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00:00What makes a house a home?
00:04Homes full of style and character
00:05are competing for the title of Home of the Year.
00:09Making the tough decisions are design legend Hugh Wallace.
00:14Walls all in the same colour.
00:16Mustard. French mustard.
00:18Maybe, dare I say it, a Dijon.
00:21Award-winning architect Amanda Bone.
00:23I got a bit of shock when we walked in here.
00:26But I'm actually coming around to it now.
00:28And award-winning design consultant Siobhan Lahm.
00:32Blue, pink and yellow.
00:34What does that remind you of?
00:35A refresher bar.
00:38I'm going to use the key. I'm going to use the golden key.
00:41This year, the judges have had the golden key,
00:43which they've each used to put through a favourite runner-up.
00:46I think the golden key is a brilliant idea.
00:50I love it.
00:52The search continues for Ireland's Home of the Year.
00:58Mike and Steve bought this new-built home in Kildare in 2022
01:02and immediately set about making it their own.
01:05I think the type of house that we live in itself isn't unique,
01:08but the home we've created here is unique.
01:10We live for, kind of, creativity and design.
01:14We would say it's classic, contemporary, with maybe a boutique twist.
01:18Love colour. Every room is drenched.
01:21Yeah, it's a new thing. You have to try it.
01:23Especially with the downstairs loo now, that's a bit of a wow factor when you walk in.
01:27Also, the guest bedroom upstairs.
01:29Whenever people stay, friends stay, they love it, and it is a talking factor.
01:32And if it gets people talking and the conversation is flowing, that's a good thing.
01:36So this is our favourite spot.
01:38I can sit down there every evening.
01:40I can grab a book off the shelf.
01:42I can also look out to the green and see what's happening outside.
01:45And from sitting here, I can see directly into the kitchen.
01:48Steve is normally cooking.
01:49And also, beyond that, I can see straight out to the garden.
01:52So I feel connected everywhere on the ground floor, just from this chair.
01:56We're probably a little bit anxious about what the judges have to say.
02:00We're really excited by it and we hope that they enjoy it and see that the home that we've created
02:04is one that we love and use very well.
02:06The judges must now assess the home armed with only the basic facts about the property and its owners.
02:12We're in a beautiful new estate. All the houses are identical.
02:17These homeowners have made a small change by making the windows, doors and canopy black
02:22and all of a sudden, it looks like a different home.
02:26The homeowners have looked to individualize their home.
02:29They've changed the landscaping.
02:31They've got a different front door and the colour of the windows.
02:34I'm hoping that that approach is carried through to the interior.
02:41Oh, isn't that great? It's just a beautiful hall.
02:46Oh, what wonderful French bars.
02:48A lovely restrained hall, a white colour palette.
02:51Do you know what? I wish we had that big round mirror on top.
02:56It would bounce light beautifully, just open up the space a little bit
02:59and it would reflect the colours in this gorgeous art piece as well.
03:02On the outside, the homeowners were being brave in terms of the subtle differences that they made.
03:07So I was hoping I'd find that inside.
03:08But then I'm a little bit disappointed because what's in front of me is a more traditional Roman blind.
03:14I think the use of the critical doors works exceptionally well because it brings more light into the hallway.
03:25The homeowners' favourite spot.
03:28It's a great spot.
03:29I'm sitting in a chair here and I can see the outdoor furniture.
03:33And also actually the colour tones are green in here and they seem to be continued and picked up in
03:39the rear room.
03:39These homeowners obviously love plants.
03:43Lavender over in the corner there. I've got hydrangeas. I have lovely ferns.
03:49Beautiful colours in this room.
03:51I'm really taken aback. I just think this room is perfect.
03:54The lighting is spot on. It's really ambient. It's absolutely beautiful.
03:58You're smitten.
04:00I'm smitten.
04:03Oh, look at this!
04:06Isn't this wonderful?
04:08See, what I love about today is you can have conversational WCs.
04:13In fact, now that I go to a home, to be totally honest, I'm looking forward to going to downstairs
04:20WCs.
04:21Because to me, it shows the creativity of the homeowners.
04:25Here we have our Statement Guest WC. And I'm disappointed, to be honest, because coming from such calm and sophisticated
04:32rooms, to me, this seems out of place in terms of how loud it is. I feel like it's shouting
04:39at me.
