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WHEN LUKE CONLAN and Gauthier Gilbert sought an architect to design the extension to their Alexander Strain house in Glasnevin, Dublin, Ryan Kennihan was a natural fit. Kennihan’s practice, Ryan W. Kennihan Architects, is renowned for creating contemporary designs that respond to the architecture of period properties in a dialogue between past and present. Here, Ruth O’Connor speaks to both architect and clients.
Luke and Gauthier, founders of House Five lighting, opted for a Mid-century-inspired extension rather than to mimic the existing architecture of their home in order to create a “clear and honest distinction between the old and the new”.
“We are known for having a dialogue looking backwards and forwards at the same time, so people tend to come to us who want that dialogue – modern living, clean lines and contemporary design but who also value and appreciate the period aspects of their house,” says architect Ryan Kennihan. “We pride ourselves on being able to value both and not ignore one for the other.”
“We love how Mid-century design puts an emphasis on functionality, clean lines, and a connection to nature, and we wanted to bring those principles into our expanded living space. The contrast allows both architectural styles to be appreciated for their unique qualities,” says Gauthier.
The couple’s passion for Mid-century modern design is echoed in their lighting designs. They own House Five – a lighting company that beautifully reflects their deep appreciation for design, craftsmanship and a considered approach to living. Each of their lamps are made by hand in their workshop and draws significant inspiration from Danish and Japanese design icons of the mid-twentieth century.
“The ethos of our lighting brand is strongly reflected in our home, particularly in the extension. Our lamps, like the architectural style of our extension, celebrate clean lines, natural forms, and a sense of calm,” say Gauthier and Luke who have incorporated teak wood, popular during this period, extensively into their extension.
“House Five lamps feature beautiful, sustainably sourced woods like ash, sapele and walnut for their sculptural bases, paired with delicate rice paper and cane rattan for the shades. These materials, with their inherent warmth and texture, echo the continuity we sought to achieve between our original home and its modern addition.”
Their original house is an Alexander Strain design – a mark of quality in terms of housing in Dublin city. “Alexander Strain houses were all built to a high standard,” says Ryan Kennihan. “You rarely find defects in them when you open them up. They also have similar features across the various different styles of houses – similar cornices, sills and lintels in granite and coloured stained glass. One of the big features is that the rear of these houses was almost always built with red brick rather than being rendered, giving them a more salubrious feel than other period houses in the city.”
The owners were only too well aware of the beauty inherent in their original home and ensured that, during the renovation, as much of the original material was retained or reused. “We have immense respect for the craftsmanship and enduring quality that ‘Strain-built’ homes embody,” says Luke. “Alexander Strain was renowned for creating homes of exceptionally high quality, and we felt a responsibility to honour that legacy. For us, that meant preserving as much of the original material as possible.”
“Specifically, we were able to keep all of the original bricks and lintels from the portions of the house that were opened up for the extension. This wasn’t just about reducing waste, it was about acknowledging the history and inherent value in those materials,” says Gauthier. “We’ve since carefully repurposed these salvaged bricks and lintels in the construction of the workshop in the garden. This not only gives a new life to the old materials but also creates a beautiful visual link between the main house and the garden structure, subtly referencing its origins.”
As avid DIY-ers with a keen sense of style, Luke and Gauthier took on much of the work of restoring the original house themselves. “It was a true labour of love for us both. This wasn’t just about saving costs; it was about the personal satisfaction of bringing a period home back to its former glory. We genuinely enjoy the process of stripping back layers, discovering original details, and painstakingly restoring them.”
“These clients have a real eye for design and are excellent at making things themselves so they had done a large amount of renovation and restoration themselves. Before we had any involvement, they had already done considerable refurbishment to the house, had repointed the front of the house and done considerable work on the front garden,” says architect Ryan Kennihan.
A common issue he and his colleagues encounter with these types of projects is that the kitchens in these period homes are often “quite past their sell by date”. “Many of them didn’t have the relationship to the garden which people want these days, so, often our task is to create kitchen and dining spaces that connect to the garden in a way that feels cohesive.”
Another key issue with these types of renovations is light. “If you extend across the width of the house you have the tricky problem of how to get light into the back room. Here we were able to solve that problem by using clerestory windows bringing east and west light into the rooms so there is never a dull moment. It meant that we could bring light deep into the house so that the former backroom did not become a dark leftover space.”
When developing ideas for this Glasnevin house the architect considered the urban landscape in which the house is located – specifically the surrounding back yards and gardens with their sheds, workshops and garages.
“We were thinking about this extension more as a kind of a garden building. When you think about these long gardens in Dublin, they are full of sheds and garages often built in a rougher way out of concrete or with exposed block work, so we thought of this extension more as belonging to the garden than to the house. While it might seem in stark contrast to the original red brick of the house, in my view it sits very comfortably in that kind of backlands world of the garages.”
“The inside experience in contrast to that is quite synthesised with the old house – the tonal range is very similar, the timber relates comfortably, and obviously the owners have a wonderful collection of Mid-century furniture and a strong aesthetic in terms of artwork which also helps to unify the front and back internally,” he continues. “It feels quite comfortable from the time you cross the threshold with the wonderful ferns, you see the colours of the furniture in the house and then enter the completely modern rear and look out again to the ferns in the back garden.
Many of the period homes in Dublin have generous returns on the first floor – something that has to be dealt with effectively when adding an extension below. “If you are trying to get a more generous space and to open things up to the garden, holding up the return becomes central to the whole project,” says Ryan Kennihan. “We really like to make a feature of that rather than trying to hide it, so we exposed the concrete post and beams. My feeling is that it gives character to the space and makes it feel more permanent and anchored when you see these structural elements in a room, so we use them to give character to the space.”
If the name of Alexander Strain is synonymous with quality design and craftsmanship from another era, I ask the architect whether he also feels a responsibility to create enduring work.
“There are two aspects to that. One is that in terms of design, timelessness is an important goal for us – our work has to endure and be aesthetically valued for a long time. The second part of that endurance is that our projects are made well. We work all over the country and we work with people who are really great at their jobs, take care in making things well and take pride in their work,” he says.
“This project was done by BSG Homes – we’ve done a huge number of projects with them and so we know we can trust them to make things accurately and beautifully. That goes for all the subcontractors we work with – from tilers, to plasterers to cabinet makers. SM Wood Design did the panelling and kitchen on this project and are excellent.”
Working with clients such as the founders of House Five meant shared perspectives and goals when it came to this project: “Working with such discerning clients on this project, we had a really good working relationship, saw the project from the same perspective and were working towards the same goals which made it all come together very beautifully.”
Address Book:
Ryan W. Kennihan Architects: rwka.com. Instagram: @ryanwkennihan
House Five Lamps: housefive.ie. Instagram: @housefive.ie
SM Wood Design: smwooddesign.ie. Instagram: @smwooddesign
BSG Homes: bsghomesltd.ie
All Photography by Shantanu Starick: shantanustarick.com. Instagram: @shantanustarick
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