A FORMER schoolhouse which used to be part of the Seaforde estate was featured in RTE’s prestigious Home of the Year programme last night.
Owned by interior designer Richard Rodgers and his mother Noleen, the four-bedroom home is a stunning
mixture of tradition and modernity which blends effortlessly – thanks to Richard’s eye for design.
It’s one of 21 homes vying for this year’s honour with only two representing the north in what has become a must watch show since it began.
Richard, who is responsible for many of the IKEA room designs we see in stores, explained that the renovated and extended house has a story all of its own to tell.
“It dates back to the 18th century and was part of the original estate, part of a mill development, but at one stage it was used as a schoolhouse,” he said.
“It sat as an empty shell for about six years. Since 2013 it has been redeveloped and sympathetically extended by local builder Trevor Nelson, but I would say it’s only really finished now, if it’s ever finished.”
When Richard and his mother, both of whom are originally from Crossgar, bought the house, it came along with birds nests and the usual natural build-up that empty houses accrue over the years.
They could see the potential of the Coach Horse Lane home in a mill development with views of the local rolling hills and have been delighted with it ever since.
“It’s all open plan upstairs and has all of the original window ledges with open granite stonework and open beams with a sunroom and a large living room,” said Richard.
While he has been more focused on the interior of the house, the garden has been his mother’s domain.
However, the home’s interior reflects both their love of quirky and edgy looks and furnishings.
“It was quite tricky to get the balance right. As it’s quite an old building, I did not want to go down the route of the old cliché of pitch pine and the Laura Ashley look,” said Richard. “It’s a real mixture as there is some very modern furniture which is married together with antiques. You have to be very exacting. It may not be everyone’s cup of tea but the basis is traditional with very modern elements.”
Richard did not seek out entry to the competition; rather the producers came to him.
He said: “I was approached by the programme makers through Instagram which is a surprise as even though I’m an interior designer, I don’t toot too much about my own house.
“Normally they would have come out to see the house before it was selected but because of Covid I had to give them a video tour of the house and they said they would be delighted to feature it.”
Neither Richard nor his mother were allowed to be at home when the three judges called to view the house last
September, but he revealed the filming took two days in total.
“The judges never meet the home owners as the house should speak for itself,” he said.
“It was a real experience as there’s a lot of prep that goes into it. There’s a lot of disclaimers and I wasn’t allowed to talk about it until the week before. It involved the support and help from my neighbours who have been absolutely lovely.”
He added that his Basset dog, Walter, stole the show and has ended up appearing in the programme’s opening credits every week.
For further information, visit Richard’s website, www.rodrickdesign.com.