04:40This is absolutely fabulous.
04:42It is a big, blue, bold statement.
04:45And I love it.
04:49A yummy kitchen, dining area.
04:53I just love that mirror and the fact that it's at angles with bevels.
04:59So, it just gives lovely light and reflection in this room.
05:03The homeowners have a real talent in terms of colour.
05:07We've seen that in the rest of the house. In here, we've gone to mint green.
05:10This is a super kitchen and dining area.
05:13I really wish the homeowners had just gone for it a little bit more and put the mint from the
05:18walls on the cabinetry.
05:20Because to me, that colour combo is just a little bit off.
05:23There's a great use of black in this space.
05:25I'm really enjoying the slatted timber, black on the walls.
05:29That gorgeous metal sideboard is fantastic.
05:32And the Crittle-style doors.
05:33I have an issue with this dining table.
05:35When you compare the colour of this dining table to the chairs, it's all wrong.
05:41And I'm surprised because these homeowners know what they're doing.
05:44And they've got an amazing talent with colour.
05:46But for me, this table, it really doesn't work.
05:49Especially when I compare and contrast it to the floor.
05:53Walking in here, I think it's a good room in terms of the light that's coming in.
05:57But particularly, the views out through that window and door out into the garden.
06:01I think the layout is good.
06:02And the colour choice of the unit and the cladding provides continuity from the outside right through to in here.
06:08For me, the colour on the walls and the ceiling is neither one thing nor another.
06:12Personally, I always look for white or a definite colour.
06:20Look, a super home office.
06:22And a crittle door.
06:23The guest bedroom.
06:25Oh!
06:27Look at the ceiling.
06:29Oh, at the ceiling.
06:29I didn't see that.
06:30That's glorious.
06:32This is a lovely room, which I personally describe as nearly a mustard.
06:38A French mustard.
06:39Maybe, dare I say it, a Dijon.
06:42This is a spacious room.
06:43I think the bed is the right size.
06:44You can move around.
06:46It feels airy.
06:47And I can just imagine lying in the bed looking up at the ceiling.
06:50And I just think there's something brilliant about that ceiling.
06:54This is what I was looking for.
06:56The homeowner's personality is so strong in this room.
06:58And that is down to that absolutely gorgeous wallpaper.
07:01And I love that it's on the ceiling.
07:03And what's actually really interesting about these homeowners is the way that they've used the wallpaper.
07:07Here, obviously, they've applied it to the ceiling.
07:10But if you think about downstairs, in that WC, it was inside panelling.
07:15Because of the way the homeowners are positioning the wallpaper, you're kind of viewing it as art.
07:20It's really interesting.
07:22The home will now be marked out of ten.
07:24One score will be held back until the judges have seen all three homes when their combined scores will be
07:30revealed.
07:31From the outside, I was hoping the interior style would align with the subtle changes made to the exterior.
07:37The mint green colour in the kitchen and dining doesn't work for me.
07:40A more clearly defined colour would have been more effective.
07:43And giving this home a seven.
07:47This home has been brought to life with sumptuous layering, playful details, and thoughtful design.
07:53However, there are elements in the kitchen that don't work, like the colour of the cabinetry and the dining table.
07:58This is a sophisticated, fun, and fabulous home.
08:01I give it an eight.
08:05The homeowners' personality and passion for interior design shines through in every detail, resulting in a stunning family home.
08:17When Sarah and her husband Jer were living in Dubai with their children,
08:20they started building their house in Roscombe to have a home base.
08:24But when they were expecting their third child, they decided to move home permanently.
08:29I suppose I would describe it as a modern vernacular barn.
08:32But I'd like to think it has some elements of kind of quiet luxury inside.
08:36We wanted lots of glazing so that we could take in the countryside around.
08:41The open plan is fantastic for family gatherings.
08:43You know, we'd sit together and have dinner.
08:45And, you know, you can see everything from the kitchen.
08:47My husband, he has a welding background.
08:49So he actually made the stairs up to the mezzanine library.
08:52And he also made the carport.
08:54It's so handy, especially with the Irish weather.
08:56You know, not to be drenched every time you're humming in the door.
08:59This is my favourite spot.
09:01It's such a comfortable chair.
09:02This is the biggest window in the house.
09:04So it gives us a panoramic view, really, of the house and its surroundings.
