Home of the Year is back and our judges have very strong feelings about this week’s houses.
Especially Amanda Bone, who was left unimpressed by a colourful and maximalist home. At this stage we shouldn’t be shocked by this!
They travelled the length and breadth of the country to find the most gorgeous homes. Take a look inside!
Jenny, Dublin
Jenny and her husband live in a three-storey period property in Dublin with their six children and CocoBell, their Mini–French Poodle.
It was a maximalist, “mix-matched” home and is filled with not only people but with beautiful furniture and trinkets.
The home was built in 1860 and they purchased it in 2004. The homeowners have renovated the home in several stages over the years, with the most recent being the basement level in 2020.
Jenny explained that her late sister inspired the interior of the house after she appeared on the first season of Home of the Year.
“I wanted a bit of her in the house,” she explained.
Hugh called it a “visual extravaganza” and “wild and fabulous.”
Meanwhile Amanda was “shell-shocked” and “flabbergasted”, in fact she said she was “speechless”.
Sara awarded the house an 8, while Hugh gave it a 10 however, Amanda awarded it a 6. Yikes! That totals to 24.
Peter, Tyrone
Peter lives in a Gate Lodge in Co. Tyrone. The house was built in the mid-1700s and Peter purchased this property in 2022. It is a Grade 2 listed building, and an extension was added approximately 25 years ago by the previous owner.
Peter saw the house as an inspiration and settled on a mix of country chic and cottage core for his interiors which he felt fitted beautifully with the nature that surrounds his home, creating a warm and cosy vibe. It was also important to Peter to honour the history of the home while still putting his own stamp on it.
Hugh referred to it as a “Hansel and Gretel cottage” while Amanda said the exterior was “very pretty”. But what did the notoriously tough judge think of the inside?
Well, she was “shocked” to like the first room so much, admitting that it “works so well” because there was “no unnecessary detail”.
“They’re really considerate with their space,” Sara pointed out.
As for the scores, Amanda gave it a 9, Sara scored it a 9, while Hugh awarded the home a 9. They joked that it may be the first time ever they all agreed on something. That totalled up to 27.
This also means that it is through to the final!
Sean & Chris, Dublin
This week we got a look inside Irish presenter Sean Munsanje’s home.
The Dublin native, who first got his start on TV in 2009 with shows like Total Xposure and Xposé, now hosts FM104’s The Juice on Sundays from 11am until 1pm.
When they purchased their home in 2019 it was a very small with an old kitchen extension so they took on a renovation project in 2022 to modernise the home for their family, with the build being overseen by Sean.
Sean and Chris describe the style of their home as modern, minimalist and contemporary. They believe that there is so much beauty in simplicity but still wanted their home to be cosy and calming.
“Overall this is stunning,” Hugh enthused as they explored the property.
While Amanda said that the glazed door between the two living rooms made the home “colder”, Hugh told her to “put the heating on”.
The scores from the judges were very kind with Hugh giving it a 9, Amanda awarding it an 8 and Sara opting for a 9, totalling to 26.
