Suits you, sir: medieval touch in a modern livingroom

THE LIVINGROOM of Cooldrinagh has the ultimate talking point for visitors, a suit of armour.

Not a common sight in a contemporary living room , the owner, developer John McKeon, got the full-size armour from the lobby of Sutton Castle hotel, which his company redeveloped into apartments. A quirky touch in an otherwise ultra modern room, visitors have been known to try it on for size and comment that it weighs a ton.

The exact age of this medieval suit of armour is unknown. Real 15th century ones are rare according to antiques expert Martin Fennelly(01 4731126). You're unlikely to find them lying around Irish antique shops and they can usually only be sourced at specialist sales abroad.

Replicas costs from around €1,500 upwards, depending on the level of detail - a Google search will throw up lots of suppliers abroad .

The room was designed to be an escape from the fray and has no TV . The display cabinet was custom made by Cawleys Furniture Limited (01 6268182) using MDF and sprayed to give an ivory finish. The owner got the idea from a Portugese shoe shop where the display unit was backlit. A similar display case will cost in the region of €5,000-€6,000 .

The tweed couch from Duff Tisdall (01 855 8070) and striking striped rug from Habitat fit in perfectly with the monochrome feel of the room. The coffee table and mirror came from Frank McGowans(01 8706190)

The only real colour in the room is provided by the art and ornaments on display like the antique brass ships lantern, a face mask from the far east, a family heirloom chess set and a vibrant blue and orange vase from South Africa. The crisp walls are a great backdrop for the accessories in the room and are painted in Dulux Arctic white Dulux .

Another feature of the room are custom-made radiators, also made by Cawleys and designed by the owner. He didn't want the typical period-style covers and designed them to suit a more contemporary house with oak tops to match the oak floor and leaving a space between wooden slats for maximum circulation of heat.

Similar custom-made ones will cost around €600 each.