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This Guesthouse and Restaurant Near Dublin is a Mash-Up of Scandinavian Design and Irish Craftsmanship

Inside the new Ómós guesthouse and restaurant, located two hours outside of Dublin. Almost every inch of the property has been crafted by hand. Photos: Irina Boersma

In Copenhagen earlier this year, I got the impression that nearly everyone in the city’s design and food space had, at some point, passed through Frama and/or Noma — Copenhagen’s twin finishing schools for creatives. Now, a few of those alums have moved beyond Denmark’s borders, landing on a project in the Irish countryside: a 16-room guesthouse and restaurant called Ómós, which opened last month just outside the estate town of Abbeyleix. At the helm is Irish chef and writer Cúán Greene, who has brought the lessons he learned at Noma home. (Including the idea that every great restaurant needs a bit of storytelling around it; Greene has been writing on Substack, expounding on everything from Ireland’s craft identity to the very best vinegars, for years now in the lead-up to the opening.)

From the Frama pipeline on this project are Cassandra Bradfield and Sofia Olsson of Asca Studio, who were asked to lead the interior architecture alongside Rebecca Norberg of Relief Gallery. The interiors deploy Scandinavian-inspired furnishings from studios like Cappelen Dimyr and Made by Choice, and lighting by In Common With, but at the heart of the guesthouse is a skein of work by Irish artists and craftspeople. In the kitchen are tables made by local craftsman Michael Muck, in the restaurant are hand-crafted dishes from Fermoyle Pottery, draped on beds are textiles by the family-run Mourne, and hand-woven willow baskets by Hanna Van Aelst from Tipperary can be found throughout. Inspired by Irish folk craft and traditional symbols, motifs such as diamonds and quatrefoils appear on the millwork and furniture, most delightfully as a tenon joint on a suite of chairs in the lounge. It’s the kind of place where every detail has been thought through with care, from the freestanding tubs in peaceful hues to the Douglas fir sauna  overlooking the millpond. Who else is ready to visit?

Want to Vacation in a Home Outfitted With Design Classics and Modern-Day Icons?

The new DWR x Boutique Homes Boat House in Shelter Island deftly mixes design classics with new icons, and everything is available for purchase. Photos: Adrian Gaut

In Milan this year, I visited an apartment that had been fully decked out by Artemest. A few winters ago, we styled my own house with products from Lightology. But perhaps no design retailer is better positioned to outfit a house from top to bottom — from the hammock strung between the trees (it’s Hay) to the rugs underfoot (they’re Nordic Knots) — than Design Within Reach. Last year, DWR partnered with Boutique Homes on a rental in Palm Desert, the 1954 Wave House by Walter S. White, a perfectly restored midcentury gem. Now they’ve reimagined a property a bit closer to my own home: The Boat House, located over Dering Harbor on Shelter Island, which is available to rent through November.

Originally built as a working boat house in the 1920s, the property was restored a decade ago by its current owner, who nodded to the home’s maritime past with details like a suspended rope bed and a glass floor panel in one of the guest rooms, peeking through to the water beneath. Painted white walls and floor-to-ceiling windows help bounce around that famous Hamptons light, once described by a poet as “clear as gin.” Quiet details like a white oak–paneled bedroom and a Japanese-inspired cedar hot tub provide a backdrop for a nicely calibrated mix of old and new pieces, from a 1950s-era dining table by Niels Otto Moller to the brand-new Americano sofa by Hylnur Atlason. It’s Shelter Island — a quiet community accessible only by ferry — so while I’d recommend venturing out to catch a Shakespeare play at Sylvester Manor, hike Mashomack Preserve, or go gunkholing in the island’s coves, there’s so much to do on-site you might never leave.

On the Coast of Belgium, a Group Show Treads Delicately Inside a Modernist Landmark

Top: Floor lamp by Vladimir Slavov (right); middle: table by Manuel Bano, stools by Lukas Cober, and vase by Maarten Vrolijk; bottom: chair by Manuel Bano (left) and lights by Karl Monies (right). Photos: Tijs Vervecken

It is perhaps the secret dream of every designer and curator to be given the keys to an architecturally significant landmark, and to install a selection of furniture and objects inside. Ryan Preciado did it at Frank Lloyd Wright’s Hollyhock House; Muller Van Severen did it at Robert Mallet-Stevens’ Villa Cavrois; Formafantasma did it at Dragon Rock, Russel Wright’s home and studio at Manitoga. (If someone has the keys to a Norman Jaffe or a Myron Goldfinger in the Hamptons, call me.) But with any such intervention, the goal is for the furniture and the architecture to cohabit in harmony, not for one to overpower the other. This summer, in the Belgian seaside town of Knokke-le-Zoute, Objects With Narratives has mounted Forms in Residence, a group show at Villa Westhinder, the 1931 home designed by Belgian architect Henry Van de Velde. (An impressive stepping stone as OWN transitions their gallery from Brussels to Antwerp.)

