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As production company Shinawil seeks new candidates for the next series of RTÉ’s Home of the Year, Ruth O’Connor speaks to 2025 finalist and founder of One More Thing Vivian Wong about her beautiful Co. Kildare home.
When Vivian Wong and her husband Philip McKendry bought their Co. Kildare home, it had been vacant for 13 years and was a blank slate, but the couple could see the potential.
“The house was completely untouched and never fully furnished,” Vivian says. “It had great bones, including a beautiful stone façade and arched windows, but the layout felt disconnected. It was a blank slate, but in a raw, neglected way. I knew instantly that it had potential but that it needed a total reimagining.”
Purchased during lockdown, this house was a “creative invitation”. “I saw it as a chance to design with total freedom, to dream up moments of symmetry, surprise and emotion from scratch,” she says. “It was never about filling rooms with things but about shaping flow and feeling. This house gave me space to create a full story.”
The homeowner says that she has always been drawn to “storytelling through space”. She started her career in Hong Kong designing hospitality projects across hotels, restaurants and spas before moving to Ireland eight years ago and is “obsessed with how a well-designed environment can shift energy and emotion”.
Her passion for design led her to founding the floral design business One More Thing where she creates sculptural floral pieces to elevate everyday living. “My design work is grounded in detail, but always driven by feeling. Beauty, for me, should be lived in, not just looked at,” she says.
Moving into the house during lockdown was a challenge for the couple but also a “blessing in disguise” she says. “We moved in before it was finished with boxes everywhere and no proper kitchen. But it allowed me to live in the space as I was designing it. It made my decisions more intuitive and emotional – not just aesthetic. I could feel what the house needed, rather than just imagining it from plans.”
A key consideration before embarking on the redesign was to create a home that felt personal but cohesive. “Every room needed its own mood while still belonging to a greater whole,” says Vivian. “I also considered how light moved through the house and how each space would be used – both practically and emotionally. I wanted a balance of stillness and theatre.”
“I always start with flow and feeling – how you move through a space, where your eyes land, and how you want to feel at each moment. I began with the architectural bones: introducing arches, adjusting layouts and defining zones,” she says.
Vivian credits several providers in helping her ideas to become a reality. “I was lucky to work with some incredibly talented teams,” she says. “TKS Designs (The Kitchen Shop) in Walkinstown, Dublin, brought my kitchen vision to life with precision and care from concept right through to installation.”
Ryan & Smith crafted her beautiful solid marble fireplace surround to create a real focal point in the home and MSC Flooring did a stunning job on the stair runner – adding a final layer of texture and elegance. “Every one of them helped bring soul and detail to the space,” she says.
Vivian draws inspiration from many sources – not least from her travels, from art galleries and from period architecture. She is also inspired by designers including Arent & Pyke, Decus Interiors and Roisin Lafferty for their use of tone, form and storytelling. “My background in hospitality design also taught me how to choreograph atmosphere, how it’s as important how a room makes you feel as much as how it looks. Nature and light are constant guides too.”
One look around Vivian’s home and it’s clear that materials matter. The importance of texture and materiality is evident throughout and there is an emphasis on bold marbles, rich wood, layered textiles and sculptural floral installations throughout her home. “From marble and brass to velvet and wood everything had to feel intentional,” says Vivian. “I love materials that have weight, texture and permanence. Marble, brass, timber and velvet are foundational in my work.”
Marble features prominently in the design with the inclusion of a solid marble dining table and a basin carved from a single piece of stone in the guest bathroom. “Marble brings elegance, structure and a sense of quiet luxury to every space,” says Vivian. “Velvet is used generously too – adding softness and contrast to balance the harder surfaces. I’m always drawn to that tension – the polished with the raw, the structured with the plush – and when you get the materiality right the entire space comes alive.”
While everything is carefully considered there is an element of fun and the unexpected too and Vivian believes that it is important to add personality to one’s home.
“Every home needs a bit of personality and play,” she says. “That downstairs bathroom could’ve just been a functional space, but I saw its limitations with low light and awkward layout as an opportunity for drama. I leaned into it with a burnt orange curtain, moody green marble and a bold wallpaper moment behind a sliding door. It surprises people and I love that.”
Speaking of lighting, Vivian believes that it is important to focus on lighting to help set the mood, define depth and bring a space to life. “I use layered lighting throughout the house - wall sconces for softness, ceiling spots for structure and sculptural lamps as visual statements,” she says. “I’m particularly drawn to alabaster lights for their natural glow and to sculptural metal fixtures that double as art. Most of my pieces are sourced through a mix of vintage shops and design-forward Asian brands. I always look for shapes that feel interesting and light that flatters like a good filter for the room.”
Adding accessories to the space was essential too. “I love layering sculptural objects, coffee table books, candles and, most importantly, florals. My home is filled with floral arrangements from my business One More Thing. Our preserved flowers are made from real blooms and are designed to look fresh and feel alive but they last for seasons without needing water or care. I style them differently throughout the year, bringing subtle changes to the mood of each room. I also collect pieces from vintage dealers, my travels and local Irish makers.”
Having been a finalist in the last season of RTE’s Home of the Year, I wonder whether Vivian Wong would recommend the experience to others? “Absolutely! I’d highly recommend it,” she says. “It was such a fun experience and a great excuse to get the house spotless and photo-ready. I really enjoyed getting to know the other homeowners and hearing the judges’ perspectives. The production team was incredible to work with – they were warm, professional and very respectful of our space. It was one of those once-in-a-lifetime moments I’ll always be glad I said ‘yes’ to.”
Four years after moving into the house is there anything Vivian would do differently or any new project being undertaken? “I honestly still love every corner of this house but if I had to revisit it, I’d probably add even more custom storage and mood lighting,” she says. “I’m currently working on transforming the garden into an outdoor extension of my design aesthetic – a space for slow mornings, floral photoshoots and maybe a hidden studio. As the seasons of life change so too do the needs of a home and I love that homes should evolve with us.”
Notebook:
Vivian Wong is the founder of One More Thing, a sustainable floral design studio creating sculptural arrangements from real, preserved blooms that last for seasons. Instagram: @onemorething.ie.
If you’d like your home to feature in the next season of Home of the Year email homes@shinawil.com.
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