Dublin Warehouse Conversion by Clancy Moore Architects

Clancy Moore Architects converted a former warehouse in Dublin, Ireland into a residence and studio dubbed Avenue Road. Working to preserve and enhance the original qualities of the structure, the architects followed a simple layout and took a minimalist approach.

“The existing warehouse had a delicacy in its structure, and in its layered spatiality built from an ad hoc collection of screens, gantries and ladders,” says the team.

An atrium-like living room is the centre of the project, it’s full height ceiling and generous open space maintaining the structure’s warehouse roots. Polished concrete floors complement bright white paint on the walls and ceiling, with four large skylights bringing in ample daylight.

Two upper-level bedrooms, one for parents and the other for children, sit at either side of the full height main living space. At the ground level, figurative elements such as columns, stairs, screens and furniture divide smaller spaces for kitchen, den, office and utilities. The expansive main living space also serves to double as an ad hoc studio for the resident’s photography business.

Floor-to-ceiling shutters span across each upstairs bedroom. They can be open or closed, offering the option for more openness or privacy, as well as borrowed light. The architects conceived each bedroom as its own separate ‘apartment’, able to expand as the family matures to be more integrated with the lower floor.

The smaller off-shoot rooms have lower ceilings, enhancing a cosier, more intimate environment compared to the striking central living room. In contrast to the predominantly white surfaces in the rest of the home, each smaller enclosed room features walls painted in different colours, such as dark green and charcoal.