A builder and designer couple pulled out all the stops with their own home, writes EMMA CULLINAN

Deborah Pugh, designer and artist, and Bobby McCann of Urban Front Construction live in a house they built for themselves and their three children in Rush

Why did you build your house here?

Bobby: I was reared here and have memories of going across to the beach to play and swim. Moving here is a dream come true.

Deborah: I grew up in the city, in Ranelagh, and then we moved to a rural part of Lusk but it was too isolated. Everything was a drive: to go to the shops or for a walk with the children, and we wanted a better balance. Now the kids can go up the road for sweets on their bikes. It is peaceful and quiet. Bobby: But when you go out of the front gate there is the beach, shops, restaurants – activity.

How did you find the site?

Bobby: We found the site near my parents’ house. Years ago there were glasshouses here, which is why the site is quite large.

Had you built a house before? Bobby: Yes, but it was more traditional and this time we wanted to do what we had seen in magazines and books that seemed so exciting to live in – mostly in a Mediterranean style.

Many people in Ireland have taken the Mediterranean style to mean Spanish haciendas but you don’t mean that, do you?

Bobby: No, we like frameless glazing and the way the glass is embedded into the wall which you see in Spain and across Europe.

Deborah: We did a huge amount of research. We spent two years planning this and whenever we were on holiday we would stop the car if we saw an interesting building. The kids are like little design gurus at this stage.

Bobby: Having seen other houses we then had to look at our site to see what would suit it – orientation towards the sun was important, for example.

Deborah: We had always wanted a contemporary home with a curved roof and unusual angles but we didn’t expect is to be as modern as it turned out – the design evolved during the build. The glass walls are a huge element.

Bobby: But privacy was important and we can shut the whole house down with a remote control which also works the lights. The system creates moods and, for that to work, you have to have different light sources, such as back-lit areas and wall washes.

Does that take a lot of research? Bobby: Yes, when you build your own home you nearly need to be a professional in everything yourself; I was almost like a lighting engineer. We planned this house to the last corner: all of the outdoor cables, speakers, recessed lighting, everything. I didn’t sleep well for years.

In your work do you find that people don't plan ahead enough?

Bobby: without a doubt. People aren’t visual and so they don’t know what they want. They can’t see until it is done. But then, as I was pushing boundaries in this build, I was prepared to undo things too. I would put up walls and take them down if they did not look right. Because this house was unique I’d nowhere to go and see how to do it and had to try and come up with my own stuff. I pushed out my skills knowing it would benefit my future work. Sometimes an electrician would say “you can’t put lights in there”, but I’d stop them and say: “In 1969 Neil Armstrong went to the moon, the least we could do is get these lights set up.”

If someone told me “no” that made me even worse and I would go and find a solution. I invented my own pumps for the infinity pools beside the house. I have a floating corner of concrete above the dining table with no column: I worked out the steel structure in the walls and counterbalancing blockwork that holds that up. Now friends who are building and have been told they can’t do something will come here and we will show them how we did it.

That’s quite something, being able to change things throughout the build as you were building it.

I like to get it right. It took two years to build and I didn’t do any other projects. I got subbies in, electricians and plasterers, but I did all the ground work, the steel columns and the in situ concrete.

You made the shuttering for the stairs?

Yes. I’ve always been happiest when building. At the beginning I get so excited. During this build I’d be here at the crack of dawn all excited and wound up, thinking we’re going to be living in this. It was our chance to create our own space. I’d do it all again and all different, but I love this house.

Deborah: a lot of people would say never again but Bobby is happiest when he is in the thick of an exciting project. But it’s also important to have a sense of humour when building.

Bobby: for now I’m going to enjoy this house with the kids. This house is ahead of its time and it will last.

What made you push the boundaries?

Deborah: we had an interest in it. The passion has to be there and you both need to be into it. The house has been divided into a kids’ side and an adults’ side.

Bobby: we thought, as they grow up, they can be away from us. Deborah: they can have a gang of friends here even though the house is open-plan. When they walk thorough the front door they can just turn right.

Bobby: it is essential in open-plan to have rooms to retreat to and we have put in sliding doors to close off areas.

Deborah: we have certain zones – this livingroom is a family zone and is family-friendly.

Bobby: the kids have to be able to come in here, jump around and be able to walk with wet feet as the house has to be for kids but they can’t make a mess in other rooms.

Deborah: Their bedrooms reflect their personality. I didn’t want a sterile environment. We wanted a modern but homely feel. You have to work extra hard to make this type of place homely.

Bobby: we have a real fire which is fantastic, the kids love that.

How did you go about furnishing the house?

Deborah: We put all that research into the design and didn’t want to detract from that. We decided to live in the house for a while before doing everything.

Bobby: you could make it too busy.

Deborah: the furniture came from Ikea, Bob Bushell and we got the Minotti sofa from Haus.

Bobby: It is hard to source furniture in this country because there’s no real choice and most things cost huge money.

Deborah: we went to Ikea to get the two chairs in the livingroom. If it’s good design, it’s good design, no matter where it is from and if you have a keen eye you can pick up things here and there. The wenge doors in the kitchen dictated the overall monochromatic look, but we’d add in different areas of interest. Everything is moveable – this sittingroom is red this week but next week it might be orange.

Does the mixing of colours come from your work as a graphic designer?

Deborah: Yes, I’ve always loved design, I studied printed textiles at NCAD and went to night classes at the Grafton Academy when I was 14 but we have an equal interest and we very much do it together.

Bobby: It is pure passion with me. Deborah: We went to so many shops, tile shops, lighting shops. Bobby: We ran down three sets of tyres on the car driving to get what we wanted.

Deborah: And I still have a passion for it. It is like an ongoing project. It was an empty shell for a time and now there is personality coming into it.

Is the house what you were hoping for?

Deborah: Yes and more. Glass like this does improve the quality of light and it is a wonderful space.

Urban Front Construction, 086 8127168; Deborah Pugh Design, 086 371 6218