{"id":90301,"date":"2025-10-20T15:51:10","date_gmt":"2025-10-20T15:51:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/90301\/"},"modified":"2025-10-20T15:51:10","modified_gmt":"2025-10-20T15:51:10","slug":"peek-inside-this-artisan-cottage-in-stoneybatter-with-a-secret-door-and-a-mini-bar","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/90301\/","title":{"rendered":"Peek inside this artisan cottage in Stoneybatter with a secret door and a mini bar"},"content":{"rendered":"

Subtle shifts to the floorplan and a sublime colour palette deliver a private home with a better sense of flow in Stoneybatter.<\/p>\n

A pink cottage, painted in Cinder Rose, by Farrow & Ball in Dublin 7, has been subtly reconfigured to create a much more cohesive space. \u00a0<\/p>\n

First-time buyers Olwyn and Luke used the vacant home grant to upgrade their two-bedroom artisan cottage using contractor Dungannon-based Gary McAleer of Go Site Services.<\/p>\n

\"Stoneybatter\"
\nThe reimagined living room with slatted fins as a room divider<\/p>\n

The client loved having guests over and asked design firm April and the Bear<\/a> to rethink its layout, so that they could cook while also chilling with their friends and family.<\/p>\n

The house opened into a small hall and then into the living room, a long rectangular space with the two bedrooms off it.<\/p>\n

\"\"
\nhow the space looked before<\/p>\n

The kitchen was to the rear with the bathroom along the boundary wall, overlooking a small yard. \u00a0<\/p>\n

The house measured 46 square metres but had good ceiling heights, which made it feel more spacious.<\/p>\n

\"\"
\nSenior interior designer Emma Delaney<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was about creating functionality for each space and to align more with how they live on a day-to-day basis,\u201d explains senior interior designer Emma Delaney.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey knew it was a small space but wanted injections of bold colour to separate and define the main living and kitchen areas.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"
\nthe hall<\/p>\n

To give the couple a sense of privacy from passersby, she introduced a tiled hall to the floor plan, where a bespoke bench was built to hang coats and keep outdoor shoes.<\/p>\n

This is painted in Cordoba, by Little Greene, a colour you see more of inside.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

This reduced the footprint of the living room slightly but distanced it from the street.<\/p>\n

Space-saving pocket doors that recess into the walls were used to divide the two spaces.<\/p>\n

Their reeded glass panels gave seclusion while ensuring light could travel through.<\/p>\n

\"\"
\nthe secret doors to the principal bedroom<\/p>\n

By moving the wall between the principal bedroom and living room out to sit flush with the chimney breast, she was able to install valuable closet space in it.<\/p>\n

The existing swing door was replaced by full-height double doors that resemble a cabinet, thus disguising the bedroom entrance and creating a secret set of doors.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

The idea was to create novelty within the space, while also giving our client the opportunity of having a more sizeable wardrobe space, she explains.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

To create balance, she used bespoke joinery to build a mini bar on the other side of the chimney breast.<\/p>\n

The deep mulberry Cordoba shade is used on it and the secret doors, and on the interior of the principal bedroom. It is offset by a soft white called Hollyhock by the same paint company.<\/p>\n

The effect is decisive and tonal; the strengths professionals bring to such work.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe understand complementary colours and how to use dark colours to effect, so that it looks more polished,\u201d she explains.<\/p>\n

She says some clients can be afraid of colour, but that it is an effective tool and works 100 per cent of the time.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

She removed the wall between the kitchen and living room and built a bench to act as a divide, as well as built-in storage to house their cook collection.<\/p>\n

Using slatted oak fins, she created a break within the dining area and the lounge.<\/p>\n

The fins allowed light through but screened one area from the other.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

In the kitchen, the cabinetry is set below counter level so that the compact space feels bigger.<\/p>\n

The press doors are a micro-Shaker style. A single open shelf, one metre long, creates a place for personal items, oils and other everyday items.<\/p>\n

She hived off a little space off the kitchen too to install a shower room to its rear, freeing up the original bathroom space to become a utility, and taking noisy white goods out of the main house.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

The guest bedroom is accessed from the hall and is used as a home office.<\/p>\n

The result is a warm, inviting and private home that has been shortlisted for this years IDI Awards<\/a>.<\/p>\n

But colour isn\u2019t all April and the Bear can offer residential clients from reconfiguring a layout, such as this project to bespoke joinery.<\/p>\n

A one-hour consultation costs \u20ac300, plus VAT at 23 per cent, and will be tailored to your needs and budget.<\/p>\n

To find out more or book a consultation visit aprilandthebear.com<\/a><\/p>\n

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