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July 2011 » HOUSE AND home

This beautiful 18th century Limerickhome was once a house of two

halves, now lovingly rejoined bydesigner Brenda Murray and her architect husband Hugh.

Here, Brenda reveals the inspirationbehind her interior styleWORDS: ANNA SHELSWELL-WHITE

PHOTOS: VALERIE O’CONNOR

WOVENDREAMS

The staircase was specificallydesigned without banisters toretain a clean-linedappearance. A hand rail wasinstalled along the inner wallinstead. The hanging glassspheres are candle holdersbought at InStore in Limerick.“They’re particularly lovely atChristmas,” says Brenda.

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Having lived in half of her 18th centuryhome for 20 years, Brenda Murrayknew its character well enough tohandle the design quirks of a reunionwith its other half.

“We wanted to keep the character of the oldhouse in a way that could still incorporate our ownstyles,” says the designer. For Brenda, this meantcarefully selecting the elements of the old thatwere worth salvaging. The original stone walls,revealed when some wall panels were removed,were a pleasant surprise. These were retained, aswas a restored bath and the original AGA, whichhas a place in Brenda’s heart. “We do a lot ofcooking, so the AGA is fabulous. I’m so glad wekept it,” she says.

Brenda and Hugh, who is chairman of Exhibitionof Visual Art (EV+A), are art enthusiasts. Limerickpeople through and through, they like to supportthe work of local artists. The couple’s collectioncomplements the series of intricate, colourful

handmade rugs placed throughout the house,which Brenda makes by hand, using recycledmaterial. With a degree in fashion design, Brendahas always been interested in the versatility offabric and finds the process of rug-making by handa fulfilling one.

“It’s difficult, dismantling the materials, cuttingthem, overlapping them, sewing the stripstogether and backing them, but it’s veryrewarding.” Much like a fledgling artist, Brendahas so far relied on word of mouth to channel herwork, and receives commissions from across thecountry, including a beautiful rug recently made fora Kerry client. “It’s one of my best,” she says.

Her approach to shopping for her home haschanged with the economic climate. She does herbest to shop locally and is keenly aware of theimportance of this, and of recycling, both as aconsumer and as a maker.To learn more about Brenda’s work, emailbrenda.e.murray@gmail.com.

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MYSTYLE

63July 2011 » HOUSE AND home

Working with material has made its decorative mark on Brenda’s home. Her owndesigns include the cushion and chair-covers as well as her rugs. The engineered oak flooring by Sean O’Rourke from Donegal is laid throughout most of the house. The master bedroom has lighter, ash flooring.

The two large couches in Brenda’s sitting room are by Flexform and the rug wasbought at Nordic Living, the Scandanavian interiors shop in Blackrock, Dublin. Thekitchen was designed by the Murrays themselves and was produced by InHouse inDublin. The horse sculpture is part of a collection Brenda purchased at an exhibitionin Mumbai, India. “We struggled to get them home - they are so heavy!”

online extraSee the rest of Brenda’s house at www.houseandhome.ie�

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