Coastal Cool
A couple return to their roots to build a charming seaside home retreat with seaside views blending charm with architectural details.
WORDS Orla Neligan
PHOTOGRAPHS Elyse Kennedy
HOMEOWNERS
Lynn, Peter, their baby son, Lughaidh Wilma the cat and Molly the dog
THE HOUSE
Contemporary four-bedroom new-build with sea views in Howth
If you’d asked Lynn Hanlon to describe her dream home a few years ago, it would probably look nothing like her stylish new build.
Having grown up in a Georgian period property near the sea in Howth, she had envisioned original fireplaces, ornate cornicing, and grand ceilings.
Instead, she has a modern, somewhat brutalist ‘box’, which she describes as more ‘boutique hotel by the sea with decent heating’.
It may not be seeping in history, but she loves it, and it is on the grounds of her former home in Howth, her parents’ garden, which has been divided up to accommodate homes for her brother and herself.
“I grew up hanging out in the garden that is now where our house stands,” she explains.
“There’s an emotional connection for me, especially since we lost our mum just before the whole process started. It’s a lovely mix of sea air and seagull screeching, ideal really.”
It might look clean-lined and block-like from the exterior, but inside is a series of dreamy spaces full of curves, soft textures, natural tones, and bright airy rooms with a distinct air of beachside boutique hotel, the kind of place ‘you’d like to check into for a weekend and never want to leave’.
It’s no mistake that there are nods to the Regina Experimental Hotel in Biarritz, where the couple spent a week at the start of the build, drawing inspiration from the muted colours, soft arches, and subtle lighting.
As long-term renters, putting down roots was a once-in-a-lifetime shot at creating something for the family:
Lynn, her husband Peter, their 17-month-old son Lughaidh, Wilma the cat, and Molly the dog.
Somewhere that worked for how they live today, but which could also grow with the family.
Working with Tyler Owens architects and interior designer Elaine Verdon of Leo and Cici, they set about designing the four-bedroom home with the aim of balancing modern architectural structure with soft, inviting interiors, drawing on the organic forms and materials of the natural landscape to create a serene retreat that feels lived in, elegant, and warm.
Read the full interview and see every image from Lynn O'Hanlon's renovated home in the new issue of House and Home magazine.
Pick up a copy of House and Home magazine on shelves or download a digital copy via our App or subscribe HERE
