","17":"tag-top-stories","18":"tag-topnews","19":"tag-topstories"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/327972","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=327972"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/327972\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/327973"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=327972"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=327972"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=327972"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}