It was a bright sunny day when I went to shoot this house in the landscape of west County Mayo. I stopped the car down the road from the house to get an overall view of it. Set amongst the fields, it stood out as a beautiful design but also settled into its surroundings perfectly.The Lacken stone cladding on the exterior contrasts beautifully with the smooth white plaster finish. The lawn around it tapered off into the naturally peaty bog. The habitat hasn’t been disturbed and was home to hares, pheasants, and other wildlife.
Light, warmth, space – just some of the words that sprung to mind when I entered this house. This house is designed for all of the family from the grandparents to the children. The underfloor heating is provided by a geothermal heat recovery system, so there are no ugly radiators and the temperature is kept at a constant level.
As the floor is basically a radiator, it is covered in stone tiles. Upstairs, the bedrooms have semi-solid flooring with an oak finish.
There is a home automation solution with a full system in the living areas for TV and media, as well as in the guest bedroom, master bedroom, and bathroom.
The house is very child-friendly with no sharp edges. It’s very comfortable, and sunlight filters in throughout the day. The colour scheme is cream/brown and there are open and enclosed spaces.
A connection with the outside is also made via the flat grass roof with one of the windows looking out onto it. Beyond the sedum, you can see the natural bog with heather. As the season’s change so does the landscape and the roof, they do so in unison.nThe living roof absorbs water and acts as a natural insulator.
This is a beautiful, open and bright house that is very functional at the same time. It was a pleasure to shoot it.
