A luxury eco hideaway with stylish and comfortable interiors in the midst of breath-taking natural beauty, The Deerstone offers an unbeatable recipe for relaxation
Words: Ruth Bell
At The Deerstone, you can enjoy the most relaxing of stays combined with an impeccable attention to eco-friendly living. Located on the doorstep of Glendalough National Park and The Wicklow Way, it is just an hour from Dublin City, but feels like a whole world away.
Guests are encouraged to enjoy the outstanding natural beauty of the surroundings, while completely unwinding in the luxuriously comfortable cottages, shepherds huts and guest rooms that make up the accommodation. The rooms are not only beautifully designed, but the furniture, fittings and materials have also been sourced locally and as sustainably as possible. The resulting interiors are at once sophisticated and inviting.
Inside the self-catering cottages, the emphasis is on natural materials, from the Irish-made bespoke kitchens to the wooden herringbone flooring. Toning in perfectly, the highly contemporary lighting was sourced from Co. Wicklow-based Copperfish, which creates all its lighting from salvaged and storm-fallen timber.
Clustered around a wood-burning stove, the lounge areas are designed for guests to chat and enjoy relaxing together. The décor is relatively simple with the white walls and furniture both toning with the natural landscape and allowing the views outside to be the star of the show. Select pieces came from Snug, a Co. Wicklow workshop that hand builds its furniture with care and to last. Completing the look throughout is artwork sourced from Jam Art Factory in Dublin.
Harnessing the power of natural-fibre bedding for the ultimate in comfort, the team at The Deerstone went to Baavet Ireland for the pillows and duvets. They’re made from breathable pure wool, which naturally regulates body temperature to keep sleepers both cool in summer and warm in winter. Pillows and duvets are dressed with luxuriously soft organic cotton bed linen from White & Green and topped with cosy wool throws. The ideally placed reading lights came from Copperfish.
In the bathrooms, there is a lovely juxtaposition between the salvaged timber vanity unit and the contemporary glamour of the matt-gold brassware and shower screen. Concrete-look porcelain tiles provide the perfect backdrop. For guilt-free pampering, all toiletries come from organic skincare brand VOYA – its products contain extracts of wild seaweed, which is sustainably harvested off the Atlantic coast of Ireland.
The design of everything at The Deerstone is influenced by the mountain landscape and nowhere is this more evident than in the sauna (below), where the views are integral to the whole experience.
The heart of The Deerstone is The Roundhouse eco building (above), which overlooks the Avonmore River and surrounding countryside from its relaxation terrace and is a space to gather, meditate and practise yoga.
To find out more about The Deerstone and book your stay, visit the website.
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