{"id":329753,"date":"2026-03-05T06:03:21","date_gmt":"2026-03-05T06:03:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/329753\/"},"modified":"2026-03-05T06:03:21","modified_gmt":"2026-03-05T06:03:21","slug":"inside-the-joyful-playful-first-property-through-to-the-final","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/329753\/","title":{"rendered":"Inside the ‘joyful, playful’ first property through to the final"},"content":{"rendered":"

Its \u201cincredible connection to the garden\u201d has opened the gate to the 2026 Home of the Year final to a biophilic Kildare residence.<\/p>\n

As the eight-week series began on RT\u00c9 One, Adrian and Lorcan\u2019s living space won the hearts of judges Hugh Wallace, Amanda Bone and Siobh\u00e1n Lam. \u201cThis home is one of the reasons I love being a judge on ‘Home of the Year’; each room is connected with the outside. it\u2019s joyful, playful and completely unexpected,\u201d says Amanda.<\/p>\n

Judges this year have a new tool at their disposal, with each getting a golden key to give to a home that has not won its episode, so it goes through the final.<\/p>\n

\"AdrianAdrian and Lorcan outside their Kildare home, and below right, their favourite spot. <\/p>\n

Amanda presented her key to the third house featured in Tuesday\u2019s episode, an architect-designed home in Dublin.<\/p>\n

Series 12 was completed before Hugh Wallace\u2019s death. The celebrated architect had been a judge on the programme since its inception and will be remembered for his warmth and humour, and for consistently capturing the hearts of viewers.<\/p>\n

Award-winning architect Amanda Bone of DTA Architects returns for her sixth series as a judge, and award-winning interior consultant Siobh\u00e1n Lam, founder of April and the Bear, for her second.<\/p>\n

Lorcan and Adrian\u2019s Kildare home\u00a0<\/p>\n

In 2005, Lorcan and Adrian built their forever home on family land in Co Kildare.<\/p>\n

Inspired by two traditional farm-style buildings, the couple worked together with their architect to create a space that is unique and true to them.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Their travels and passions influence their living space and design style.<\/p>\n

The couple are both involved in floristry and horticulture, and as such, the garden is a passion of theirs and very much an extension of the home, with beautiful planting and hidden rooms (such as a tearoom) to make the absolute most of the space.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Both Amanda and Siobh\u00e1n love what Amanda describes as the \u201cincredible connection to the garden\u201d from the living area.<\/p>\n

As they venture outside, they arrive at the homeowners\u2019 \u201cred dot\u201d spot \u2014 a teahouse. \u201cIsn\u2019t this just magic \u2014 a teahouse in the garden. What a fabulous location to have their favourite spot,\u201d says Hugh.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is about green fingers and the joy of having such a wonderful garden and this treat of a room.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

The absence of tech is a hit with Siobh\u00e1n: \u201cYou could come here for a cheeky little gin and tonic and to read a book; it\u2019s the perfect escape,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

But the dark-themed kitchen is not her cup of tea: \u201cI don\u2019t know about the black \u2014 if you\u2019re going to do black, let\u2019s do something mad, not shiny gloss.\u201d But Amanda says she\u2019s \u201cgetting into the spirit of the homeowners; into their vibe and personality\u201d.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

The main bedroom and bathroom offer the trio the chance to gaze out at a canopy of green. \u201cWe are in the trees,\u201d says Amanda as she and Hugh hold hands on the bed.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\u201cEach window frames a magical view,\u201d adds Hugh.<\/p>\n

Overall, the functionality and layout of the biophilic home work well for Siobh\u00e1n, even though she is not a fan of the mix of styles and furniture. The judges gave it a score of 26.<\/p>\n

Denise and Dean, Wicklow\u00a0<\/p>\n

Originally built in the 1900s, Denise and Dean\u2019s Wicklow home is shared with their two dogs.<\/p>\n

\"DeniseDenise and Dean, Wicklow.<\/p>\n

The couple, who bought their residence in 2023, maximise the space. \u201cWe don\u2019t have a lot of space, but the space that we have, we wanted to inject colour,\u201d says Denise.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\u201cI like to get stuff that has a story.\u201d The couple framed Denise\u2019s wedding veil, and Denise\u2019s favourite spot is their craft room. \u201cIt\u2019s a lovely bright room where I love to be creative and let my imagination run wild,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

The house had previously had minor renovations carried out, however after a year of living in it, the couple decided to give it a complete overhaul, starting with replacing the existing floors as the ground was not even level, to switching the heating system from oil to gas and then to tearing down the ceiling in the kitchen and fitting a skylight to give more light to the downstairs.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Hugh loves the \u201cgraphic postcard\u201d effect of the exterior. \u201cYou\u2019d expect to find dark monochromatic interiors, but I think we\u2019re going to find colour \u2014 florals and patterns,\u201d correctly guesses Amanda.<\/p>\n

The couple have embraced their love for colour and fantastic wallpapers to create a standout home full of character.<\/p>\n

The judges award it 23 marks.<\/p>\n

\"A\u0301ineA\u0301ine and her children outside their Dublin home.<\/p>\n

\u00c1ine and Nollaig, Dublin\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u00c1ine, an architect, designed this new-build house, which is A1 rated with an exhaust air heat pump, PV solar panels and ground-floor underfloor heating.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

The house is brick-built and a contemporary interpretation of the existing 1930s redbrick terraces in its area.<\/p>\n

Their home is situated on a side-garden plot, and \u00c1ine spent a long time designing the house to fully maximise the site and to develop a home which has the unique quality of having sunlight all day long.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

The judges give it a score of 24. Amanda uses her \u201cgolden key\u201d to ensure it is the second home through to the final. \u201cThis is one of those homes that\u2019s given me sleepless nights,\u201d says Amanda.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\u201cI scored it too low, and this is what\u2019s great about the golden key two homes through to the final.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Series 12 of Home of the Year airs on Tuesdays at 7pm on RT\u00c9 One and RT\u00c9 Player<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Its \u201cincredible connection to the garden\u201d has opened the gate to the 2026 Home of the Year final…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":329754,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[32817,93,96709,61,60,152236,152237],"class_list":["post-329753","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-entertainment","tag-home-interiors","tag-entertainment","tag-home-of-the-year","tag-ie","tag-ireland","tag-person-hugh-wallace","tag-person-siobhan-lam"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/329753","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=329753"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/329753\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/329754"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=329753"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=329753"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=329753"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}