Erica Devine is someone who pivoted from a well-established career to fulfil her deepest passion, moving from being an art conservator to becoming an artist herself. Devine works in the medium of botanic casting, an art form that creates detailed impressions of plants in materials such as plaster to create frameable artwork, wall covering and candles.
Her most recent high-profile project involved her work adorning the walls of perfume brand Jo Malone London’s flagship store in the Marais in Paris, which she completed earlier this year.
It was about 10 years ago when she took the leap to pursue art, says Devine, about the same time that she and her husband, retired TV producer Seán Ó Méaloid, bought what she referred to as a blank canvas for experimentation, their home at 3 Carlisle Terrace in Bray.
She was particularly attracted to the property’s dual aspect and the natural light that afforded, as well as its high ceilings, features that frame interiors so well, as she puts it.
The property, dating back to 1890, had previously been rented out and had been presented in the paint-by-numbers template of such properties, with industrial brown carpet, magnolia walls and cheap-looking finishes.
The couple first had triple-glazed windows and new doors installed, as well as solid-oak floors. Devine then set out to create what 3 Carlisle Terrace is today: a joyous and eclectic home filled with colour and subtle decorative touches.
Now that Devine feels there is no design stone left unturned at their home, she and Ó Méaloid, both of whom are from Dublin, have decided to move on to the next blank canvas in the Wicklow countryside, placing this midterrace two-bed on the market with Sherry Fitzgerald, seeking €495,000.
“We have enjoyed the experience of urban living in Bray, there’s always something going on,” says Devine.
Devine lives and breathes art, and walking through her home is an education, with her explaining the references for her considered design choices.
Located on Duncairn Avenue off the Seymour Road in Bray, number 3 Carlisle Terrace is less than a five-minute walk from the promenade and the train station.
Beyond its smooth white facade and 70s-green front door, you enter the home into a double-height hallway ringed in grey and white stripes, optimising its height. A door featuring stained glass sits within the opposite wall, opening on to the rear courtyard.
It is not, however, the most eye-catching door in the hallway, as Devine designed the door to the guest loo under the stairs in the Hanseatic style found in Bergen, with wooden and white chevrons edged in orange.
Off the hall is the sittingroom, painted in a lilac, blue and teal scheme, inspired by majolica pottery. The room, adorned with paintings, features a window looking out to the rear courtyard, built-in bookshelves and a cast-iron fireplace, as well as a grey couch, hand-embroidered by Devine to bring it to life.
It leads on to the kitchen, where there is plenty more to entice the eye. Perhaps the most stunning bespoke feature in the home are two of the wall cabinets, the doors of which feature casting reliefs in graphite and resin of the butterbur plant, chosen by Devine as it was once used to wrap butter, imbuing poetic resonance when used for a food storage cupboard.
The kitchen units are warm oak, with the oak flooring brought on to the wall above the cooker, complementing the marble splashback and tying the scheme together.
Upstairs, the main bedroom is the furthest from the stairwell. Its walls feature casting relief of aspen trees by Devine. She also created the sea-inspired headboard during the Covid pandemic, using driftwood and swan feathers scavenged from the nearby beach.
The pop of yellow of the cast-iron fireplace is carried through to the bathroom, painted entirely yellow with a mural of Roy Lichtenstein’s Water Lillies with Cloud, complete with Lichtenstein’s signature Ben-Day dots, painstakingly recreated by Devine by hand. The room always lifts her mood, she says.
A second double bedroom sits in the centre of this floor, currently set out as Ó Méaloid’s music room.
Extending to 81sq m (872sq ft), the property has an E1 Ber, but Devine says it heats up quickly once the heating is turned on.
To the rear of the house is a south-facing courtyard where the walls are painted an uplifting “Germolene pink” complementing a deep green-wall tile. Devine obviously knows her way around plants and has grown ferns in the shaded area, along with jasmine and a gorgeous fig tree.
This home could attract buyers looking for a well-maintained home in a vibrant town by the coast, with easy access to Dublin city centre via the Dart.
It is likely a new owner will move in and adapt their own style to incorporate Devine’s beautiful design flourishes. She has shown what you can do when you look at your home through a playful, authentic lens, rather than following trends.
