In the summer issue we featured a charming cottage in Limerick, lovingly converted by its architect owner into a warm and welcoming home, maximising the available space and cleverly connecting the indoor and outdoor areas.

Words by Penny Crawford Collins and Photography by Philip Lauterbach 

With her creativity and knowledge of conservation, architect Patti O’Neill could immediately see that this little cottage could be transformed.

The dated kitchen was ripped out and replaced with a kitchen designed by Patti and built by Mike Ryan of Lyshna Design. It features polished concrete countertops and shelves.

Upstairs Patti used natural sheep wool carpets for the bedrooms and introduced clever storage solutions such as drawers beside and under the bed and fitted cupboards with canvas covers, which she designed and made herself, to give a more contemporary look.

“I wanted the garden to have a real cottage feel to it, so I replaced the paths with natural red Liscannor stone slabs and planted flowers and fruit trees as well as incorporating a vegetable patch and an even a sunlit area at the rear of the garden. It’s wonderful to sit out in, you would never know you were in the heart of Limerick city,” says Patti.

See http://www.oneillarchitecture.com