This Once-Bleak Townhouse Was Transformed by What Designers Are Calling the ‘Non-Beige Effect’
Many design influences are at play in this distinctive Dublin townhouse and they converge to form interiors that feel unique and curated
Hanna Botelho Karhunen and Peter Twomey, co-founders of Studio Portobello, had ambitious plans for their Dublin townhouse. 'We’d originally envisaged knocking through the lower-ground floor and adding a kitchen and eating area; all ply and timber beams,' says Peter.
But after living in the brick-fronted Victorian terrace for a few months, they began to see things differently. There were, they realized, more creative (and cost-effective) ways in which they could make the house design work for a family of three.
Living Room: The sofa and the shapes in the rug and table all bring a playful touch. Sofa, Buchanan Studio. Rug, Layered. Art (above sofa) by Ramon Enrich at AMBMA. The table is from the 1970s.
It was, after all, the architecture of the house that had first drawn them here.
Arranged over two floors, it has an unusual layout: the reception rooms and kitchen are on the ground floor; the bedrooms, home office, and bathrooms on the lower ground.
Despite the bleak, ex-rental all-white decor, the 19th-century 'bones,' says Hanna, were intact. Original shutters, floorboards, and paneled doors had survived. 'It was a nice mix: a project with potential that didn’t need lots of structural work,' says Hanna.
Entryway: Painting the arch a beautiful rich blue has brought it to the fore. Artwork (right) by Romina Milano. Alys wallpaper in Old Blue, Colefax and Fowler. Woodwork in Aerial Tint, Edward Bulmer Natural Paint. Artwork (left) by Dondi Schwartz
Like their professional work, the couple’s contrasting backgrounds have shaped their interior. Hanna, a graduate of the Inchbald School of Design, is half Finnish and half Portuguese. Peter, a law graduate who worked in tech before, grew up in Cork.
While Hanna’s upbringing has given her a taste for 'Nordic calm – natural materials and organic designs - mixed with Mediterranean warmth and color,' Peter, who is in charge of sourcing for projects, attributes his travels abroad to a taste for 'brutalism, mid-century design… a more contemporary feel.'
All these influences are in play here. Decorative wallpapers and bright colors offset by plain curtains, modern art, and 20th-century furniture combine for a 'non-beige effect,' says Hanna, 'which we both like.'
Kitchen: The space was redesigned to take advantage of the garden views. Cabinetry, deVOL. Walls in Rolling Fog, Little Greene. Worktops made from Azul Cielo marble.
For Hanna, who spent childhood summers in the Finnish countryside, it was important that their home 'felt connected to nature… that sense of being rooted in the landscape is part of my heritage,' she says.
On the ground floor, they redesigned the kitchen to 'bring the garden inside.' Instead of a protruding kitchen island or bulky overhead cabinets, under-counter cabinetry sits below a shelf lined with art and pottery. The countertop is a soft blue marble: a foil to pinkish walls. The sociable barley twist table and bentwood chairs bask in leafy views.
Living Room: Curtains in Miro Chutney, Romo; made by CLOTH Dublin. Art (above fire, left) by Erin Armstrong. Chairs, Olivier de Schrijver. Wallpaper, Colefax and Fowle
Next door, the double reception rooms house a dining room with garden views and the living room. They added the bookshelves that wrap around both and the woodburner. Instead of a television, they gather on the squashy sofa to watch films using a projector: 'It makes you think carefully about what you want to see,' says Peter.
Finding art is another part of their work: 'We’re always looking for larger pieces – on our travels or in galleries,' says Hanna. An abstract imaginary cityscape which dominates one wall is by the artist Ramon Enrich. Underfoot, the once-orange floorboards are painted white: a Finnish detail that reflects the light on darker days.
Dining Room: Most of the furniture was sourced at markets and antique dealers. Cress wallpaper, Colefax and Fowler. Rug, Liberty. Painting (seen in mirror) by Peter Doyle.
And there was more work to be done downstairs. Here, they turned a bathroom into a home office, where the desk was designed by the architect who owned their previous home. Next door, the main bedroom is lined with cheerful wallpaper; a frieze replaced a lost cornice.
It was Peter’s daughter – 'our most exacting client,' he says – who chose the lilac woodwork of her room, where a sleigh bed is tucked into an alcove.
Primary Bedroom: New mirrored wardrobes expand the sense of space, while a decorative frieze adds definition. The antique bed was found in France. Painting (above fire) by Delia Hamer. Parquet floor, Wilsons Yard. Wiggle Stripe wallpaper, Dado Atelier. Silk Stripe border, CommonRoom
Next door, a once-dark bedroom is an atmospheric bathroom. The decoration was inspired by the moody atrium of Antoni Gaudí’s Casa Batlló in Barcelona; 'We love its underwater feel, where light flickers across the surfaces,' says Hanna.
The lustrous handmade tiles replicate that movement; four people were needed to maneuver the deco-inspired bathtub into place.
Dining Nook: Table, Folie Chambre. Chairs, vintage Thonet
Elsewhere, too, they have added to the layers of history. In the bedroom, the oak parquet flooring, laid in a geometric pattern, came from a Dublin department store. 'We had fun designing the layout, like decoding a puzzle,' says Peter.
New paneling links the two stories, guiding your eye from the front door down the stairs. Like everything else, it might have always been here.
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