The owner of Clooneybreen, Miltown Malbay Road in Lahinch is from Co Clare and had spent many childhood holidays at the seaside resort before, as an adult living in Dublin, scouting around for a holiday home. That was 17 years ago and she found a small 100-year-old stone cottage on an elevated site with undisturbed sea views.
She and her family holidayed then there for some years, “to get to know the landscape and the elements – the light – the seasons and how they might work together… while I challenged myself to design a practical holiday home which worked in both winter and summer”. The result in a true mix of old and new; the original house still stands but with a large, contemporary single-storey add-on that brought it to 237sq m (2,550sq ft).
“It’s not in any particular style,” she says, “just that it features pared-back lines, has emptier, more considered spaces, is low-key, honest and with an open design. Everything from the earthy colour tones to the organic textures was chosen to create a laid-back mood with more than a little nod to the natural world.”
The work was completed in 2007 – the build took two years – and the original cottage was retained and renovated. It looks charming with its small windows – a striking contrast to the new part of the home where vast glass floor-to-ceiling windows are a signature of the design. The old cottage is now home to two double bedrooms and a bathroom. The oversized entrance front door and hall is the link between old Clooneybreen and the new crisply contemporary part. The substantial square footage and the fact that the house is a three-bed gives an idea of the size the rooms are in the new part, their sense of space enhanced by the wall-sized windows and, in several areas, rooflights.
There’s an airy eat-in kitchen – sleek kitchen units at one end with integrated appliances and an island; a living room with views of the Atlantic ocean, Liscannor Bay and the Cliffs of Moher castle; and a meditation room. This could also be a fourth bedroom. The main bedroom is in the new section with spectacular views from all points, its own private patio, walk-in wardrobe and en suite. There’s also a wet room and utility.
An aspect of the build of which the homeowner is most proud are the features installed “to lighten our carbon footprint, so we incorporated a geothermal heat pump, solar panels, heat-recovery ventilation system and rainwater harvester”. The property has a C3 BER. Prices for holiday homes in coastal areas have surged in the past year, not least because Irish people forced to staycation have discovered how extraordinarily beautiful the countryside is and how much there is to do. Clooneybreen in Lahinch is for sale through DNG O’Sullivan Hurley seeking €675,000.
