In the search of Ireland's Home of the Year, judges Hugh Wallace, Amanda Bone, and Sara Cosgrove have visited 21 exceptional homes, giving viewers a peek into some of the country's most beautiful interiors.
Over the past seven weeks, we have seen homes located all over Ireland including re-imagined semi-detached homes, renovation projects, architectural homes, restored period homes, and new builds.
This week on the show, viewers will looks back at the homes of the seven finalists before the judges reveal the 2023 winner of Home of the Year.
Finalist 1: Ciara McMahon and Richie Hannify, Dublin
Ciara McMahon and Richie Hannify live in a modern mid-century home in Dublin along with their golden retriever, Stella.
When the couple bought the property in 2020, it was in great need of modernization; they fully gutted the house and knocked down the garage so they could extend to the side and rear.
As the house is mid-century, they wanted to reflect this in their styling. They went for a relaxed colour palette, simple furniture, and natural materials. The couple thinks their home is a great combination of both their tastes and love that they were involved in every aspect of the project from day one.
Finalist 2: Cliona and Derek Hosty, Dublin
Cliona and Derek Hosty live in a 1930s semi-detached home in South Dublin with their five children.
In 2018 the family bought the home, but it was almost exactly as it was when it was first built in the 1930s: a simple two up, two down, so they set about redesigning it for their family.
They completely gutted the house, pulled down the ceilings, ripped up the carpets and the floorboards, and pulled out the doors, skirting and stairs. When they took up the floorboards, they saw the opportunity to drop the finished for level to give a great ceiling height and by moving the front door and stairs to the extension it increased the size of the original rooms downstairs.
Overall, they quadrupled the size of the original house.
Finalist 3: Peter and Eileen McGuigan, Antrim
Peter and Eileen McGuigan live in an Edwardian home in Belfast along with their two young sons.
The family moved into their home in August 2019 knowing it needed modernising and that it would be a big renovation project. Creating a sense of light throughout the home was of great importance to the couple, so they used a roof light in the extension to get natural light into the back of their home, which was also purposely angled to capture the westerly sun in the evening.
At the front of the house, they wanted to maintain as much of the original features as possible, but the extension was about creating something solid and embracing their love for brutalist architecture with the polished concrete floor and the concrete steps and the wrap-around concrete bench.
The McGuigans love the home they’ve created and describe it as a place that is strong and striking yet fun and a joy for their family to live in.
Finalist 4: Jacqui and Rob Naughton, Mayo
Jacqui and Rob Naughton live in a renovated village home in Mayo along with their two sons.
The home had been in Robert’s family when the couple purchased it in 2020. Originally built in the early 1900s, the property had seen many uses over the years, including formerly being a girls' secondary school. The home had been vacant for a few years before they moved in, so they completely renovated the property to make it into a warm family home.
Jacqui, an interior decorator, describes the home as having a traditional country style and is proud that they have been able to bring back some of the characters of this historical building which had been lost over the years. The couple loves the transformation that they have brought to the original building and how they’ve retained its uniqueness but also made it into a cosy and welcoming home.
Finalist 5: Sara and Neil Austin, Down
Sara and Neil Austin live in a Victorian home in Co. Down along with their two young sons.
The house was built in 1896 and is a double-fronted Victorian property, but when the family moved into the home in 2020, they redecorated and modernised every space. They moved the kitchen - which had been located at the front of the house - to the rear of the property and they knocked through from the master bedroom into the adjacent room to create an ensuite and walk-in wardrobe.
Sara loves period properties and has worked hard to restore the remaining classic features such as the stained-glass windows and the original fireplaces and cornicing. Both Sara and Neil were conscious of respecting the heritage of the home while also making it functional for their young family.
Finalist 6: Catrinel and Stefan Cadare, Kilkenny
Catrinel and Stefan Cadare live in a Victorian house in Kilkenny with their son, Anter.
Built sometime between 1840 and 1860, the couple purchased the house in 2020, and set about creating their dream home.
One of the main things they decided to do was to completely renovate the inside of the house to today’s standards, and to remove the internal walls from the downstairs living, dining, and kitchen area as the layout of the walls was not giving them the comfortable space they were hoping for.
This was key for them as they wanted to create a moody, chilled, and industrial feel in their home, but also to make sure that the ground level was an exceptional living, relaxing and entertaining space.
The couple loves that they personally designed and decorated their home throughout and that it reflects them completely.
Finalist 7: Rob and Janice McConnell, Antrim
Rob and Janice McConnell live in an architectural new build in Co. Antrim.
The couple fell in love with the site first, which is situated on the Antrim coast, with rich woodland and stunning sea views. They wanted their modern home to fit in with its surroundings and decided to build a single-story home and use as many natural materials as possible
It was important to the couple that the home was renewable and that they made the most of their location by maximising the relationship between the interior and exterior of the home. The home has panoramic sea, forest, and mountain views and so they made sure to create a patio area with an overhang so that these areas could be enjoyed all year round.
The couple loves the home that they’ve created and how it feels rooted in its location.
Watch the Home of the Year final on RTÉ One tonight at 20:30.
