Before & After: In Ireland, an Unusual, Boxy House Gets a Bold Bauhaus Retrofit

Catherine McElwain and architect Dermot Ryan celebrate their home’s gridded tile, glass bricks, and ironwork as they inject it with industrial materials and vibrant color.

Oct 23, 2024 - 20:34

Before & After: In Ireland, an Unusual, Boxy House Gets a Bold Bauhaus Retrofit

Catherine McElwain and architect Dermot Ryan celebrate their home’s gridded tile, glass bricks, and ironwork as they inject it with industrial materials and vibrant color.

The interior is mostly painted white with vibrant pops of color adding a distinctive Bauhaus touch. In the kitchen, this is expressed through the mustard yellow cabinetry. "I really love Bauhaus and Mid-Century tones,

When Catherine McElwain received a photo of a run-down house from her husband, architect Dermot Ryan, she thought its flat-roofed architecture was unusual—but that was about it. A few weeks later, however, the couple decided to attend a viewing—and they were the only ones there. "We fell in love with it," recalls Catherine. "It’s like a series of stacked boxes, with very large windows and beautiful tiling. The top floor has wraparound windows with a 360-degree view—it blew me away."

Dermot felt the same way. "We don’t have many modernist homes in Ireland," he says. "It’s very interesting in an Irish context."

The living area is a bright space surrounded by windows on two sides. While the interior itself is fairly neutral, the furnishings and artwork introduce bright pops of color. — The living area is surrounded by windows on two sides. While the interior is fairly neutral, the couple’s furnishings and artwork introduce bright pops of color.
Photo by Shauna Lally

The couple purchased the property, they moved in just a week before their second child was born, and they spent two years living in the home and getting a sense for how the spaces work, what they wanted to keep, and what needed to be changed. When the time came to begin an ambitious renovation—which was led by Dermot and took place in several stages over seven years—they decided to celebrate the home’s style and draw design inspiration from the Bauhaus.

Before: Exterior

The home had not been renovated for many years, and was in a state of disrepair. Many of the services, as well as the bathrooms and kitchen, were outdated. — The home had not been renovated for many years, and it was in a state of disrepair. Many of the services, as well as the bathrooms and kitchen, were outdated.
Photo by Catherine McElwain

The house had originally been built in 1948 as a family residence, but it was converted into a commercial architecture practice in the early 2000s with the addition of the top floor. When Catherine and Dermot purchased it, it was in a state of disrepair—the garden was overgrown, and the formerly white exterior was painted orange and covered in ivy.