A Holywood home has been announced as the first finalist in the contest to be named Northern Ireland’s House of the Year.
Melmore House, a lovingly restored 1850s villa in Co Down, was revealed as the first home to secure a place in the grand final tonight.
The home was originally built in 1855 and previously belonged to former Chief Constable Sir Graham Shillington, but is now home to Fiona, Jonathan and their three children.
House of the Year host Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen described the property as the “Brighton of Belfast”.
The kitchen and dining area
Fiona and Jonathan told the programme Melmore House’s location, overlooking Belfast Lough, was one of the main reasons they purchased the property.
“I had my eye on it for years because it had been on and off the market,” Fiona said.
When the family purchased the home, Melmore House had to be completely renovated because of dry rot, wet rot and damp.
“When we came through the doors, it hadn’t been lived in in years, so it was really dark and really dismal,” Fiona said.
The couple wanted to change the layout of the home to ensure they could fully appreciate the location.
“They [the previous owners] lived in the back of the house, and the rooms with all the beautiful sea views weren’t lived in at all, so we thought we would bring the living area here because it’s all about the views,” Fiona said.
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The entrance to Melmore House features stained glass windows leading into a hallway. Sliding doors then lead through to an open dining and kitchen area with an extension leading down to a living space.
Fiona and Jonathan transformed the original home’s servant’s quarters into a cinema room and a second kitchen.
One of the bedrooms
Downstairs also features a children’s playroom, bathroom and utility room.
Upstairs has five bedrooms and three bathrooms, split over two levels, including a master bedroom which has a balcony overlooking Belfast Lough.
The renovation took 16 months to complete.
“There were moments we were nervous about taking this project on,” Jonathan said.
The bathroom
“At one point there was barely anything left of the house. It was just the bare bricks — the whole side of it was gone. It was like a dollhouse with the whole side missing, and that was a bit scary,” Fiona added.
The competition’s judges praised Fiona and Jonathan’s design choices.
“It’s definitely old meets new. I was always drawn to that Parisian apartment type with the lovely parquet floors, ornate ceilings and original features but then having more colourful modern pieces of furniture,” Fiona said.
“It’s a family home and we have three young boisterous, happy kids, so I wanted it to be colourful and happy.”
The balcony
Melmore House is the first of five finalists for the House of the Year grand final.
Fiona and Jonathan are pleased with the recognition and hope their home will be crowned champion.
“We are definitely very proud because we have never done anything like this before,” Fiona said.
House Of The Year continues on September 30 at 8pm on BBC One Northern Ireland and BBC iPlayer