“The fundamental question animating this project is one of belonging,” write OWN’s gallerists. “How can contemporary works find their place within an architecturally charged and historically loaded environment without erasing what came before? The answer proposed here is not assimilation, but resonance: a careful orchestration of forms, old and new, that makes the house feel not frozen in time, but richly, generously alive within it.” Some of the works, like Manuel Bano’s hammered copper chair, slide in effortlessly, as if they’ve always been there, while some are clearly meant to stick a thumb in the eye of rationalism. Elissa Lacoste’s skeletal bench, made from chalky mineral composite, snakes down the narrow galley of a Cubex kitchen; it matches the clinical color of the cabinets but certainly not the vibe. Perhaps my favorite pairing, though, is a collection of copper lamps by Netherlands-based designer Karl Monies. Divorced from the setting, they are nothing more than the size and shape of a floor lamp; placed outside Villa Westhinder, though, and they begin to resemble mushrooms sprouting from the seaside’s native grasses. Through August 16.

An Entryway in Milan Inspired This Interior Renovation

In the Sant’Ambrogio neighborhood of Milan, an interior renovation that perfectly balances the design sensibilities of its past with a decidedly sexy present.

If I could trade my New York apartment for a flat in any other city in the world, well, I’d probably choose Tokyo. But next on my list would be an apartment in one of those gorgeous mid-century Rationalist complexes in the heart of Milan. Something by Portaluppi, or BBPR, or whoever designed the entryway of the residential building we’re featuring here today, in the Sant’Ambrogio neighborhood. The apartment itself was renovated by Lucretia Calvi of LC Atelier, but the lobby, with its full-height wooden mirrors and plants vibe, was so good — and so influential to the project — that I had to include it (above right). Calvi retained many of the apartment’s existing features, including an entrance clad in arabesque marble and full-height wooden doors with fluted glass. She also reinterpreted the previous owners’ wardrobe, which was originally upholstered in fabric and straw. But there are nods to the contemporary as well, including a stainless-steel kitchen anchored by a floor in white resin. The living room, however, is a pure homage to the design sensibilities that would have prevailed when the apartment was built: a custom-designed bookcase in canaletto walnut; a built-in wall unit made of glass, steel, and straw; Cesca chairs; and a rug whose patterning resembles the links of a golden tennis bracelet — perfect for the home’s original 1960s-era owner.

Editor’s List

CLOCKWISE, FROM TOP LEFT:

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When I first spotted these fans, made by the Mexico City design studio Lørdag & Søndag in collaboration with Mexcian artisans for Viso, they seemed comically large, like you might need some sort of pool boy to stand over you as you lounge in the sun. Turns out the wicker and pepperwood fans are only a foot long, making them a nice handheld or decorative object. Though who knows, maybe I’ll make my children fan me anyway.

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For years, I’ve wanted a Walter Filter, but I’ve never had enough counter space to accommodate it. At least these beautiful ceramic filters, by Kyn & Folk, are made in Australia so I can safely covet without being tempted to buy and ship a breakable object across continents. Newly available in this icy hue, as well as a deep terracotta and cozy oatmeal.

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I’ve long been a fan of Maggie Boyd’s ceramics — which I probably first saw at Mociun — so I was pleased to find out Boyd is publishing a book, called HOW TO MAKE A POT, described as “an illustrated treatise on art-making, a kind of cross between MC Richards’ Centering and Ram Das’ Be Here Now.” Iconic, actually. The book is part spiritual exploration, asking readers to consider the very nature of what makes a pot, and part practical guidebook, complete with Boyd’s own glaze recipes. I’m in my hobbies era — could ceramics be next?

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Speaking of hobbies, I’ve been getting back into swimming after finally building a pool this summer at my house in the Hamptons. I’ve had towels on the brain as I buy new ones for our increased time in the water AND write a big Substack guide to outdoor furniture and entertaining (coming next week!). I’ve been wear-testing these slightly stretchy Typicaltowels, and while I generally prefer something a little cushier, they’re a fun addition to the rotation.

News

The Seoul-based brand TactileEveryday’s collection of stainless-steel furniture and objects includes an egg rack, a tray, and this combination mirror and shoe rack, which is perfect for small spaces.

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The Seoul-based brand TactileEveryday makes two of your editors’ favorite typologies — a tissue-box cover (for Monica) and an egg rack (for me) — so there’s probably something for everyone in this crisp collection of stainless-steel furniture and objects. I also like the combo floor mirror, shelf, and shoe rack above — perfect for small spaces.

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There’s a rug that Monica and I both consistently cite as our favorite of all time — the 2016 Muller Van Severen rug for Ashtari, which looked like it was adorned with streaks of watery paint but was in fact collaged from photographic bits. Alas, the rug sold out long ago — and was eye-wateringly priced in its heyday — but we’re still partial to anything that has a similar aesthetic. This painting advertising Marie Buskov’s new exhibition at Galleri Riis in Oslo is a kindred spirit, and as such we’ll be requesting the price list immediately!

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There’s no better category for me than designers who cross over into making jewelry or other adornments for the body, so this new collection of ceramic hair barrettes by Casa Veronica is my own personal catnip.

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Later this month in Australia, at NGV’s new sustainability-focused exhibition Plant Life: The Nature of Design, the Australian studio AvantMater will present a new biomaterial they’ve developed from discarded macadamia shells. It looks a bit like a darker-hued cork, and as such isn’t necessarily my favorite aesthetic, but I love the innovation that studios like this traffic in. Their spirulina chair, which debuted earlier this spring in collaboration with Sarah Ellison, is a beauty as well. Ones to watch