09:08Great place to relax and unwind and to pause and reflect on what we have achieved.
09:12I feel proud and relieved that it's over.
09:17For the last six years, I suppose, or more,
09:20we've been doing something with the house in one way or another.
09:23I think it has paid off and it was worth it.
09:28Well, this home certainly makes a strong first impression.
09:32You know, that beautiful stone combined with this red cladding and those picture windows.
09:37I mean, they're bold design choices.
09:39And it tells me that these homeowners are not playing it safe.
09:41I think this home is a piece of architecture.
09:43I mean, look how well it sits in the landscape.
09:46The layout is referencing traditional farm court charts.
09:49I just hope that the interior is as considered as the exterior.
09:54Well, let's find out.
09:59Ooh, this is beautiful.
10:01Wow, look at that view.
10:03I wasn't expecting that.
10:05Isn't that an amazing hallway?
10:07Very simple finishes.
10:08Beautiful resin floor, resin staircase.
10:12Nice detail of the shadow gap so there's no skirtings.
10:15And everything's painted white.
10:17Very simple colour tones but beautiful doors then to give me a little bit of colour.
10:25Oh, it's very dark and moody.
10:28I was not expecting this at all.
10:30I love a dark, moody, sophisticated room.
10:34It shows that the homeowners are, you know, playful.
10:37They're having fun.
10:38And if you're not having fun, you're doing something wrong, you know?
10:42Wow.
10:43Look at the size of this ginormous kitchen, dining, living area.
10:51I just adored the floating staircase.
10:53That dining table is a work of art.
10:56It's utterly delicious.
10:57And particularly enjoying the high-level windows
11:00because they're bringing in north light
11:01and a brilliant connection with the outside.
11:04But saying that, turning around and looking at these units,
11:08for me, this is the wrong style.
11:10The kitchen unit should have gone floor to ceiling.
11:12I do agree with you with these units.
11:14They should be full ceiling on.
11:16Personally, I'd like them as a block of colour.
11:18This, in the same colour, this blue, would have made a huge difference.
11:23I don't know why the homeowners went with this colour.
11:25Oh!
11:26Should we have a look?
11:27What's going on in here?
11:28There we go.
11:29Oh, it's a pantry!
11:30Isn't that great?
11:31That's fantastic.
11:35Oh, look what we have here.
11:37The favourite spot.
11:39This chair looks so cosy.
11:43And it is.
11:44Gorgeous view coming in, this huge picture window.
11:47Oh!
11:48There's a library behind you.
11:50That is so surprising and beautiful.
11:52In this space, the windows are the winner.
11:54But also, I think what helps is the clever positioning
11:57of the artwork and the library.
11:59It's brilliant.
12:00It really is.
12:08That's a home office.
12:10It's so calm and light-filled.
12:12What a lovely place to work.
12:14And a fantastic telescope to watch the stars at night.
12:19Wow!
12:21Beautiful big main bedroom.
12:23Jewel aspect.
12:25Great view out to the terrace.
12:27And then I have a lovely big sleigh bed.
12:29The scale is great.
12:31But then, we walked through the ground floor of this home.
12:35And this is the fifth different type of floor finish.
12:39With a home like this, I would have had one that ran through everywhere and provided that connectivity.
12:46Smashing.
12:47A blush pink walk-in wardrobe.
12:51What I like about it is the size.
12:54There's, you know, a bit of space in here.
12:56You've got a floor-to-ceiling window letting in plenty of light.
13:01But the scale of this room can't take the pink.
13:03Everything else in this room should have been white.
13:08Oh, wow.
13:10It's huge.
13:11I wasn't expecting an ensuite this large.
13:13These homeowners are very lucky because lovely big bathroom, which is terrific.
13:19Walking into this room, I have to tell you, I think I've walked into another house.
13:22I'm very confused.
13:24And there's no relationship in this bathroom to anything we see in the house anywhere else.
13:30Do you feel discombobulated?
13:32I'm totally discombobulated.
13:43Oh, I just love these type of bedrooms.
13:48This is just absolutely brilliant.
13:51That's a fun bed.
13:53I do love the slide.
13:54And I've got, look, a little bear handle.
13:57Oh, they're so cute.
13:59I love this hot air balloon light.
14:02That is so fun.
14:02But it's just a super room for a kid growing up, isn't it?
14:08Yeah, it really is.
