A house built in a watery world

The only way was up, says Max O’Flaherty of Aughey O’Flaherty Architects, who created the Lake House, a

modernist construction surrounded by water, the sea on one side and a rainwater lake on the other. While technically set on about an acre of land, there was very little space to build, O’Flaherty explains. Eighty per cent of the site was covered in water.

The property, originally a 1960s holiday chalet, was also in a special area of conservation so all manner of planning restrictions applied. “We needed to elevate the house to avail of the views,” he says. So he designed a home that is set on a narrow ground floor pedestal with two wings on the first floor that cantilever out over the water to best frame every different vista from every possible vantage point.

Through the picture window that O’Flaherty estimates to be the biggest in Ireland you can see Lambay Island and Ireland’s Eye. The sand dunes reveal an ever-changing landscape.

Much of the focus went on creating an open-plan hub. “The kitchen is now the best room in the house, so we concentrated on creating one big social space with really generous ceiling heights that included room for a kitchen, dining and living areas as we no longer live in a way that requires separate formal dining rooms and drawing rooms.”

Timber beams on the painted pitched ceiling that are more than three-and-a-half metres high give it a fresh seaside feel.

The oak veneer and matt pearl grey lacquered Snaidero design from Porter and Jones is a theatrical optical illusion. On show is the presentable side of the kitchen with an island that has siltstone countertops where you can ready a meal in the company of your guests.

Behind it is a prep kitchen and pantry, the engine room of the property, if you will, where you can do all the messy work away from prying eyes. It includes a second sink serving filtered and sparkling water in addition to hot and cold.

From every angle the house opens onto nature. The living room overlooks a covered outdoor terrace that is sheltered from the prevailing wind and west facing where the owner can sit and watch the setting sun.

Throughout the house you get the dappled effect of light bouncing off the water.

The oak-framed windows are all aluminium clad on the exterior to better weather the elements. The glazing has been specially speced to deal with salt and wind abuse.

The house is accessed from the lake side of the property. The stairwell is panelled in American white oak and the property is floored in oak throughout to give a sense of continuity as you wander from room to room. The other wing contains the bedrooms, modest when compared to the soaring heights of the living room.

O’Flaherty, who is one of the new talents in residential architecture, says he tries to avoid repetition in each job. “The amazing thing about one-off house design is that each property is totally different. Each residence tells a unique story. What you want to do is design in every space a sense of light and happiness. A positive space is good for body, mind and spirit.”

To do that you need a collaborative relationship with your client, he says. “To make the best of a space you need to be able to get inside a client’s head. Behind every good building there is a great client.” See Aof.ie; porterandjones.com