Home of the Year RTE 1 - 8.30pm Tuesdays

Princess Calla · 07-04-2021 12:08am

She's on the front page of the irish examiner....looks like she's wearing what she was wearing in the show so that might give credence to the theory she knew already.

Anyways looks like it continues to page 6 so might be pictures there.

I'll be honest and say I won't be buttered buying the paper , but someone might be

borderlinemeath · 07-04-2021 1:04am

Princess Calla wrote: »

I do forget how tedious the final episode is.

Delighted she won.

I think with no partners family etc meant the atmosphere was fairly lacking.

Wish they showed the cottage in more detail after it won.

It's on Instagram as @workerscottage. Lots more detail there and great before and after posts.

I started following last week's winner which was @victorianrathmines and it turns out that herself and the artisan cottage are friends from before the HOTY and were really surprised to see each other in the final. The houses are both in Rathmines.

bilbot79 · 07-04-2021 1:07am

Amanda Bone has been a breath of fresh air on the show.

Princess Calla · 07-04-2021 7:28am

borderlinemeath wrote: »

It's on Instagram as @workerscottage. Lots more detail there and great before and after posts.

I started following last week's winner which was @victorianrathmines and it turns out that herself and the artisan cottage are friends from before the HOTY and were really surprised to see each other in the final. The houses are both in Rathmines.

Oh cool...I really must join instagram.

I really liked both houses , but the cottage was such a great example of what can be achieved with a very small space.

borderlinemeath · 07-04-2021 9:09am

Princess Calla wrote: »

Oh cool...I really must join instagram.

I really liked both houses , but the cottage was such a great example of what can be achieved with a very small space.

And they are Tiny. I had said further upthread that we own one of these, and a family member lives in it at the moment. It would suit a single person or a couple perfectly, even 1 child in the mix and you would probably have to move - there's no room for any extras like buggies/cots/playpens etc. The buggy would have to live in the boot of the car, out on the street!

You have to be careful with the rabbit hole of instagram. There's a million interiors accounts. A load of them are "influencer" accounts who barely disclose when they have an "ad" or "collaboration". The Galway modern house would fall into this category. A lot of them are signed up to a "collaboration" agency so when there's brands looking for exposure you'll find a load of them hawking the same stuff;).

Then there's the actual interior designers who do use it to showcase their profession - there was at least 2 of these in the final, the cottage with the big open plan extension and the Limerick house believe it or not.

Then there's the people that have real jobs and their house is their passion and they're not in it for the money/contacts(yet!) and it seems the Cottage, the Rathmines house and the Portobello pink door restoration fit in here:). The black house in Cork I presume fits in here too, I don't think he's on instagram!

Edit: Just looking on instagram and I see @victorianrathmines is signed up to the collaborations agency! So watch this space for brand promos blah blah. I might have to unfollow now.

rain on · 07-04-2021 9:15am

borderlinemeath wrote: »

Then there's the people that have real jobs and their house is their passion and they're not in it for the money/contacts(yet!) and it seems the Cottage, the Rathmines house and the Portobello pink door restoration fit in here:). The black house in Cork I presume fits in here too, I don't think he's on instagram!

The Cork guy is an interior designer - his instagram is @newbuildireland.

borderlinemeath · 07-04-2021 9:23am

rain on wrote: »

The Cork guy is an interior designer - his instagram is @newbuildireland.

Thanks for that! I don't mind the interior designers, although it would be a bit boring if every house shown in the show were just interior designers outdoing each other:D

For a new house I actually quite liked his. I don't know if I could live with a piano in my kitchen but each to their own!

Princess Calla · 07-04-2021 9:53am

borderlinemeath wrote: »

Thanks for that! I don't mind the interior designers, although it would be a bit boring if every house shown in the show were just interior designers outdoing each other:D

For a new house I actually quite liked his. I don't know if I could live with a piano in my kitchen but each to their own!

To be honest interior designers/ architects on the show are abit of a bug bear for me....it nearly always feels like self promotion/vanity.

The same with one of the houses that had all the nieces artwork on the wall ....while the artwork was lovely I definitely felt it was there for promotion, the house felt like an art gallery (though don't get me wrong absolutely fair play if the girl got a couple of commissions...but that's not really the spirit of the show).

I prefer the "normal" houses that the rest of us have a hope of achieving if we put abit of effort in.

buttercups88 · 07-04-2021 10:16am

I absolutely love this show but I really question the format. I found this year was a bit frustrating with the houses that were against each other in the first rounds. I do think some of the houses that made it through to final wouldn't have won against a lot of the houses that didn't.

