'I wanted exposed brick walls for years': Aisling shares her industrial-inspired kitchen

‘We have put in so much work here over the past year.’

EACH WEEK, WE ask someone based in Ireland with a passion for interiors to share one photo of their favourite spot in their home.

Aisling Bent lives in a three-bed terraced house with her fiancé and two children, in Kinsale, Co Cork.

“We are DIY enthusiasts, no job is too daunting for us and we love nothing more than completing work ourselves in our home,” says Aisling.

We also love to breathe new life into old furniture that we find in house clearances and car boot sales. Nothing gives us more pleasure than finding a beautiful piece of old furniture (especially if it’s a bargain) in the most unexpected places!

This week, Aisling (@houseoffourwinds) chatted us through her favourite spot: her kitchen.

1010423-01-01 Aisling Bent Aisling Bent

What do you love about this part of your home?

This part of our home is one where we have put in so much work over the past year. We had a very small kitchen and it just wasn’t suitable for our busy, ever-growing family. We decided to add on a small extension to incorporate a family dining area and we reconfigured our kitchen space.

We desperately needed more counter space and I always wanted an island, a place where we could hang out comfortably and relax, but would also serve us very well for additional food prep space when needed.

What’s your favourite object in here and why?

Hands down, the old reclaimed brick walls! I have coveted brick walls for years so when the opportunity arose to incorporate them into our kitchen I ran with it. I didn’t want cupboards to cover them up so we decided to put in floor-to-ceiling storage further down to the left in the kitchen/dining area and just hung an old scaffold plank we had acquired along the way for a shelf instead.

Be honest: how much tidying did you do before taking this photo?

How honest can I really be?! I have two kids, one is a very busy three-year-old and the other is our five-month-old baby so, as you can imagine, it’s chaotic in here at the best of times. It definitely got a really good tidy before I could even consider taking a picture!

What was your inspiration when you were putting this room together?

I’ve always been partial to a more industrial/rustic vibe and love to add natural elements like wood, stone etc through out our home. My dream living space would probably be in an old warehouse, barn or farm house. Because this isn’t the biggest space, I really wanted to embrace that and make it feel very homely and cosy for my family and friends to hang out in, that’s what’s important to me.

Is there anything in here you’d like to change?

The ceilings for sure need a to be dealt with soon (there was a dreadful plastering job before moved in) so I’m thinking of cladding it in wood and painting it white to reflect the light.