How A Magic Carpet Saved Our Dining Room

Renovating Western Villas has been a monumental task for Farraige Mhor, and a labour of love for our design team. Our goal has always been to create memorable spaces for our guests, and balancing modern sensibilities and comforts while also remaining true to the period aesthetic of this majestic waterside home has proved to be its own education. Luckily, when it came to furnishing the house, we discovered a wonderful world of incredible furniture that has stood the test of time, both in its craftsmanship and its accomplished design. Western Villas' beautiful dining table is a perfect example of this.

Understandably, the choice to curate a collection of antique furniture for the house was an easy one. Impressive period homes like Western Villas are rare, and ones that have been lovingly restored to such a high structural standard are the exception rather than the rule. These glorious spaces, freshly returned to their former glory, demanded the sophistication and timeless elegance that furniture from the same period could afford, and our design team were adamant that furnishing the house appropriately was the first step in staying true to the story of the house.

We're fortunate that Ireland has a rich and colourful history of furniture making. While looking for Victorian and Edwardian pieces, it was a constant joy to habitually come across examples made in Dublin by Irish craftsmen. Our proximity to England and France (both hubs of wonderful furniture manufacture and design) also contributes hugely to the wealth of antique pieces that can be found right on our doorstep! With such incredible treasures at our fingertips, our drive to add the magic of bygone eras to our guests' experience gathered momentum, and our design team threw themselves at the mammoth task of sourcing what we needed.

A blank canvas

Our search for the perfect dining table gave us the opportunity to connect with Ireland's antique furniture experts: a colourful bunch of characters to say the least. Invariably, these buyers and sellers of antiquity were a storied bunch, living for the thrill of the hunt, and surrounded by exquisite artefacts of yesteryear. I'm happy to report that we're still in touch with some of them, and look forward to the next opportunity for us to peruse their Aladdin's Cave of treasures.

As you'd expect, I came across our magnificent table listed online, and was immediately smitten. The beautiful baluster legs and the detailed carving on the chairs immediately put it at the top of my list of pieces to present to the design team. The care and attention with which it was created was obvious. With my thoroughly amateur eye, I was immediately drawn to its Victorian/early Edwardian design cues, and felt that its sense of quiet luxury and air of refinement would enrich our dining room perfectly. Care was needed though, as it's all too easy to shop for antiques with the heart rather than the head. Was it practical? Was it in good condition?

Thankfully, I could answer both a resounded 'yes'! The condition in which the table presented was quite flawless. Its practicality was evident: a ten seater table when fully extended, easily becoming the focal point when large groups are staying in Western Villas. Images of Christmas and Thanksgiving immediately spring to mind, when the whole family can build incredible memories together. Not only that, but the centre leaf could be removed should the fully extended table prove too large for the room's proportions. With one eye on practicality and the other on aesthetics however, the design team had a very real concern that the table would be too large for the dining room. We fully expected that, despite our hopes, we would need to permanently remove one of the centre leaves of the table to stop it overwhelming the room. More on this later!

The vendor I had stumbled across here was JPS Furniture, nestled deep in the horse country of Co. Kildare. Its proprietors Jane and Jacqueline were to become an invaluable resource in sourcing incredible statement pieces and hard-to-find items at prices that didn't make our eyes water! I shared photos of the table with the design team, and was delighted (though not surprised) that my love for the piece as the rockstar of our dining room was shared by all! A quick chat on the phone with Jane hashed out the details, and the table was ours.

For context, Western Villas has beautiful high ceilings that lend a tremendous sense of space to every room. Unfortunately, that doesn't change the fact that the floorspace of the dining room isn't as extensive as the grand rooms a table like this would have originally occupied. Upon delivery, our worst fears were realised. When fully extended, the table threatened to overwhelm the room proportionally, as can be seen in the photos.

Not wishing to give up however, our designers decided that a large rug would serve to define the dining zone a little better. More importantly, a correctly sized rug will give the illusion that the space is bigger than it is. The table already looked right at home with one of the centre leaves removed, and we dared to hope that our rug strategy would make it look equally perfect when fully extended.

Rugs.ie was the obvious choice to source something suitable, and fortunately, they're based in the historic Douglas Mills, a short drive from Western Villas. We reached out to the wonderful Phoebe, who had the expertise and enthusiasm we needed to make the right choice. The results speak for themselves! This magnificent rug was hand-knotted in Kashmar, north-eastern Iran, where the handknotting of rugs can be traced back to the 1500s. We immediately took to its bold Zir Khaki pattern, and its vibrant blues, reds and browns add a depth and richness to the room we adore. Moreover, it succeeds in widening and lengthening the room, allowing our wonderful dining table to be the focus of the room without dominating it. Truly a result worthy of a magic carpet!

Two final jobs were needed to make this table the familial centrepiece of the house. From a practicality point of view, we had to do our bit to ensure that the beautifully preserved mahogany tabletop was kept in pristine condition, and hopefully saved from the red wine spills and coffee cup rings that make up daily life. With this in mind, we had a toughened glass top custom made for it. To futureproof ourselves, we decided to take a modular approach to this part of the project: we ensured that glass top was in three parts, with the middle part corresponding in size to the centre leaf, and can be removed at the same time. Therefore, as a 10 seater or 8 seater, the tabletop remains safeguarded from the damage of daily wear and tear. We hope this will protect it for the years the table will remain in our stewardship.

Lastly, our design team decided to make the most of the fact that in Western Villas, the dining and living rooms are open plan, by having the seats of our new (or at least new to us) dining chairs reupholstered using two different but complimentary fabrics they had chosen for our sofas and throw cushions. The results are better than we could have dreamed, and both rooms flow into one another seamlessly.

And there you have it! The dining table adds its own chapter to our story of recreating a period home in the heart of Currabinny on Ireland's South Coast. Nestled between the woods and water, we hope this treasured antique piece will play its role in our guests building lifelong memories over their stay in Western Villas.

Til next time!
Robert and the Farraige Mhor Team