Iseult White, great grandaughter of Maude Gonne, and her husband Bernard have filled their Victorian house in Donnybrook full of inherited family treasures that have really made it a home.
(Words & photos: Lois Crighton)
Hall:
This beautiful Victorian Gothic hall stand makes the perfect home for the paraphernalia of family life. It used to belong to Iseult’s grandfather Séán McBride, and his mother, Maud Gonne, before him.
Living room:
The living room is a very restful space, with walls in a soft grey and seating covered in complementary tawny brown and green fabrics from Zoffany. The two dark wooden tables were shipped back from Vietnam, and two portraits of their younger daughters hang on the wall
This round gilded table, painted on the top in a lapis lazuli colour with flowers in the centre, is Iseult’s favourite piece of furniture in the house, and used to belong to her great grandmother, Maud Gonne. Iseult was called after her great aunt, Maud Gonne’s daughter.
Kitchen/ dining area:
Iseult has gone for splashes of red and orange everywhere from the lampshades to the dining chairs (from O' Driscoll Furniture) to the red glass plates and the kitchenware. These bold colours are complimented the neutral tones of the kitchen stools by John O'Connell Furniture and white walls - adorned with gorgeous art from Lemon Street Gallery.
The kitchen units are cream laquered with chrome handles, and the worktops and splashbacks are in honed marble.
There is a tendency with marble to go for dark colours, so it took a while to find. I love the honed marble because it doesn’t have a shiny finish and doesn’t streak easily like polished marble does.
They chose a large aluminium American fridge, and this, along with the pantry, allows for easy entertaining – Iseult and Bernard love nothing more than having a gang of friends over for a meal and some wine
Iseult was adamant that she would have floor to ceiling glass doors that folded completely back to make a clear open space to the terrace. This meant that Coll McCarthy Architects (Tel: 01 492 7111) had to use steel framed window doors. These give a lovely contemporary feel to the space and create a light filled room in what was once a slightly dark kitchen.
The striped orange and red bench was bought from Duff Tisdall and this piece dictated the colour scheme for the space. She had two small armchairs covered in similar coloured fabric from Zoffany, and complemented these with a cream leather couch. The large charcoal over the couch by Michael Timmons was a birthday present from Iseult to Bernard.
Bedroom:
Iseult has always thought about what she wanted to have in the house and has never bought in a hurry:
It took me eight years to find the bedside tables, and eventually I found them in Habitat. My refusal to compromise has led to us having to live without in the past, which can be difficult for other people.
The bed is Duxiana, the most comfortable she could find. She had the headboard covered in a donkey brown linen and she made the valance and the curtains herself; the valance is in the same fabric and the curtain material is by Andrew Martin. The cashmere throw on the bed was brought back to her as a present by her Mongolian childminder and the wooden chair beside the bed belonged to her great grandmother.
Our verdict:
We think Iseult's home is a brilliant combination of calming colour schemes, beautiful art and intriguing heirlooms. We love Maude Gonne's round gilded table and the gothic hall stand - but what's your favourite vintage piece? Leave us a comment and let us know!
