Glamorous Kilmacanogue home with secret hideaway space for ‘me time’

Architects’ own homes are notoriously underdone, a bit like chefs who have been cooking all day – the last thing on their mind when they get home is going back into a kitchen. But what about interior designers?

For Elaine Jerrard, her home is her office and to say it is in turnkey condition is an understatement. Despite being constructed in 2007, the house which extends to 400sq m (4,090sq ft) – including the integrated garage – feels brand new.

"It's all about function first, and then you add the aesthetic – if the layout of a room doesn't work, it's pointless," says Gerrard, who established her design company, Elk House Interiors, three years ago.

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The sitting room.

It's the tiny things in the house that show the attention to detail. The kitchen, which Jerrard changed to her own design as the previous one "despite being lovely to look at – just didn't work". Together with Keith Finlay of Keith Alexander Design, they created a superb cooking space. Here it's the central slab of marble – one entire piece which took eight men to lift, the edges have been given shadow gaps for detail. Then there is the kitchen tap, it is a custom-designed Quooker, in a blend of metal to match the custom-made handles on the presses.

Behind the wall of presses lies a solid wood breakfast station, with microwaves and all the bits and pieces that normally clog a worktop. The antique glass, besides being easy to keep clean, adds a wonderful dimension as a splashback behind the large range.

Downsize

When the house was built it had eight bedrooms; Jerrard downsized these to six but in turn gave the principal bedroom an area the size of a semi-detached house. And it is lovely, and at no point does the house have that Celtic tiger roar where houses were so large they resembled airports – all size and no soul.

The principal suite, as you would expect, has an incredibly spacious en suite, but it is the small room beyond the walk-in wardrobe that brings a smile. The little sitting room is where Jarred “gets away from the kids – for a little peace”. She has five children, and considering the condition of the house you’d tend to wonder if they live here, or in the pretty garden shed she built at the end of the garden.

The property has two living rooms, in addition to the kitchen-cum-living-dining area. Again it’s about the details; walls lined with pure linen, and a long slice of mirror to reflect the light and give a greater sense of space.

Only three houses of this size were built in the Rocky Valley development – just three minutes from Kilmacanogue village. This is the only property of its size with a south westerly facing garden. An added bonus is the pedestrian walkway to the nearby Avoca, which now, besides the cafe, has a full complement of culinary delights.

To be honest, buyers will more than likely want to purchase the house and furniture as one – as they have been custom made to fit the property. Jerrard now plans to design her dream home, and has placed her lovely home on the market through joint agents Savills and DNG Bray with an asking price of €1.075 million.