My Favourite Room: A 1950s’ semi-D transformed with minimalist decor, smart tech and lighting ‘like pieces of jewellery’
Interior designer Philippa Buckley’s house is a semi-detached dating from the 1950s. However, she has turned it into a superb 21st-century home accessorised with design classics
Interior designer Philippa Buckley in the dining area of her open-plan kitchen/dining/living room. The dining table, with its white glass top and chrome legs, is by Molteni&C. “It’s so heavy, it needed four men to carry it in,” says Philippa. The chairs are by B&B Italia. This room overlooks her beautifully manicured garden, planted with box hedging and lavender. And beyond, through the trees, is Milltown Golf Club. This vista is Philippa’s favourite. Picture by Tony Gavin.
The kitchen units are from Porter & Jones Studio. Designed by Snaidero, they were first installed 14 years ago. When Philippa got her extension, 11 years ago, the units were dismantled before the building work and rebuilt afterwards, with identical additions. Picture by Tony Gavin.
Philippa in the front part of her library. She loves Italian furniture design so the purple chair and the mirror are by B&B Italia. The coffee table is by Poliform and the lamp is by Catellani & Smith Lighting. Philippa likes simple window treatments and has opted for Roman blinds throughout. Picture by Tony Gavin.
The home office is decorated in the same stylish and minimalist way as the rest of the house. Picture by Tony Gavin.
The house backs on to Milltown Golf Course, with little between the garden and the course apart from an archway of trees. Picture by: Tony Gavin
“Paint alone can bring about a huge transformation. I don’t think there’s a need to spend huge money on elaborate window treatments; blinds can be enough." Picture by: Tony Gavin
Philippa Buckley in her sitting room. When it comes to furnishings she favours the Italian designers. Picture by: Tony Gavin
The sculpture of a black horse on her hall table, by Stephen Lawlor, was gifted to Philippa by her beloved husband Pat, who sadly died last year. Picture by:Tony Gavin
Interior designer Philippa Buckley in the dining area of her open-plan kitchen/dining/living room. The dining table, with its white glass top and chrome legs, is by Molteni&C. “It’s so heavy, it needed four men to carry it in,” says Philippa. The chairs are by B&B Italia. This room overlooks her beautifully manicured garden, planted with box hedging and lavender. And beyond, through the trees, is Milltown Golf Club. This vista is Philippa’s favourite. Picture by Tony Gavin.
‘I love lighting. A lighting plan is essential at the earliest stage of any renovation or redecoration. And it’s nice to have some star pieces of lighting that are almost like pieces of jewellery that you would use to accentuate your outfit,” Philippa Buckley says.
The analogy is particularly apt in this elegant interior designer’s case. Not only does she wear jewellery beautifully and accessorises her own stylish outfits — Simone Rocha is a favourite designer — with interesting modern silver pieces but she actually trained as a silversmith after leaving school.
The kitchen units are from Porter & Jones Studio. Designed by Snaidero, they were first installed 14 years ago. When Philippa got her extension, 11 years ago, the units were dismantled before the building work and rebuilt afterwards, with identical additions. Picture by Tony Gavin.
The kitchen units are from Porter & Jones Studio. Designed by Snaidero, they were first installed 14 years ago. When Philippa got her extension, 11 years ago, the units were dismantled before the building work and rebuilt afterwards, with identical additions. Picture by Tony Gavin.
Though she only worked in the area briefly, the training has stood to her in her work as an interior designer. To be a good silversmith, you not only need to be creative but you also need a good eye for detail, to take pleasure in practical work and to be able to solve problems effectively — all skills Philippa has in spades, along with her highly developed sense of the aesthetic. As is obvious from her stunning home, she brings all these skills to every centimetre of a space.
Her home office is so unlike the many makeshift spaces we all hastily threw together — usually a computer, a table, an ugly office chair and a few shelves — when we started working from home during the pandemic. Philippa combined the boxroom and the landing in her home to create a cool, monochrome space in keeping with the rest of the house. And, of course, it has appropriate lighting.