Would it not make more sense to have categories ie: period homes, unique builds, traditional cottage, conversions and the best from each group go through to final?

The winning House was a very clever design for the space they had, but I don't think I would have picked it as a winning design. Top 3 maybe...

I've finally started to warm to the blonde judge, but I think the other one (Amanda? ) is too caught up in her own personal style to be a fair judge.

borderlinemeath · 07-04-2021 10:24am

Princess Calla wrote: »

To be honest interior designers/ architects on the show are abit of a bug bear for me....it nearly always feels like self promotion/vanity.

The same with one of the houses that had all the nieces artwork on the wall ....while the artwork was lovely I definitely felt it was there for promotion, the house felt like an art gallery (though don't get me wrong absolutely fair play if the girl got a couple of commissions...but that's not really the spirit of the show).

I prefer the "normal" houses that the rest of us have a hope of achieving if we put abit of effort in.

They annoy me too, but not to the degree the "influencers" do. At least interior designers have real clients and do work for others. I don't think it's vanity per se, more of a networking and marketing gold mine.

Lesalare · 07-04-2021 1:35pm

borderlinemeath wrote: »

@victorianrathmines is signed up to the collaborations agency! So watch this space for brand promos blah blah. I might have to unfollow now.

I was looking through that insta site this morning.

They really have done an amazing job and the more I looked at the house the more I felt it should have won possibly. There were aspects of it I didn't like at all - i.e. those awful hanging globe lights over the island (

) and the poo brown dining room/bike on wall etc., but overall she does have very nice design style and you can see for the most - via the little accents through out the house - that she has nice, unique and elegant taste (even if the kitchen is almost a carbon copy of some of the 'inspirational kitchen pics' noted on her feed - but that's normal to see).

My biggest Q is: how on earth can a couple of that age afford a house like that and to furnish it to the spec it is? (I'm seethingly jealous BTW). To me it's screaming of rich Mummy and Daddy.

borderlinemeath · 07-04-2021 3:17pm

Lesalare wrote: »

I was looking through that insta site this morning.

They really have done an amazing job and the more I looked at the house the more I felt it should have won possibly. There were aspects of it I didn't like at all - i.e. those awful hanging globe lights over the island () and the poo brown dining room/bike on wall etc., but overall she does have very nice design style and you can see for the most - via the little accents through out the house - that she has nice, unique and elegant taste (even if the kitchen is almost a carbon copy of some of the 'inspirational kitchen pics' noted on her feed - but that's normal to see).

My biggest Q is: how on earth can a couple of that age afford a house like that and to furnish it to the spec it is? (I'm seethingly jealous BTW). To me it's screaming of rich Mummy and Daddy.

They both seem to have good jobs, is it their first home? If not, then probably bought with some equity along with mortgage? TBH, a lot of home buying depends on timing, she looks a few years younger than me so they could have bought their first home in the depths of the recession if they had been saving a good deposit. I know a good few people that bought for cash back then and have upgraded since. But anybody looking to first time buy in the past 5 years is really getting squeezed out of the market.

07-04-2021 5:12pm

I loved the Cork house. I thought it was really beautiful. The Limerick House was horrible.

GAAcailin · 27-05-2021 8:22am

See the Portobello house is for sale, advertised in the IT today - 1.5 million!

Deeec · 27-05-2021 9:40am

GAAcailin wrote: »

See the Portobello house is for sale, advertised in the IT today - 1.5 million!

I like the house but wouldnt pay €1.5m for it ( Location is good though).

The house looked bigger on Home of the year - looks a lot smaller in the pics on online.

Muahahaha · 29-05-2021 7:46pm

Which one was the Porobello house, not the winner surely? Any link to the IT ad selling it?

Deeec · 31-05-2021 9:28am

Muahahaha wrote: »

Which one was the Porobello house, not the winner surely? Any link to the IT ad selling it?

Muahahaha - see link below for portabello house

https://www.daft.ie/for-sale/terraced-house-29-heytesbury-street-portobello-dublin-8/3245612

GAAcailin · 12-10-2021 11:21am

See the Rathmines house is for sale now.

They seem to have toned down the brown walls and removed the bike - although the bracket is still on the wall.

Big price tag:

See the Rathmines house is for sale now.

They seem to have toned down the brown walls and removed the bike - although the bracket is still on the wall.

