Aoife Clarke is full of nostalgia as she recalls the day she met her Victorian home. “We were searching for a place to live for about 18 months when I came across this property online,” she says. “I grew up here in Bray, Co Wicklow, but I had no idea it even existed.”
When searching for the home using an Eircode failed, Aoife decided to drive down a small laneway to turn the car and head back home. “It was a dark, rainy January afternoon,” she says, “Not the kind of day you want to view a house. But suddenly, I saw it from behind a gate. I know it sounds crazy, but it completely stopped me in my tracks. There wasn’t even a light outside, but in my mind, I could see our family around the Christmas tree inside. I knew immediately that it was the house for us.”
Aoife, her husband Steven and their three children (now four) moved in five years ago and have been lovingly decorating the 150-year-old home since. “The house we were in previously was lovely, but it was quite contemporary. We always knew we wanted a space with a lot of character.”
Of course, that character also comes with some downsides, “Yes, there are uneven walls, sloping floorboards,” Aoife laughs, “but that’s part of the charm. I truly believe that we are custodians of this house while living in it, and that’s both a privilege and a responsibility. We have a duty to look after it and give it the love it deserves.”
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Thankfully, the property didn’t need too much love – structurally, at least. “The family before us had been here for 30 years, and thankfully they had done a lot of the important renovation, like restoring the roof and rewiring.”
Instead, Aoife has been using her time to bring her own style to the sprawling space. “I’ve always been into design and interiors. I went to art college, and I studied interior design years ago. I love the process. If I have a few hours in the morning while my youngest is in Montessori, I’ll restore an old piece of furniture. I want to respect the old style of the property but add contemporary touches and tie it all together. "
While Aoife had been busy putting her talents to work and sharing her progress on Instagram (@My_1868_home), there was one room that had been decidedly neglected. “The diningroom had potential,” Aoife says. “But it had become a dumping ground, a place where the kids would play Lego in the evenings. I always knew I wanted it to be this grand and even glamorous dining space where we could have Sunday roast and Christmas dinner and host friends. That’s been my vision, always.”
Inspired by her favourite period-era television shows, Aoife turned to the Dulux Heritage range, a timeless, luxury colour palette which offered her a selection of fittingly classic hues with a modern twist. “What I loved immediately about the collection is that the colours are bold but never garish. The diningroom is a dark space, so I needed to embrace that and make the room cosy, rather than try to force it to be bright. There’s something elegant in the restraint of the Dulux Heritage palette that felt right.”
Aoife settled on two colours from the Dulux Heritage collection: Waxed Khaki, a distinctive deep grey/green and China White, an almost pure neutral with just a hint of yellow. “I used Waxed Khaki on the bottom half of the room, under the picture rail, and China White above. It’s a dramatic contrast that balances the space and makes it feel cosy yet light.”
Best of all, using colours from the range gave her confidence in the room’s potential. “In old houses like this, the space is wonderful, but the large walls can feel imposing. These colours have made the walls a feature, rather than something that needs to be covered up or disguised.”
With her ideal colour palette in place, Aoife set about styling the room with blush pink soft furnishings, gold and copper accessories and artwork. The once dark and uninviting space has been transformed and today could be mistaken for the setting of one of Aoife’s favourite 1920s period dramas.
“I adore it,” Aoife beams. “The colour has transformed the space, but with respect to the house’s original personality, which was always my intention.”
While she has accepted that her children may continue to play with Lego and do their homework in the newly revealed space, Aoife is excited to make memories in this grand diningroom. “I can’t wait for dinner parties, hearty weekend roasts and cosy winter evenings here,” she says.
With the transformation complete, the Clarkes are ready for a new era of special occasions in this dining space and to add another chapter to this home’s rich history.