The same detailed consideration was given to her utility area — it has all the necessary appliances and shelving but it’s beautifully decorated and even has a wall of paintings. The utility room was originally her garage and she ensured that by using insulation the walls would be suitable for the paintings.
Philippa thinks of everything and this is maybe due to the years she spent working in administration and organisation before training as an interior designer.
Originally from Rathgar, Dublin, Philippa is the fifth in a family of six girls. Her parents were both medics and when she opted to become a silversmith her father insisted she do an arts degree in University College Dublin at the same time. After graduation, she joined the Royal College of Surgeons Ireland student services, eventually becoming head of the student services department there. “It was a great opportunity to learn how to manage. I’ve very happy memories of the job. It covered everything non-academic; all student activities, clubs, societies, sports. I got to do a huge amount of travel with the sporting teams; we went to Malaysia, Australia, Canada, the States, Singapore.” She also found time to marry and has two grown-up children who are both working in London.
Philippa in the front part of her library. She loves Italian furniture design so the purple chair and the mirror are by B&B Italia. The coffee table is by Poliform and the lamp is by Catellani & Smith Lighting. Philippa likes simple window treatments and has opted for Roman blinds throughout. Picture by Tony Gavin.
Philippa in the front part of her library. She loves Italian furniture design so the purple chair and the mirror are by B&B Italia. The coffee table is by Poliform and the lamp is by Catellani & Smith Lighting. Philippa likes simple window treatments and has opted for Roman blinds throughout. Picture by Tony Gavin.
Though she enjoyed her work, Philippa always felt that there was an untapped creativity within and eventually, just after the millennium, she decided to study interior design at the Dublin Institute of Design and set up her own company, Studio 44, in 2002. “I just knew I had to do it, it was time to take the plunge. And I hit the market at the right time, specialising in residential projects. I set up in London too and I used to commute, I’m a member of the British Interior Design Association, but of course Covid put an end to the travel,” she says.
Conversely, Covid-19 kept her very busy here at home. “People found their homes weren’t working. They wanted to re-evaluate the space and make the best use of it.” She says her own style is quite minimalist and that suits her but she wouldn’t dream of imposing it on a client. “You have to give the client what they want. It’s important to listen to the brief and translate and enhance their vision. When clients haven’t decorated or shopped for interiors for years or when they’re not sure of their style, it’s like a journey. Sometimes they say they like one style and by the time we’re halfway through and we’ve sourced a lot of the furnishings, it turns out they really like a completely different style. It’s a collaboration really and a very hand-held service.”
Though she describes herself as an interior designer, Philippa is more of an interior architect; her work is not just confined to decor and furnishings but can comprise everything from reconfiguring spaces, kitchens, bathrooms, tiling, joinery, all furnishings and, of course, the lighting plan.
The house backs on to Milltown Golf Course, with little between the garden and the course apart from an archway of trees. Picture by: Tony Gavin
“It’s concept to completion really, if clients want that level of service. I can’t emphasise enough the importance of good planning, good drawings, good mood boards so that people get a better vision of what the end result is going to be,” she says.
“And a lot of people also now want an integrated system, Control4; the lighting, the TV, the blinds and the security all work on the same [smart-home operating] system [which is connected to] your iPad, your screen, a wall panel and your phone as well,” Philippa says, adding that budget is important and when it comes to lighting, if Control4isn’t possible, she would recommend having all lights on dimmer switches. Though she is often commissioned to do big-budget projects she’s keenly aware not everyone has money to spend on decor. “Paint alone can bring about a huge transformation. I don’t think there’s a need to spend huge money on elaborate window treatments; blinds can be enough.”
The home office is decorated in the same stylish and minimalist way as the rest of the house. Picture by Tony Gavin.
Philippa says it’s important for someone in her position to keep up with all the latest trends, so she likes to travel whenever possible to the European interiors and furniture fairs. She’s just back from Salone del Mobile in Milan, the celebrated platform for design innovation. “I didn’t see much grey there. That’s for sure,” she notes ruefully, making reference to the colour that has dominated interiors for the last decade. “There were softer beige tones in paintwork and brick, and in fabrics there were a lot of earthy, grounded tones; lots of green, tan and some navy. Funnily enough, there were lots of whites in furnishings like sofas.”
