Welcome to our third case study on Eilish's Edit.
In this series, we explore some beautiful homes designed by Eilish Rickard Interiors and give you some tips on how to reimagine and elevate your space.
Introducing The Residence, a historically-inspired new build that Eilish brought to life as a glamorous family home.
The large open-plan kitchen-dining area overlooks a courtyard and is connected to a family den.
Flooring: Matt Britton. Kitchen joinery & custom hood: Newcastle Design. Stone: Porter Bathrooms. Hardware: Armac Martin. Taps: Perrin & Rowe. Bar stools: Eilish Rickard Interiors. Paint: Wevet by Farrow & Ball.
The Residence is a new build in a beautifully landscaped development adjacent to historic land in Malahide, Dublin. Inspired by its surroundings, the new build is finished in red brick and stone detailing with classically-inspired accents.
Eilish Rickard Interiors were involved at a very early stage in the clients’ acquisition of the property and so we were able to help them strategically plan each room to suit their needs.
The clients wanted a bright, family-friendly space that would also feel luxurious and suitable for entertaining.
Glass cabinets with decorative brass grilles across from kitchen, alongside dining space.
Joinery: Newtown Woodworks. Accessories: Dwell by Eilish Rickard Interiors. Paint: Wevet, Farrow & Ball.
The kitchen was very much the heart of the home in this project and it set the tone stylistically as well with gleaming brass accents, crisp white tones and elegant joinery details.
The clients wanted the back of the house to be where everyone spent quality time together, from breakfast at the island, meals at the dining table to evenings on the sofa.
They still wanted the home to retain some formality as they love entertaining friends as well as family over holidays. This guided our choice for a dark stained timber floor by Matt Britton that would be sympathetic to the traditional elements of the house.
We wanted to create some drama by contrasting the rich floor with a bright, white Shaker kitchen drenched in natural light.
We opted for an ethereal dusty white, Wevet by Farrow and Ball and a subtle white, grey and gold veined marble countertop and bookmarked backsplash that draws the eye to the the custom hood, unquestionably the star of the space.
The clients wanted a focal point in the kitchen that would be both glamorous and traditional. Eilish designed the brushed steel and brass hood to anchor the tall white kitchen units. Newcastle Design brought the kitchen designs to life.
The custom hood in brushed steel and brass grounds the colour scheme of the kitchen.
Custom hood: Newcastle Design. Stone: Porter Bathrooms.
In terms of spatial planning, we situated the kitchen in the L-shaped open plan area overlooking a courtyard.
The space for the kitchen and dining was a large square, with the living room den in the return of the property. The room was very generous in size and ceilings high, so we had to plan a substantial kitchen and dining area that would still allow for enough space to mingle when it came time to use the space for holding parties and large family dinners.
Eilish designed the kitchen along the wall with the courtyard view to offer light to the busy working area, while the dining area has windows overlooking the side passage and connects to the living room spaces that are used in the evening time.
We designed a very prominent island with beautifully patinated brass taps and sufficient space for a breakfast bar and concealed push-door storage on the dining side.
The family wanted the children to spend time in the shared family space doing homework, so we allowed for extra space to accommodate this. The size of the island also meant when it came time to host, the island would double as a bar.
The bar stools gave us an opportunity to add softness and colour to the kitchen, which is essential as there are so many hard and cold surfaces. We opted for delicate two-toned sage green upholstery, dark wood and brass legs to tie in with the existing colour palette of the room.
Opposite the courtyard, the kitchen connects to a pantry room by Newtown Woodworks in a deep moody teal blue.
Two-tone island stools with brass caps and dark wood legs tie perfectly to the kitchen scheme.
Stools: Eilish Rickard Interiors.
The view into the utility offers some contrast while keeping the Shaker style and hardware consistent.
Utility joinery: Newcastle Design. Countertops: Leinster Stone. Utility paint: De Nimes, Farrow & Ball
Across the island, the room is mirrored with a sizeable dining table to seat 8-10 guests.
In order to avoid dead space and frame the small windows that look to the side passage, we designed a wall of joinery for added storage to display glassware and fine china and built-in bench seating.
The windows were accentuated with moulded architraves and roman blinds in a neutral fabric. The joinery was designed in the same style and colour as the kitchen with the addition of lattice gold grilles on the lower units and glazing on the top to add some lightness and interest.
The internals of the glazed-fronted cabinets were painted in a teal tone to echo the palette in the room and the utility. Delicate cushions were added to the window seats to ground the space and create cosy reading nooks for kids or guests to mingle in.
These built-in display cabinets elevate the space and allow for the family to display decorative items and family mementos.
Joinery: Newtown Woodworks. Accessories: Dwell by Eilish Rickard. Roman blinds, cushions: Eilish Rickard Interiors & others.
The rest of the house follows suit with elegant details and splashes of glamour, from the custom spindles on the staircase to the high-gloss painted and fully wallpapered guest WC.
There is a playfulness and sense of luxury throughout the house.
Paint: Obsidian Green 216, Little Greene. Wallpaper: 'Glass eye fish' by Adam Ellis Studio. Marble basin: Porter Bathrooms.
The family who call Residence home are always evolving their space - we are currently working with them on a custom bar in their cinema room with moody blues and glossy brass accents.
It's key to consider a colour and material palette you can translate throughout a home without looking too matchy-matchy. The guest WC with its fiery hues and black joinery still works in a house that plays with contrast, drama and sheen in every space.
The use of joinery in this project really helped ground and connect large spaces, by keeping hardware and mouldings consistent, while playing around with colour and cabinet front details. Planning this in from an early stage in your project will make the busiest spaces in your home work for you.
When it comes to creating a sense of luxury that's still comfortable and bridging the new with the old, Eilish has a few tips for you inspired by the Residence project.
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There is luxury in economy. The elevation of the kitchen with the hood is otherwise very clean and simple to let the materials sing.
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Small details give a sense of luxury as much as big "wow" pieces. The detailing on the island, the chunkiness of a countertop or the caps on a stool give the sense of their quality without being loud.
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Have some fun! The guest WC is a perfect place to give your friends and family a little taste of your style. Splurge on a statement sink or mirror or go for decadent wallpaper like our clients.
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Mix in modern and traditional. A cornerstone of our design approach, we appreciate the classical details in joinery but keep it fresh by not over-cluttering spaces and contrasting with sleek furniture like the barstools in this project.