Big price tag:

Featured in Todays Irish Times - search for:

(From draughty doer-upper to Home of the Year finalist )

Deeec · 12-10-2021 11:52am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118008333#Comment_118008333

I loved that house but no way would I pay €1.425m for it!

whatever76 · 12-10-2021 1:06pm

here is the link - From draughty doer-upper to Home of the Year finalist (irishtimes.com) I think I would pay it of I had the money - loved this house !! I can see it go higher than 1.4 in current market but who knows !

GAAcailin · 13-10-2021 3:30pm

Walked by it last night - still no 'for sale' sign up; its BER exempt too.

While they did a great job doing it up, I wouldn't fancy living there with a young family. No side/rear access or garage, no off street parking and its on a busy enough road. Tiny garden too - don't see where you'd put kids bikes, scooters etc.

Be interesting to see what it fetches.

GAAcailin · 15-02-2022 5:40pm

New series is back on tonight - one new judge in Susie McAdam's place

Princess Calla · 15-02-2022 6:17pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118635872#Comment_118635872

Susie Mc Adams was the only decent one out of the 3.

Ffs why is it always the gobsh*tes that are kept on.

I'll still be tuning in though.

Muahahaha · 15-02-2022 7:23pm

Is it known why McAdam didnt continue? Must say this show has ever changing judges with the only constant being Hugh Wallace. There was the blonde lady (Fiona?) who left, the northern Irish architect Patrick Bradley left, then the architect who replaced him also left. McAdam is now the fourth judge who has left it and its not even going that many years, maybe this is the fourth year of it? Ive always seen Hugh Wallace as insufferable and would wonder if there is a pattern here.

Princess Calla · 15-02-2022 7:36pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118636416#Comment_118636416

Deirdre Whelan unless I'm forgetting someone. She is such a lady.

I'd say Hugh is awful to work with. He comes across as a total sneering bully.

The bitchy gay stereotype is funny in the likes of "will and grace" "sex and the city" but in real life it's an awful personality trait, and I guarantee if he was called out on it the homophobic card would be played.

I don't see any redeeming qualities with him.

GAAcailin · 15-02-2022 8:06pm

Susie Mc Adam had her second baby during filming last November (2021); she was nice but a bit twee imho.

Loved the judge Deirdre who hasn’t been in it in a few years now

Muahahaha · 15-02-2022 8:38pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118636477#Comment_118636477

yeah that was her, Deirdre, not Fiona. Wallace has already admitted to being a prize knob, he did an interview a few years ago where he said he treated his mother really badly in her final years and regrets it but put it down to alcoholism, yada, yada. He was always patronising and sneering to the other judges which might explain why so many have left. Most people wouldnt give up the opportunity of tv exposure as it gives their own business a boost. But four of them have in about as many years, I doubt it is coincidental.

Quazzie · 15-02-2022 9:34pm

First home up and I like it. Doesn't really scream Kerry though.

Second home and it's the usual craziness in Dublin. Is there a normal house left in Dublin at all?

jos28 · 15-02-2022 9:43pm

Second one is very charming but the clutter would drive me mad. All that stuff to dust and clean.

retro:electro · 15-02-2022 9:58pm

That first home will be hard to beat. Absolutely incredible. The second home was like Carolyn Donnelly Dunnes collection threw up all over it

appledrop · 15-02-2022 10:13pm

Wow, the 1st house was amazing!!!!!!!!!!. If you described some of the style of it with dark walls, wood on ceilings etc I would have said no way but in that house with the size of it was amazing.

I also loved the style of doors in bedroom even if Hugh turned his nose up at it.

The only thing I didn't like was fireplaces.

The Dublin house was horrific, I felt claustrophobic just looking at it!

Princess Calla · 15-02-2022 11:13pm

I liked all 3 homes.

I would love to know the heating bill of the first home, open plan like that might work in LA not too sure for a Kerry winter.

Didn't think the style was Kerry either. D4 maybe but the country not so much.

The doors in the bedroom seemed to have a cm gap when they were closed, that was weird.

But it was a lovely styled house.

Second house, even though it had alot of clutter it worked. I think because the colours were pretty pastel in tone it was calming. The plants helped too. Wouldn't be for everyone but I thought it was a warm welcoming cosy house.

The third house was nearly the love child between the first two. It was probably the one I'd feel most at home in.

The bedrooms striked me as him and hers. One was very feminine the other had a more masculine feel to it.

A strong start to the series.

Muahahaha · 16-02-2022 1:15am

Didnt see it as was watching the Champions League. If anyone spots when the repeat is on please post up

freshpopcorn · 16-02-2022 1:26am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118638440#Comment_118638440

Monday night 23:35

Princess Calla · 16-02-2022 1:28am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118638440#Comment_118638440

Usually repeats on a Saturday/Sunday.