Sustainability, she notes, is becoming a bigger feature all the time. “The interiors business is very big into explaining the sustainability of a product. If, say, it’s a chair — at Salone they were keen to show how it’s produced, the cycle from start to finish and to show that it was not coming from China but rather was made in Italy or Spain, locally.”
Philippa says Salone isn’t alone in this emphasis on sustainability as big companies such as Ikea have also taken it on board. “They explain how everything is manufactured and how it goes back into the recycling process. And it’s the same with energy, everything LED and energy-efficient lighting.”
Needless to mention, lighting is very big in her own home and she has Control4. Her house is also wired for sound as she loves music.
“Paint alone can bring about a huge transformation. I don’t think there’s a need to spend huge money on elaborate window treatments; blinds can be enough." Picture by: Tony Gavin
“Paint alone can bring about a huge transformation. I don’t think there’s a need to spend huge money on elaborate window treatments; blinds can be enough." Picture by: Tony Gavin
She’s lived in the house — a suburban semi-detached built in the 1950s — a long time and has never had the desire to move. “I grew up in a period red-brick house in Rathgar, and I always thought I’d like a period red-brick in Ranelagh. But where would you get the view I have here?” she asks and she has a point. Her house backs on to Milltown Golf Course and because there is little between her garden and the course apart from an archway of trees, her own garden seems to go on forever, seamlessly joining the golf course. And it’s as manicured as the golf course — with serried rows of box hedging, carefully placed cypress and laurel trees, with lavender shrubs providing flashes of colour.
So unable to leave that vista, she stayed put, but she explains how she is constantly changing and refurbishing her home and from the hall onwards it is decorated in chic, stylish pieces.
The biggest renovation was 11 years ago when Philippa added a big open-plan kitchen/dining/sitting extension, complete with a wall of glass to make the most of those views. She put wenge flooring throughout the whole house, apart from in the bathrooms. All the walls are painted white. “I love a neutral palette but I love to add colour with paintings and flowers.”
When it comes to furnishings she favours the Italian designers, particularly B&B Italia — not only are they the acme of style but they’re durable and provide great service. Even her kitchen units are from the Italian company Snaidero.
“I put in the kitchen 14 years ago so when I decided to extend 11 years ago, Porter & Jones, who supplied the Snaidero units, came, dismantled the kitchen and packed the units away. Then, when the extension was built, they put them all back and added two more units and there’s no way you can tell the difference.”
Philippa Buckley in her sitting room. When it comes to furnishings she favours the Italian designers. Picture by: Tony Gavin
Off the kitchen is her spacious utility room, furnished with units from Noel Dempsey Kitchens. It contains all the messy aspects of kitchens including a built-in ironing board, a big fridge-freezer and a huge amount of storage, leaving her kitchen very streamlined and compatible with the dining and living areas and ideal for entertaining.
She also has a double-sized living room, which she calls her library and where she has B&B Italia with books. Colour is added here as it is throughout the house with carefully chosen paintings. “It’s important not to hang the paintings too high, hang at eye level then people can engage with them,” she advises.
The sculpture of a black horse on her hall table, by Stephen Lawlor, was gifted to Philippa by her beloved husband Pat, who sadly died last year. Picture by:Tony Gavin
The sculpture of a black horse on her hall table, by Stephen Lawlor, was gifted to Philippa by her beloved husband Pat, who sadly died last year. Picture by:Tony Gavin
Philippa also has some lovely pieces of sculpture including a black horse on her hall table by Stephen Lawlor, which was gifted to her by her beloved husband Pat, who sadly died last year. “It was his last gift to me. He told me he was giving me a weighing scales,” she says, smiling at the memory. “It’s so heavy; it’s solid bronze.”
Some pieces, like the horse, mean a huge amount to Philippa because of the memories they evoke but she loves to add witty touches too, such as the enormous angel wings that are actually the door handles of her guest bedroom.
And then in the kitchen there’s her Snoopy lamp by the great lighting company Flos, which is beloved of discerning designers worldwide. Like all her interesting lamps, it adds sparkle.
