Home of the Year 2021 winner: Peek inside Jen Sheahan’s winning 1800s Dublin cottage

A disco ball in the bathroom - why, of course!

A fol-out table and chairs hang neatly on the fence to create space when they're not being used

Jen Sheahan's living area which faces out onto a quirkiy-designed patio

A disco ball in the bathroom - why, of course!

A fol-out table and chairs hang neatly on the fence to create space when they're not being used

Jen Sheahan

Jen Sheahan's living area which faces out onto a quirkiy-designed patio

A disco ball in the bathroom - why, of course!

Brendan Kelly Palenque

April 06 2021 09:07 PM

The winner of the Home of the Year 2021 award is Jen Sheahan and her late 1800s artisan cottage in Dublin.

The seventh series of Home of the Year saw the three judges visit 21 homes across the country, but Ms Sheahan’s home was chosen as the ultimate winner.

Speaking of her happiness at winning Ms Sheahan said: “I feel complete and utter shock - I’m floating on air. I'm so thrilled to pieces I can’t believe it.”

“My home is little and it needs to have a lot of dual functions so it might be small, but a lot can be done in a small space that’s really just made for me. It’s just incredible I would never ever have thought that it would be me standing here,” she said.

Ms Sheahan said she’s wanted a cottage like hers for a long time, and was delighted when one came on the market in 2019. It needed a lot of work as it was damp, had no central heating and the toilet was outside.

A complete renovation was done by Ms Sheahan, who knocked all internal walls, dug up the floor and lowered it, plus added on an extra floor to make it a two-storey house. There are also clever storage solutions throughout this home.

Ms Sheahan describes her style as modern, playful and colourful. She loves that it is fun, comfortable and loves to see people’s reactions when they see a feature such as her disco ball light in her brightly coloured downstairs toilet.

Speaking about her win, judge Hugh Wallace said: “You know arriving up to this cottage was a treat. You knew something special was going on.”

“Entering the living/kitchen/dining area was terrific because it’s such a small footprint of the house. They created so much space in that area around the dining table with all their memorabilia, pictures, little bits and pieces and I thought it was terrific.”

Jen Sheahan's living area which faces out onto a quirkiy-designed patio

“The home has been re-imagined and oozes with the personality and style of the homeowner - the design, layout and functionality of this home was a real surprise.”

Similarly, judge Amanda Bone said: “Jen's home is very cleverly thought out in terms of the layout, particularly the open plan kitchen, dining and living area and even though the ceilings are low, because of the light, it feels much more spacious.”

“The home that won is all about what can be achieved with clever design in such a small space. Definitely a unique home and a well-deserved winner.”

A fol-out table and chairs hang neatly on the fence to create space when they're not being used

Judge Suzie McAdam discussed the competition as a whole, saying: “It was always going to be extremely hard this year to pick a winner - the standard has been exceptional.”

“There are some homes that have taken my breath away - they’ve created an incredible ambiance - perfect use of colour, incredible renovations - there are quite a few I’d like the keys to.”