Growing up between Ireland and Holland meant the owner of this seaside hideaway in Cork had long dreamed of creating a base in Ireland for her Dutch husband and their young son, where they could spend time together with family and friends
Words: Alison Gibb | Photography: Chris Wakefield
When Dutch-Irish owners Emily and Ger first acquired this property, a 1960s three-bedroom bungalow, overlooking a quiet bay, near West Cork, in 2020, it was almost derelict and a full remodel and reconfiguration was required. They hired an architect, completely gutted the property and the windows, roof, and even walls, were all tackled. The house was a building site for nearly three years, with the pandemic slowing progress down even further.
Towards the end of the process Emily and Ger engaged interior designer Sean Symington, to add some heart and soul to the design. Well known for his ability to juxtapose vivid patterns and colours, creating schemes that are dazzling in their individuality, they found Sean, who is based in Bath in England, through his website. Coincidentally, even though Sean was born and raised in Toronto and now lives in the UK, his mother is first generation Irish and is from a town only a few miles up the road from the property. “My mother, who moved at 19 to Canada was part of the Irish diaspora in search of opportunity and employment,” he explains. “There, she met my father and has been living in Canada ever since.”
Emily and Ger had no idea about Sean’s connection to the area when they first enquired through his website, but it turned out that his entire family on his mother’s side (uncles, aunts and cousins) are still in the area and that he had spent many summers here on holiday with his mother. “I hold dual citizenship with Ireland and Canada, so, it was super sentimental working on this project as I would visit my family every time I would come over. This part of Cork holds such nostalgia to me as a child when I would visit and hear all the stories from my mother’s childhood in the area,” he says. “I feel so at home when I am there. Visiting the house on site visits as the project progressed was a total joy.”
Emily and Ger, who both work in the pharmaceutical industry, and designer Sean have also all now become good friends. Originally the couple bought the house as a base where they could spend quality time with family and friends. It also had to work for their for nine-year-old son Christian too. The house has subsequently become a wonderful destination for the family to come escape the hustle and bustle of city life.
They chose this property for its compact dimensions, wanting something manageable, but hoping to make it to feel larger as well and to maximise the stunning views over the sea as much as possible. So, vaulted ceilings were installed in the main living spaces and a corner sliding door was added to take full advantage of the view of the nearby bay.
The family’s main home, in Holland, is in the busy city of Rotterdam and they also own a holiday house in Spain. Emily loves the fact that her uncles and nieces and nephews are all in the town nearby, “It is a real family orientated place with a great sense of community,” she says. “It is so restful sitting on the patio gazing out over the sailboats. I love seeing our son playing skimming stones on the beach with his cousins.”
Sean’s design exceeded all of her expectations, and the house is now a stylish seaside bolthole, full of colour and character. The results are unique for the area, not typical for rural Ireland at all. Sean eschewed local tradition for the project and looked to Europe for inspiration instead, the Mediterranean in particular. The client’s Dutch property, their house in Spain and their place in West Cork have an aesthetic in common that links them together; they wanted all three houses to reflect each other and feel like ‘home’.
Living room
Emily and Ger are keen contemporary art collectors and artwork by favourite artists are always the starting point for their décor schemes. Their modern art collection, pops of colour and unique contemporary pieces of furniture bind them all. The main living space in this house is clean, and gallery-like with neutral walls. “Pops of colour have been created by the art and the bespoke upholstery and reflects their other properties perfectly,” Sean explains.
With its bold mix of fabrics, textures and colour, there’s a maximalist feel to this room which is kept cohesive with accessories as well as neutral walls and flooring. The eye-catching sofa is upholstered in gold velvet by Rose Uniacke, while the cushions are made up in Wilde in Forest Green by Colefax & Fowler. The small tray is from The Lacquer Company, while the stools are upholstered in the same fabric as the cushions with an Oberon Bullion Fringe from Samuel & Sons. The bespoke ottoman is upholstered in ‘Umberto’ in turquoise by Schumacher with an Aria brush fringe in Ruby by Samuel & Sons. And the brass Hardwick table lamp is from Vaughan, with Tribal pleated silk lampshade with a gold trim from Penny Morrison.
Kitchen
The kitchen adjoins the living room and has a cooler scheme to complement the riot of colour in the sitting area – the pale walls and cabinetry add to a feeling of light and space. The walls are painted in Skimming Stone and the cabinetry Pale Powder both by Farrow & Ball and the rug is from Penny Morrison.
Bedrooms
Sean went bolder in the bedrooms; they are smaller in proportion and provided him with an opportunity to layer punchy colours and exciting prints together to create a maximalist feel. In the bedroom above, the walls are papered in Haven in green by Thibaut, with curtains made up in a matching fabric, while the fitted wardrobes are painted in Yearbridge Green by Farrow & Ball. The oversized headboard is upholstered in ‘Honshu’ in navy by Thibaut with a luxurious velvet piping from Dedar in a shade called Oro. Cushions and valance have been made in matching fabric. The nursery chair has been upholstered in a gold mohair velvet by Rose Uniacke with a fringe from Samuel & Sons.
This bedroom has a lighter mood, wallpapered in Clear Clouds by Thibaut with woodwork in Vert de Terre by Farrow & Ball. Curtains are made up in Bookend in pink by Christopher Farr. The headboard, valance and cushion fabric are all made up in Honshu in coral and green by Thibaut, a motif Sean has used throughout the house in various colourways. The Padworth Vase bedside lamps, from Vaughan, are topped with Seema raffia lampshades by Birdie Fortescue.
Bathroom
The colours in the bathroom more organic and natural, as is fitting in this relaxing sanctuary, reflecting the bay just outside the house. Sanitaryware and tiles were sourced from The Bathroom Boutique in Dublin.
Entrance lobby
Emily and Ger wanted him to make a statement and had no problem being adventurous with colour. Sean has cleverly created common threads throughout the house by using similar fabric and wallpaper motifs in various colourways. They weave the interior together and ensure that despite the fun and unexpected choices he has made, there is a cohesiveness which makes the house feel cosy and welcoming. Sean went bold in the tiny entrance lobby, lining the walls with Chiang Mai Dragon wallpaper in Jade by Schumacher. The bench has been painted in India Yellow by Farrow & Ball and upholstered in matching fabric.
The landscape is stunning too so, of course, Sean wanted to bring the outside in. He has achieved this with his colour choices: blues, greens, yellow and corals, along with plants, extensive glazing and wallpapers and fabrics depicting exotic flora and fauna. This is all the perfect recipe for a seaside home that serves as a unique family bolthole in Ireland and a showcase to the best of contemporary art and design.
To find out more about Sean Symington Design, visit his website.
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