House of Scudding Clouds designer has heavenly touches

Dublin 14: €560,000It's always interesting to see what an interior designer does with her own place - especially a young designer on her first house.

Dubliner Laura Farrell trained in New York with the renowned and hip Clodagh, and when she came to doing her own two-up-two-down terraced house in Rathfarnham five years ago, she used some of the design philosophy the learned in America and other ideas she developed in her own new company Scudding Clouds.

In 13 St Mary's Avenue the emphasis throughout is on natural materials and textures all working together to create a warm, welcoming environment.

Downstairs the livingroom is to the front and off the back of the diningroom is a kitchen and the bathroom. Upstairs are two double bedrooms and in all there is 83.67sq m (900sq ft) of space.

Subtle designer touches are everywhere in this house which stands out in a market where most small spaces tend to be painted white with extensive glazing. Here, everything is muted. The walls were replastered throughout using an encaustic wax plaster which gives a soft-coloured earthy tone and a light sheen. Apart from being a warm finish, it has the bonus of never needing to be painted.

The hall is floored with natural slate and Farrell restored the original red quarry tiles in the diningroom. The small galley kitchen has custom-designed units with a concrete countertop, picked up in the scratch concrete wall finish and the practical wall-sized chalkboard.

The short hallway that leads to the bathroom has a large contemporary free-standing sink in it, a smart decision as it frees up space in the small bathroom.

Doors open from the back room into a tiny, but lushly-planted patio area. The house is for sale by private treaty through Felicity Fox. The asking price is €560,000.