I can see a listing on Saturday afternoon 13:50 and again Monday night at 23:35 rte 1 but saying season 7 ep1.

Next Tuesday is also listed as S7 ep 1 so yeah my planner might be acting up.

Deeec · 16-02-2022 9:03am

I liked the first home last night. I dont agree with the owner that the outside of the house fitted into Kerry - I do like it though. The interior was very tasteful and calm. The house flowed really well - every area was separate without being closed off which is hard to achieve.. I do agree with Hugh about the double doors in the bedroom - they were not needed, looked strange and probably a pain in the ass for day to day living. I agree with the poster about the fireplaces aswell - I could live with them but wouldnt put them in my house.

The second house I hated. I get that she probably put alot of time into it. But to me it just looked like a mess. I would have a permanent headache in that house. It just made me feel stressed looking at it.

The third house I liked aswell - a very cute comfy house. I could happily live there.

NSAman · 16-02-2022 9:34am

First house was nice, but, it was too pretentious. It looks like every home in LA. There was no “personality”. A nice home to live in no doubt, space was fantastic, like the colour schemes, BUT where were the personal touches?

Second home….errrrr…….NO! It gave me claustrophobia and just wanted to declutter it. Too much personality.

Third house was nice also. I would be terrified to visit I could imagine feeling really sitting in that house wondering if shifting something would cause scorn. The sitting room is the only space I would feel at home in.

recipio · 16-02-2022 12:12pm

The Kerry house had the luxury of space and they used it. If's nice to see 'space for space's sake ' - we tend to cram too much into our houses here.

I absolutely hated the aubergine walls. It's one step away from black. I think the doors were even aubergine. Something neutral would have been better.

The other houses were functional if a little cluttered. It takes a lot more discipline to stick to a simple theme instead of filling the house with object d'art from TK Max.

borderlinemeath · 18-02-2022 12:58am

Just watched the first episode tonight.

First house - I did like it overall but some things stood out - for such a stylish house, the stair bannisters looked wrong. They reminded me of the same style used in a school or ones I had recently seen in a hotel fire escape. I wasn't overly keen on the complete open plan of downstairs with no doors at all between rooms and like another poster up thread mentioned, I didn't like the fireplaces either. The exterior of the house deserved a double door but no, that was a single, and then 3 double doors in the bedroom? The main door into the bedroom didn't need to be a double, nor the bathroom, I can see the appeal of the double door into the dressing room though.

Second house. Just no. Not my cup of tea at all. A house that small needs less pattern to function. I like pattern, quite a bit, but too much like was used here is headache inducing.

Third house. Loved it, thought it was very nicely renovated with just enough modernity for an old cottage. Also we're renovating an old house and have chosen that door colour and up until a few weeks ago had chosen the same tiles they had in their hall, for our hall. The only reason we're not going for them is that there is a border tile that we wanted that is available for them - however - after inquiring in a few different stockists, there is a bit of an issue with the colour match of the matching border tile. It seems it's not produced at the same time as the main floor tile which can lead to slight colour differences. One stockist flat out refused to order the border for us saying that they had too many issues with it and another said they would but it wouldn't be refundable as it would be a special order so after much deliberation we said we would just use it in a bathroom without the border. I loved how they used it around their stove. I sort of agreed with Hugh that there were too many wood colours jarring in the living room.

As for the presenters, don't know much about the new one, she seems generous enough with her scoring. Hugh is same as ever and Amanda seems to have had a bit of a personality change since last year. She's a lot more animated, more smiling, less scowling - although she can't hide her distaste for the OTT like in house 2. I can't quite figure out whether she's had a bit of work done - or last years botox has worn off. I'm starting to warm to her this year whereas she was like sour milk last year.

Sunny Dayz · 18-02-2022 12:57pm

Watched the first episode last night.

First house I did like. Good use of all the space in it. Liked the dark walls, the house could carry them without feeling closed in. Not mad about the outside of the house, it looked cold. The little gap in (all) the double doors in the master bedroom would annoy me. The ensuite was huge, bigger than our family bathroom, ensuite and downstairs loo all put together! Must cost a fortune to heat the house.

Second house - I do like those old Dublin houses and love to see them done up. I did like a lot of what she had done, the flooring, the extension, the back yard. But I agree that it felt very cluttered with little bits everywhere and it hid a lot of the charm of the house itself.

The last house I liked also. Liked a lot of the old touches such as the internal doors and handles, the wainscoting and panelling, some older style furnishings such as the main bedroom wardrobes. But I agree with what one of the judges said in that it was a bit "stylised", that there were things put there because it's the style trend.

