Artwork Has Long Had a Home at This Former Farmhouse In Ireland. Now It Has Its Own Wing

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Project Details:

Location: Glenties, Ireland

Architect: Pasparakis Friel / @pasparakisfrielarchitects

Footprint: 1,400 square feet

Builder: Patsy Harkin

Structural Engineer: DSM Consulting Engineers

Photographer: Peter Molloy / @_peter_molloy_

From the Architect: "At the end of a narrow bog road in County Donegal, life and work have long been inseparable. This cluster of buildings was once the operational heart of a farm: the house flanked by a byre on one side and outhouses on the other. Humans and livestock lived in close proximity, sharing space and routine, with the south-facing yard serving as the central outdoor room. Over time, these structures adapted. The byre was absorbed into the domestic realm, while the outhouses became the hub of a small-batch jam and chutney enterprise. For more than 35 years, art has occupied every available corner—made, stored, and curated throughout the farmstead. These blurred boundaries between living, making, and working have fostered a distinctive richness in both the food and artistic output.

"The latest evolution of the site builds on this legacy. The house now operates as much as a gallery and studio as a home, and the new extension reflects these overlapping roles. Its volumes are shaped by the demands of display and making: north light for painting, borrowed light to soften transitions, restrained detailing, and generous, quiet walls for the curation of work. A sense of continuity is carefully maintained. The original farmhouse remains discreetly positioned at the end of the lane, while the extension is set back at the far edge of the house. This measured approach preserves the character of the existing yard and reinforces the building’s sense of belonging within the wider rural setting. In form and material, the extension draws from the language of the surrounding agricultural buildings, achieving a quiet harmony.

"The project unfolds as a sequence of spaces closely connected to the surrounding garden, offering places to pause, sit, and look outward. Within the existing farmhouse, intimate warren-like rooms and their telltale draughts remain part of the building’s character, while the extension introduces volumes that are light-filled, warm, and open, creating a gentle dialogue between old and new.

"The interior palette is grounded in clay-toned micro-cement, raw timber ceilings, and oiled plywood furniture, set against soft neutral walls that allow the gallery spaces to feel calm, tactile, and atmospheric. Functional antiques and decorative collectibles are layered throughout, bringing a sense of history and lived character to the contemporary spaces. The calmness of the interior allows the art to define the experience, inviting the visitor to move through the sequence with a sense of discovery and to seek out further work as it reveals itself gradually throughout the house."