Location Kenmare
Architect: Diarmuid Twomey
Interior Designer/ Designer: Nathalie Vos and Justina Gruzdyte
Other companies involved: Holbein Carpentry & Joinery
Photographer Credit: Lynda Kenny

Edit Design Studio’s vision for The Little Red Bridge was to create a functional home that flows well. At the same time, it needed to be a home-away-from home that has everything it needs to be stylish and comfortable. For the designers, perhaps the most enjoyable aspect of this project was being able to have fun with design features, expressing the personality of the owners.

The brief was to create a comfortable and inviting holiday home with soul and warmth for the owners. The interiors had to appeal to families or couples looking for an escape with a pared down luxury, unique homestay feel that exudes character, personality, and individuality. The house is located in a beautiful country-side setting with fantastic views taking in Kenmare Bay and the Beara Peninsular. Style wise, it was important to maintain a modern country vernacular. A base plate of white keeps the interiors focussed, with Edit Design Studio introducing intense blues and greens which flow throughout the whole house. The idea was to bring the outside in and reflect the colours of the ocean views and the garden. For the furnishings, they use a lot of natural textures and fibres such as oak, cane and wool as a tie to the wider environment.

With the help of the architect, the ground floor living space was opened up by knocking out the back façade, and incorporating floor-to-ceiling sliding doors along the whole length of the room. This reconfiguration created interiors for an easy indoor-outdoor living, converting the single living space into a large kitchen and dining room with a brand new bespoke fitted kitchen and a three-meter-long dining table, giving space to entertain. The downstairs bedroom was converted into an airy lounge with a wood-burning stove and folding doors to give the occupants the choice of semi-open plan living or separate rooms if they so wish.

Wherever possible Edit Design Studio used local tradespeople. All of the joinery was completed by a local company, and Irish elements have been used in the details and decoration. The traditional Irish Skib baskets hung as an installation on a wall in the kitchen is an example of this, and Irish woollen throws and blankets are used in the bedrooms and lounge.