This Dublin home was originally built in the 1920s for one of the city’s first public housing schemes—and it appeared as if the previous owner had barely touched it since. “The condition was pretty dire,” says marketing professional and photographer Brionna McArdle, who purchased the home with her cameraman husband, JJ Rolfe, while they were expecting their first baby.

“It was not insulated, and it had very old, flowery wallpaper, old tiles crumbling around the edges, and little pockets of damp,” Brionna says. “It had not been touched in at least 30 to 40 years—it was quite close to unusable or unlivable.”

Undeterred, the couple reached out to Studio And to revitalize the residence and introduce a rear extension that would expand the small galley kitchen and open the house to morning light. Brionna and JJ desired a place to play with kids, Facetime with family, and cook, connected with the living area and garden.

Before: Kitchen

After: Kitchen

“We were dealing with a relatively small existing structure, but we wanted to create something that didn’t feel small,” says Studio And’s Ciara McGonigal, a longtime friend of Brionna’s. “We wanted the extension to genuinely extend the space—so that as you step in, you get this feeling of expansiveness.”

The rear extension has a pitched roof and double-glazed windows on all sides, which create an airiness and a feeling of being immersed in the outdoors. McGonigal custom designed the kitchen cabinetry and benches in an affordable birch ply, which is accented by colored formica on the countertop and table. The skirting, living room bookshelves, and upstairs door trim also are in birch ply. A brick plinth at the base of the remodeled fireplace serves as a bed for the family terrier, Brun.

Before: Living Room

After: Living Room

Before: Bedroom

After: Bedroom

The layout upstairs remains the same, but Studio And refinished the wide-plank wood floors and fully replaced the upstairs bathroom, which they think may have been added in the 1960s. They resituated the bathtub along the opposite wall, and designed a built-in bench to sit on while bathing the baby. The design team used birch ply for the wall-hung vanity, and for a custom closet and drawers in the main bedroom.

Before: Bathroom

After: Bathroom

Replacing all of the wiring and plumbing provided an opportunity to upgrade the building’s energy efficiency, and with the help of a sustainability grant, the house achieved an R rating of B1. The team insulated the floors, rooftop, and building envelope, and added central heating. An air-to-water heat pump supplies thermal heating beneath the kitchen’s terrazzo floor, which was Brionna’s one extravagance.

“We were constantly wondering: ‘Should we just kill the terrazzo?’” Brionna says. “Ciara was like, ‘No, give yourself one thing as your treat.’” While thinking back, she says: “I’m really glad we invested in it—it gives me joy every day.”

Related Reading:

An Awkward Dublin Home Turns a Corner With a Smart Triangular Extension

15 Modern Additions to Traditional Homes

Project Credits:

Architect: Ciara McGonigal, Studio And / @studio_and_dublin

Contractor: Hillside Contracts Ltd. / @hillside_contracts_ltd

Structural Engineer: Robert Barry RBCE

Cabinetry Design: Studio And

Cabinetry Installation: Hillside Contracts Ltd.

Terrazzo Flooring: Ryan Terrazzo

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