The Design Doctors

Architects and interior designers Denise O'Connor and Catherine Crowe help people fall back in love with their homes following practical design changes.

Bringing colour into the home Kate and Declan live in a terraced townhouse in Raheny. They both work full-time and have two very young kids. Kate works long hours away from home and Declan works shift work for Irish Rail which means he gets to be home during the day more with the children. They moved in two days before their first child was born and Kate confesses she didn’t know where to start in terms of bringing in colour. They played it safe and just decorated the house entirely in cream and brown. The brown is driving Declan mad and they need some help with injecting some life and vibrancy into the scheme. The house is also limited in space and the cramped galley kitchen is having a real effect on the time they get to spend together. Kate has to leave the kids playing in a separate room in the precious hour she has with them before bedtime, as the space is too small to fit them all while she makes dinner. They used to love cooking for friends in their old house and this is also something they really miss with bad layout. They tried to create a tiny extension with a Perspex roof but it is unattractive and gets too hot in summer or too cold in winter. They both seem at breaking point with the kitchen and living rooms as things are and it is causing a daily problem for them as a family. The Design Doctors need to solve the layout and space problems of the downstairs and bring some much-needed colour into their home.

Solving storage issues in a small space Christine and Bryan Keaveny live in a terraced house in Wicklow and have two toddlers. Bryan bought the house as a single man but never thought he would still be living in the same place with his wife and a young family. Like so many others they are stuck in this starter home and have to make the best of the situation. The lack of space is driving them mad and things just seem to be spilling out of every corner. Their little boys’ shared bedroom is particularly uninspiring and contains just two cots and a large wardrobe full of Christine’s clothes. There is no space for any of the children’s things and Christine has nowhere else to move the wardrobe. The room is wasted as it is and Christine and Bryan are at a loss as to what they can do with it. They need The Design Doctors’ help with designing a better system for storage and some inspiration to create an exciting colourful bedroom that their two boys will enjoy spending time in.

Teresa and Michael live in a detached house in a rural community outside of Limerick. They have five adult children, one of whom still lives with them. Ríona is 22 and has a learning disability and she finds change very difficult so The Design Doctors need to make sure she is on board with the new design and that it suits her needs. Michael is a primary school principal and Teresa is retiring after 36 years working with people with special needs. Being home at lot more is something she is nervous about and she wants to adapt the house to suit her new lifestyle. Michael is quite laid back and teases her about being tied to the kitchen sink when she retires. Their home suffers from a real lack of light and is not pleasant to spend long periods of time in. All the lights have to be on all the time. The Design Doctors need to come up with a solution to the dark rooms and to generally de-clutter the living space after years of being a family hub to create a more tranquil and light-filled home for Ríona and for Teresa and Michael’s retirement years.

Modernising a home and mixing old styles with new Morlin and Martin have spent most of their married life living in a large semi-detached house in Donnybrook. Morlin is a retired PE teacher who taught Olympics gymnastics and Martin works with marine electronics and is away a lot. Most of their kitchen dates from the 1970s, the oven is a relic from 1964. They have stopped having guests over as they are embarrassed by how the house looks. Morlin feels like if she doesn’t do something now to modernise the house and make it into the home she wants then it will never happen. She wants somewhere to be proud of and comfortable in her golden years. Their children have now flown the nest and Morlin’s new babies are two pedigree poodles and a shitzu groomed to show standards, who have pride of place in the home. She and her husband Martin have very different interests and require different things from their home. He’s more practical, concerned about energy and insulation whereas she wants a kitchen which is a sociable space and a sunroom where she can feel part of her beloved garden. At the moment no space feels right for them to spend time in, the rooms aren’t functioning as they should. The Design Doctors need to figure out how to make the living areas work for both of them. They will give their advice on bringing the house up to date and tips on mixing old styles with new so that Morlin and Martin can hang on to some of their beautiful antique furniture while living in a thoroughly modernized home.

Making a house a home Gerard has twin children, Aoife and Ronan, age 17. Their mother died when they were just 11 and Ger says he lost interest in the house altogether. He admits he knows nothing about interiors or colour or creating an atmosphere but he feels it’s time to make their house a home again. He is a loving Dad and really wants to give Aoife and Ronan bedrooms that are reflective of the fact that they are now young adults as the rooms were originally decorated when they were children. The Design Doctors need to create bedrooms that they can feel happy in and proud of. They need to be multifunctional to allow them to bring friends home as well as a place to rest and to study. Although Ronan is shy Aoife is very enthusiastic about learning how to creating a warm and homely atmosphere and The Design Doctors want to show her how it’s done.