Not all vintage is the right kind of vintage. This late-Georgian townhouse, bought in a probate sale, was acquired ready-filled with "mismatched" antiques and oil paintings and "plastered with dated wallpaper — very dark and very busy," says Rodney Alday, architect and design director of London-based practice Maison RA-D, which had been commissioned to renovate the Dublin home. "We did keep some pieces — certain paintings, an antique bed — but most didn't work with the period of the property."
There were, however, plenty of original features to work with: plasterwork, timber flooring, sash windows, fireplaces. And so began a project to restore this house to a thoroughly modern home.
"It's a very grand entrance, which also serves as an entertainment space," says designer Rodney Alday.
The owner wanted to use the house both as a quiet retreat and a "very welcoming" place for friends and family (Rodney learnt that a Dublin home always has to be ready for spontaneous visits from neighbors). "We wanted to maintain its heritage, but also make it feel lived in, so it felt inviting, intimate and at the same time elegant," he says.
"This room is only used when guests are around, so it's very formal and very quiet," says Rodney. "We wanted to keep it darker; there's a private element to it."
Tall, slender candleholders add height and formality to this dining table — and like these Cox & Cox options, their simple silhouette speaks volumes.
Maison RA-D then introduced a contemporary aesthetic, with restrained Scandi pieces and more sumptuous Italian design. One of Rodney's design signatures is, he says, "marrying the classical to the contemporary" — the contrast "helps celebrate the original features". To avoid making things too consistent, Rodney went for an "eclectic curation" — that is, "putting something flamboyant with something more minimal, which provides the contrast we wanted."
"We wanted to keep this room warm, but also keep it looking sophisticated," says Rodney.
Tan leather makes for the perfect accent in this green kitchen — and now we're coveting these chairs from Soho Home.
"The green here is not the usual green that a designer would use, but it works well with the radiators, timber and leather," says Rodney.
And then, to bring those opposites into balance — "to make it all go together with a narrative" — Rodney introduced a muse of sorts. "Our inspiration was [the Spanish couturier] Cristobal Balenciaga." (Not, however, what the fashion brand represents now, but the 1950s and 1960s Balenciaga, when he was a pioneer of shape in fashion, creating the babydoll dress, the balloon hem, the envelope dress.) "Balenciaga's designs were all about shape, volume, curves and contrast, and that's what we wanted for this space," he says.
"There's an Art Deco feel to this bathroom — we wanted to make it dramatic, a bit romantic," says Rodney. "It's a certain level of gray that provides elegance without being too monotone."
Balenciaga may not jump out at viewers of these images, but there is a sense here that the house has been built around shape and geometry as opposed to statement pieces. For Rodney, introducing a Balenciaga sensibility brought "a choreography — a rhythm — between the pieces; the curves break up the formality." Every detail, he adds, "is part of that narrative". Take the Arc floor lamp in the living room, for example — the curve in its arm is a nod to Balenciaga.
"The bed has a very thin base, giving it a sense that it's floating. It's a little formal, which makes the room feel a bit like a hotel," says Rodney.
A jolt of orange through a soft upholstered ottoman is such a fun way to add color to a neutral bedroom, and this one from Swoon delivers the look.
The Balenciaga reference did not extend to the designer's preference for decorating with black. The palette here is quiet and sophisticated: for walls, Rodney used Farrow & Ball's Ammonite, "a neutral, simple backdrop", he says. "It's soft and warm, and more personal than white."
Rust is accented throughout, on chairs, artwork and rugs. "Rust gives warmth and pulls it all together, without being too modern," he says. Where there are other colors — for example, moss-green kitchen units, olive-green bedding — "that celebrates the rust as well". You can't help thinking Balenciaga would approve.
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