Project Dates: 2023-
Use: Private House
Type: Refurbishment & Addition
Status: Construction
Gross Internal Area:
28 sqm / 301 sqft
Client: Private


Luke Matone Architect was approached by two historians to design a reading room and writing refuge at the side of their vernacular farmhouse in rural, coastal Co. Kerry.

The form and appearance of the new building takes cues from the many single-barrel-vaulted agrarian hay-barn structures that are a common site in the immediate local area.

Linked to the existing house by a glazed internal corridor, views to and from the existing house and the verdant site beyond are celebrated through an enfilade of connecting spaces.

Internally, the material palette is intentially limited. The spines of the clients’ vast book collection will decorate a bespoke lining of oak shelving and low level plan cupboards. A south-facing window seat creates a space for respite, inviting relaxation and appreciation of the generous vaulted ceiling above and the expansive views across fields and farmland towards the Atlantic Ocean beyond.