Colour pervades the Georgian home of abstract artist Diana Heffron …
“Our house in Dublin is a four-storey-over-basement townhouse, built in 1793. My husband, five children and I, along with two dogs, moved in during the pandemic, which was challenging, but actually provided an opportunity to discover and explore the quiet city. The children love having the city on their doorstep, and we all enjoy being able to walk to the Aviva stadium for rugby matches.
Diana kept the original floorboards throughout the house, and covered them with sisal rugs.
The house needed a total renovation which took 18 months. We gutted it, retaining and restoring all of the original Georgian features, from windows to fireplaces and cornice detailing, with the help of master craftsmen.
After that came the fun part – adding colour and our personal pieces – my priority was always to create a comfortable, cosy family home. I worked with interior designer Collette Ward, a longtime friend: we share a mutual love of colour – and horses! With her help, the rooms came to life with the warmth I wanted. We worked with the late Terry McDonagh of Studio Terry in Co Armagh on the cabinetry. Like all homes, it is evolving, as I add paintings and pieces picked up on my travels.
The master en suite features a Designers Guild wallpaper.
The kitchen features cabinets made by Terry McDonagh, and opens onto a little terrace.
We spend a lot of time living abroad. We love winter sports and have a chalet in Saint Martin de Belleville in the French Alps, which Collette designed too. We also spend time in South Africa at Plettenberg Bay, on the Garden Route, in the Western Cape, where we have a polo club, Rhone Hill, named after our estate in Northern Ireland.
Diana likes to paint in the bathroom because the light is so good.
The dining room features orange silk on the walls.
The master bedroom is painted in Zoffany’s Tuscan Pink.
When I’m in Ireland, I split my time between Rhone Hill and Dublin. Rhone Hill is where my children were born and mostly raised, so it will always be a very special place. Also, I have a studio there, in the courtyard, where I can work on larger canvases. In Dublin, I find the light in the bathroom is best. In South Africa, the light is wonderful too. I’ve just finished a commission for a client in London and since then I’ve been exploring new tones and textures and incorporating knitted pieces and other fabrics into my work. I feel privileged to be able to do what I love and fit it around a busy family life.”
Photographs by Ruth Maria Murphy.