The judges: I like the new judge (can't remember her name). Looking forward to seeing her settle in. The other woman Amanda seems to have softened slightly but she's still recoils in horror at something that's not minimalist, I knew she would love the first house and not like the second. I liked the outfits the two female judged were wearing. Hugh is wearing thin on me know - it often feels like he makes comments just for attention or to annoy another judge. Missed Deirdre, I liked her.

22-02-2022 12:41am

This house is practically a palace/...

must be a repeat if show is on this late

Princess Calla · 22-02-2022 12:58am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118670670#Comment_118670670

Yeah last Tuesdays....second episode tmw.

Muahahaha · 22-02-2022 12:21pm

Just saw the first episode last night and would agree that the second house was way too cluttered. I couldnt live like that, clutter means lots of dusting, it gets everywhere all over the stuff you have on the shelves. The first house was nice though the exterior was unimaginative. Inside there was a really grand sense of space and its clear they had a lot of money to spend building it.

I liked the marble above the fireplaces but thought the actual stoves themselves were set too low to the ground, would prefer them just below your eye level when sitting on a sofa. Though I think having a stove in a bedroom in a modern house with modern heating systems is overkill, I just cant imagine them shovelling coal in their bedroom at night time to light it so its probably more there to look at than anything else.

Agree with others that Amanda was a bit more relaxed than last season. I like her but she does seem to have this thing that unless a house is 100% minimalist then she wont like it. While I agree with her on the second house which was just a riot of clutter there is a medium ground but she wont even accept that. Its funny to watch though. Hugh wasnt too bad this episode or at least he didnt have any bitchy condescending remarks to make to the other judges.

jos28 · 22-02-2022 9:52pm

Anyone know where in Dublin the first house is ?

Princess Calla · 22-02-2022 10:20pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118675387#Comment_118675387

Nope, north Dublin covers alot of ground.

I didn't really like the house.....well I wouldn't say no....but another big house with lots of money.

I really liked the bedroom of the second house. The rest of the house felt like how a teenager would decorate a house if given free reign. Way too much going on.

Third house was bland could be any show house in any estate. The kids room was cute in a very staged way.

Deeec · 23-02-2022 10:49am

The first house last night seemed very confused - they built a very modern house but seem to like traditional decor which didnt gel well. The bedroom wallpaper and furnishings didnt suit the design of the house. Likewise the downstairs bathroom with dark wallpaper and panelling ( while it was a nice room) it just didnt blend in well to the design of a modern house.

Didnt like the 2nd house at all - the work seemed to be done to a poor standard and not planned out well. How it made it to home of the year I dont know.

The 3rd house I liked but there was nothing wow about it either.

Overall last nights houses were not great.

Sunny Dayz · 23-02-2022 11:11am

First house looked impressive outside and the aerial shots. But for the size of the house do they just live in the open plan living area, they hardly showed any other rooms.

Second house had a bit of character about it. But the wooden ceiling made it quite dark.

Third house seemed quite a normal, lived in house. The shutters wouldn't be for me, closes off the outside a bit IMO although there didn't seem to be much to look at outside only high boundary walls of the property.

borderlinemeath · 25-02-2022 12:38pm

There were elements of all 3 houses I liked from this week.

Ist house - I quite liked the bedroom wallpaper - it made it more homely and I loved the peek in at the downstairs bathroom. I'm not a fan of modern builds anyway so from the outside it didn't do much for me.

2nd house, I liked the idea of the sunken living room, but it was FULL of stuff. Liked the bedroom with the fireplace but again cluttered - there was no room to sit on the sofa with all the cushions (pretty as they were). Another house where it's so over cluttered throughout that their favourite spot was the bathroom. (the second cluttered house from last week was the same)

3rd house - I quite liked it, apart from the shutters. To me they are just another thing to dust. I loved the colours and textures used, and while it had some ornaments and the usual amount of cushions/throws etc there wasn't half as much trinketry as most of these staged house looks. Probably because they've got a couple of toddlers and it's not a sustainable look while they're at that age.

freshpopcorn · 25-02-2022 1:05pm

I liked house three the best last mainly because I could imagine living it and it functioning as a home.

Princess Calla · 25-02-2022 1:18pm

It'll be interesting to see what this week's homes will be like.

So far the first two episodes:

House 1 big with lots of money.

House 2 filled with clutter

House 3 average enough "safe house"

If week 3 is the same it's definitely intentional.

Home of the Year RTE 1 - 8.30pm Tuesdays

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