Having spent months on countless estate agent appointments, trudging the streets and ever-hopeful that the right house was just around the corner, the last thing that was going to put PR director Martin Mackin off from buying on the perfect Portobello terrace was the challenge of a north facing garden.
“I’m quite a traditionalist and I had it in my mind that I wanted a red brick three-story house. I have a fear of lemon bungalows,” he grimaces “And I had always been intrigued by some of the streets in Portobello, which have a sort of leafy New York quality and is so central yet feels miles away from the city. When I saw the ‘for sale’ sign go up on this I immediately leaped in with an offer.”
Moving straight into the house, which was split into two dingy flats at the time - “one which didn’t need a lot of work and the other which did” – Martin decided he’d get on with living in the upper part of the house while the more extensive work was done on the darker downstairs and basement area.
0 of 9
“Big mistake,” he says, with a dry laugh “I lasted about three weeks before realising that living in a dust storm, without heat or cooking facilities, was probably not for me and so de-camped to a squatting arrangement in the room above my office. I was so happy to get back into the house after that ordeal. And if you asked me would I ever do it again the answer is no!”
Martin also called on his friends at Alan Mee Architects to look at how they could bring as much light and spaciousness to the house, with the brief staying very much on keeping the period feel of the house intact. The 1830s house is on a protected terrace so the challenge was inherent.
“We’ve all seen enough of the big family glass box extensions in Dublin over the last 10 years,” says Martin. “I just wanted something fresh and different and in keeping with my lifestyle, which is busy but also all about cooking, listening to music and socialising. I sometimes work all hours so I also really wanted flexibility in my living arrangements.”
Plans were drawn up to provide for an open-plan living space in the basement, with a kitchen and dining area flowing nicely onto a terraced city garden. In order to maximise the light from above (and take the edge off the northern aspect of the house) it was decided that a glass-floored first floor could be accommodated. A rotting staircase was replaced with a glass-panelled walk-up and bright bespoke Damien Hirst-inspired units were designed to fit across the whole length of the space. The outcome? Light, colour and spaciousness – just what Martin had wanted at the outset.
“It was all about making as bright and light as possible,” says Martin “I went for white walls, white kitchen units and white rubber cement floors, adding colour-pop with furniture and the units which sort of all fits into my comic book aesthetic.”
Along with the glass ceiling, one of the stand-out features in the kitchen is the purpose-built units which were commissioned through Alan Mee architects, Dublin (alanmee.ie). The steel-framed table and blue chairs are by designer Staffan Holm and ordered through Inreda.
Martin’s “comic book aesthetic” informs much of the art and collectibles that can be spotted around the house, including stacks of vintage magazines, brightly coloured figurines and a particularly striking stuffed bear in a tutu, which takes pride of place among his record collection in the heart of the house. Says Martin: “It was picked up at auction and it is by an up-and-coming Danish artist but I can’t remember his name and nobody can tell me who it is now!”
The rest of the house is in muted shades of grey or off-white, serving as the perfect blank canvas to display art work that includes impressive pieces from the Rubicon and Kevin Kavanagh galleries, a Sof'Boy statue by Archer Prewitt from Tokyo and original drawings by Natalie du Pasquier, Steve Bell and Jim Woodring.
“I’m a bit of a magpie and I like picking up any bits and pieces that catch my eye,” Martin explains. “And I am lucky in that I travel a lot and live here on my own so I can kind of spread out – as well as decorate it anyway that I like.”
Other stand-out features of the house include wooden floors, which are stained dark and polished, as well as beautifully curved banisters, original to the house. The decorative antlers in the hall were picked up at antiques market in Paris.
The sitting room features built-in bookcases, a fireplace be-decked with books and bits and pieces, as well as a ravioli chair, which is Vitra designed by Greg Lynn. There are two coffee tables, which were both bought from the Moma store in New York. The bear was picked up at auction and is by an unknown artist.
And now that it’s done would Martin be inclined to find a new project and start again? “I would rather boil my head,” he says wryly, and with a laugh. “Honestly, I love it but I couldn’t do it all again. I’ll stay where I am thank you very much!”