14:08What a treat to walk up to this well-designed new build.
14:12The modern exterior style continues inside with the use of resin floors, shadow gaps, and white walls.
14:19For me, the ensuite of the main bedroom doesn't fully relate to the design ethos found elsewhere in this home.
14:28I give it an 8.
14:30This generously proportioned family home is beautifully designed and has an incredible connection to the landscape.
14:36The kitchen cabinetry doesn't work for me.
14:39And I wish the homeowners had embraced a stronger colour like in the downstairs WC.
14:44That said, this is a dreamy family home full of natural light, great views, and some delicious details.
14:50I give it an 8.
14:53This newly built home sits easily within its surroundings.
14:56Its layout references a traditional farm courtyard, and its design draws on vernacular architecture.
15:05Oh my goodness.
15:13Costume designer Aisling bought this estate home in 2022 and has been using her globetrotting experiences, coupled with her artistic
15:21eye, to create a truly unique home.
15:23New York is where my career started, then moved swiftly on to London, and now, yeah, 20 years later, I'm
15:31back where it all began, which I could never even imagine.
15:33I wanted to put my stamp and my signature style on my home, and with my creative background, I guess,
15:39it was something that was almost like another project that I was excited about.
15:44I don't follow trends in fashion or in interiors.
15:48I just do my own thing.
15:49That's one thing.
15:50I kind of bold with my choices, and I just go for it.
15:53This is my favorite spot.
15:55The chair was perfect when I seen it.
15:57I love the color.
15:58I love the design, and it has a quirkiness that reflects my personality.
16:03When I'm sitting in the chair, it's just pure bliss.
16:06I'm switched off, and I'm just happy out.
16:10I do love what I have created, and I love coming home, so I think that that says it all.
16:17I'd never noticed a pink front door until I did the first series of Home of the Year six years
16:22ago,
16:22and there's definitely been a resurgence.
16:24But it's not just the color.
16:25It's the choice of shade and tone that tells you about a homeowner,
16:29and this shocking pink suggests to me that we are in for a big surprise.
16:34Let's hope so.
16:35Should we go in?
16:41Okay.
16:43Oh, my goodness.
16:47Nice.
16:48This homeowner has definitely made a stamp on this home, and I think it's intriguing.
16:54They have been very brave and very bold with color.
16:58You know, there's definitely a lot of contrast going on.
17:01Multiple different prints are happening.
17:04It's a lot.
17:05I don't really know where to rest my eye.
17:07I got a bit of shock when we walked in here.
17:10But I'm actually coming around to it now.
17:13So I feel like we've actually walked into a piece of art.
17:17I feel like it's an interactive artwork that we're taking part of.
17:21I would question the functionality of the room.
17:25I think the television has sort of dominated this corner.
17:29Why are you obsessing about the TV?
17:31There's so much else in this room.
17:32Because I'm looking at it.
17:32Look.
17:33No, but don't look at it.
17:34No, no.
17:34Sorry, darling.
17:34You can't ignore that.
17:36You can't ignore that.
17:38Yeah, but look what else is in the room.
17:40It is somewhat restrained in the amount of things that they've chosen to have in this room.
17:44No, no.
17:45I totally agree.
17:46And I do understand the color scheme.
17:47I just want to be quite clear about that.
17:49I just love it.
17:50The design style here is very personal.
17:53So I'm hoping that that thread of a design idea continues through the rest of the home.
17:59Well, let's see if it does.
18:08Exceptionally well laid out kitchen area, I have to say.
18:11Little island, kitchen all the way around.
18:14I love the color of the kitchen.
18:16I think it's fantastic.
18:17This room is much more successful than the living room.
18:20Like, this is a perfectly functional, modern kitchen.
18:23It's a gorgeous color.
18:24I love those brass details.
18:26This part doesn't make sense.
18:28I think it would work a lot better if the homeowner had gone with one print.
18:32The choices are safe.
18:34I was looking for a kitchen that was a continuation of the design intent that we saw in the living
18:40room.
18:40You know, I think it would be better if the continuous floor finished.
18:43If the kitchen was a color picked up from the living room, the lilac.
18:46And if you had your loose table and chairs, leopard print chairs.
18:50Who is this woman?
18:51Who?
18:53A lilac kitchen.
18:59Look what we've found, the homeowner's favorite spot.
