In 2012, Ann Chapman and her husband Tim lived in rented accommodation near their current home in Monkstown, not knowing how close they were to finding their dream home.
"We were incredibly lucky to find this house," Chapman says. "We started looking in April 2016 and we got the keys in June."
The house needed extensive renovation, which was something they couldn't do then. "We lived here for two years before we made it the house it is today. It was quite a dark house inside and all the windows and heating needed replacing but there was potential."
Renovating
While the house was being renovated the family, which now included daughters Eve (7) and Katie (4), moved out. Nine months later, the home has a large naturally-lit kitchen that opens on to the garden.
“We wanted light and space in the house. For me the windows are amazing. The difference they have made is incredible. The amount of natural light has made the house so warm and cosy.”
Balance
Big projects aren't new to Chapman, who opened her shop Stonechat Jewellers in Dublin in 2012, despite the recession. "I saw an opening for a contemporary Irish jewellery store that sold handmade products that were actually handmade."
She recently launched the Stepping Stones collection with her team. "A jewellery shop is like a confessional sometimes. I hear people's stories – some beautiful, some sad. So this collection is to mark that. It represents the stepping stones we all have in life."
"Home is the one thing that shouldn't be transient. I wanted a place we could build our lives around. This is definitely our home for life. I don't want anything more than I have. I don't need massive gardens or huge sea views. I love this place and really appreciate how lucky we are to have been able to buy a house at all."
About The Story of Home
The Story of Home is a six-part monthly print, video and online editorial campaign that explores the idea of home through the eyes of creative people who have found their dream place to live.
We are all writing our own Story of Home and to help inspire you we will travel around Ireland over the next six months to hear stories from a range of creative individuals on their own Story of Home.
For inspiration we’ve turned to a group of people who have managed to find a home that reflects their own personality and lets them live the life they dreamed of.
This is the third series of this award-winning campaign, again supported by Ulster Bank, which won the 2018 Global Media Award for best execution of native content at the International News Media Association.
That win reflects the global interest in these very local stories, reflecting the importance of the Story of Home to all.
Ulster Bank is also helping to write that story, working with customers all over Ireland: "One of the first major steps in creating your own Story of Home is getting a mortgage," explains Susan Hogan, a mobile mortgage manager with Ulster Bank.
"In this series, we want to help with that and to help people consider the role of their homes at the very earliest stage so they can create a home that reflects their own story perfectly."
“We also want to take away as much of the stress from the mortgage process as we can, so we’re available to meet people at a time and place where they feel totally at ease,” she says.
“My role is to make the process as easy as possible and not one that is just about form-filling. We’re here to help. Building your own Story of Home has never been simpler.”
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Ulster Bank Ireland DAC is regulated by the Central Bank of Ireland
The editorial team behind The Story of Home
Series editor: Gary Quinn
Series videographer: Ana Conlon
Photographer: Conor Mulhern
Digital production: Louise Lawless