A 150-year-old farmhouse has been crowned as the winner of RTE’s Home of the Year 2022.
Proud owners Kate and Shane Byrne, lifted the trophy on Tuesday night, after wowing the judges with their newly refurbished farmhouse overlooking the Wicklow mountains.
"We are just so over the moon and blown away by the reaction to our home,” Kate said.
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“For our farmhouse to make the final, never mind win is just so incredibly flattering. It is not something we could have ever imagined happening.
“Our house is a part of our family’s history and is truly a home, not just a house.
“For the judges to see and recognise that is amazing.
“For us a home is not about the size of your floor plan or budget, instead what’s important for our family is the feeling the house gives you and those that visit it.”
The property has been in Shane’s family for decades but when they moved in, in 2018, they knocked through all the smaller rooms and added an extension to create an open plan living space with lots of natural light.
“The family love the sense of history in their home and that their son is the fourth generation of the Byrne family to grow up there and that, in time, it will be a place for his own family.
The eighth series of Home of the Year saw the three judges Hugh Wallace, Amanda Bone and Sara Cosgrove visit 21 homes across the country but chose Kate and Shane's home as the ultimate winner.
Explaining how they chose the winner in the end, head judge Hugh said: "Arriving up you knew there was something special and walking through the door I just loved the hall. The scale and size of the kitchen was terrific and that big dining room table was smashing.
“It was amazing because once you went through that door you could just feel the heartbeat of this spectacular home. There’s the intangible which is so important - that feeling when you walk around the home: of the family, the fun, the history, the memories that are in that home - that’s what makes a home for me."
Sara said: "For me, the home had wonderful flow and had a lovely combination of old and new. I loved the living areas in particular, the unique u-shape layout and seamless connection to the outdoor terrace and farm beyond. The bedrooms also had a very serene feel, with the baby’s bedroom in particular hitting a cheerful and uplifting note."
Amanda Bone added: “Sometimes homes are all about how they make you feel and our winner just made you feel good.”
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