19:03Here we are in a conservatory facing south out to their garden.
19:08So you can imagine in the evening sitting in this chair and admiring your handiwork.
19:14This is a gorgeous favorite spot.
19:16This citrus yellow armchair is fab.
19:19It looks incredibly comfortable.
19:20And I don't know if you've noticed all the fashion magazines and books.
19:24I feel like this homeowner loves fashion.
19:26It makes total sense to me that this is the homeowner's favorite spot.
19:30We're in a very spacious room.
19:32There's great height and light and a strong connection to the garden.
19:36You know, it's an inside, outside room.
19:38So you can appreciate the garden no matter what time of year.
19:51Wow!
19:52This is bright!
19:54We've seen this color yellow elsewhere in the home.
19:57But it's when we're standing in this room that for me it's too much.
20:00And it's because of the small scale of the room.
20:02I think the contrast between that bright yellow and the black is brilliant.
20:07You know what?
20:07This is the cohesive room that I was looking for in terms of color.
20:11They're going for it.
20:12It's vibrant.
20:13But it all works really well together.
20:16Well, I think interestingly the vibrance of the pink downstairs is matched up here with the yellow.
20:23So it works for me.
20:30Another brilliant bright color.
20:33And what's very interesting about the bed and the colors and the patterns is you get a sense that this
20:40person has traveled.
20:41Maybe that's where the inspiration for this home comes from.
20:44I'm a bit disappointed because that bathroom was so successful.
20:49Whereas in this room it really doesn't work for me.
20:51The homeowner had me convinced of her design intent when we were in the living room.
20:56But there's no escaping that color.
20:58It's too much for the size of this room like the yellow is in the bathroom.
21:03This home has functionality, creativity and personality in buckets.
21:10Agreed.
21:10Great.
21:11There we go.
21:12So I'm happy.
21:13Look at this.
21:15Blue, pink and yellow.
21:17What does that remind you of?
21:18A refresher bar.
21:22I quite like it actually.
21:23This is nice.
21:24This reminds me of being in an ice cream shop.
21:26Yeah, it does.
21:27The homeowner creates a unique space with their carefree and avant-garde design style, filling it with bright and vibrant
21:36colors.
21:37I give it an eight.
21:40There's a unique and clear design intent in the living room that doesn't follow through throughout the rest of the
21:46home.
21:47That said, I admire the homeowner's ability to individualize a 1990s-built estate house that still retains most of its
21:55original fittings.
21:56I give this home a seven.
22:00The homeowner has decorated with wild abandon and has created a home that reflects them and their passions completely, which
22:08is actually really refreshing to see.
22:12Now that the judges have visited all three homes, it's time to see how they measure up against each other.
22:18First, Hugh reveals his score for the new-built home in Kildare.
22:22I think estate houses are amazing.
22:25Inside, it was just wonderful.
22:27It was full of color, textures, beautiful finishes, and it was luxury.
22:32I just loved this home and I gave it a ten.
22:34Oh, fabulous.
22:36A ten, an eight, and a seven, 25.
22:39This home deserved a higher score.
22:42Next, Amanda reveals her score for the contemporary home in Roscommon.
22:47Walking up to this home, I said, here is a piece of architecture.
22:51For me, the design of the kitchen didn't do justice to the proportions of that open-plan space, and I
22:57found there was a disconnect between the design style of the main bedroom and the rest of the home.
23:02I gave this home a seven.
23:04No, Amanda, two-eighths and a seven is 23.
23:10Finally, Siobhan reveals her score for the colourful home in Dublin.
23:14This home was bursting with personality.
23:17The homeowner decorated with, like, wild abandon.
23:20Usually, I love color, but I needed some respite with this home.
23:24I gave it a seven.
23:26Oh, Siobhan.
23:27Yes.
23:28Two sevens and an eight, 22.
23:31So, we have our winner through to the final.
23:34A very worthy home from Kildare.
23:37I'm so pleased.
23:38It's such a beautiful home.
23:39It deserves to go through.
23:41It does.
23:41Wholeheartedly.
23:43The judges have all used their golden key, so we now have our ten finalists.
23:50Next time on Home of the Year.
23:52The winner of Home of the Year 2026 is...
24:11The winner of Home of the Year 2026 is...
24:20The winner of the Year 2026 is the winner of the Year 2026.
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