Before & After: A Dilapidated Dublin Home Gets a Playful Addition With an Indoor Swing

This Dublin home was originally built in the 1920s for one of the city’s first public housing schemes—and it appeared as if the previous owner had barely touched it since. "The condition was pretty dire," says marketing professional and photographer Brionna McArdle, who purchased the home with her cameraman husband, JJ Rolfe, while they were expecting their first baby.

"It was not insulated, and it had very old, flowery wallpaper, old tiles crumbling around the edges, and little pockets of damp," Brionna says. "It had not been touched in at least 30 to 40 years—it was quite close to unusable or unlivable." 

Undeterred, the couple reached out to Studio And to revitalize the residence and introduce a rear extension that would expand the small galley kitchen and open the house to morning light. Brionna and JJ desired a place to play with kids, Facetime with family, and cook, connected with the living area and garden.