My Favourite Room: Zen and the art of brass sinks — ‘When the sun shines, it lights up the whole area’

When Esther Haller-Clarke and Garret Faulkner bought their Victorian redbrick in Belfast, it had major unforeseen problems, including a gas leak. However, it’s now an enviable home with many stunning features

Artist/musician Garret Faulkner and arts consultant Esther Haller-Clarke outside their Victorian redbrick in Belfast, which dates from 1886. The houses were built for shipyard staff and one of the houses on the street bears a plaque dedicated to an engineer who went down on the Titanic. When they first saw the house the couple were particularly enchanted by a 100-year-old lime tree in the garden, as getting closer to nature was top of their list of must-haves. Photo: Tony Gavin

Mary O'Sullivan

A Belfast sink is often a must-have for a discerning homeowner, whether building a brand new home or renovating an old one. Belfast sinks — so called because they were originally designed in the city — are prized for their timelessness and hard-wearing ceramics, so on visiting the Belfast home of Esther Haller-Clarke and Garret Faulkner, who are nothing if not discerning, one might expect such a sink to be top of their list.