Aisling Nugent’s love of all things vintage is clear to see in her stunning family home in east Cork.

And she owes it all to her late mother, Angela Riordan.

“She took me to my first auction,” says Aisling. “It was something that I grew up with really and I’ve always had an eye to decorate as much as possible with stuff from the past and stuff that has a bit of character and has a story behind it. Before we even started building, I had pieces that I had gathered for the house. It hasn’t stopped to be honest!”

Indeed, her eye for antiques has led the former English language teacher to a new career in vintage-sourcing and prop hire. But it’s most apparent in the home she shares with her husband Shane and their three children, Feidhlim, Tadhg and Muireann, which they began building in 2009 on a site on the family dairy farm where her father, Con, still lives.

An Interior Influence 2019 Award winner, Aisling shares her DIY and decorating adventures on Instagram @vintagehillcork, but she opens her doors to Irish Country Living to give us a quick tour of everything from upcycled containers to secondhand treasures.

Hello from the half door

While this is not our front door, it’s the entrance we would use every day. Having a half-door was definitely a thing that was on the wishlist when we were building.

Then you go for the energy rating and you’re discouraged initially not to put it in, but I really wanted one. It’s great because you can have the door open all day and at the same time, it’s not open.

It’s lovely because it’s looking up to my dad’s. I’m delighted we stuck to our guns.

Aisling stuck to her guns when it came to the half door. \ Aisling Nugent

Scaling new heights

My husband really wanted to build a goal post that had a back to it, so you could play ball by yourself; as a young lad he was always hitting the ball off the gable end. So I said we might as well utilise the back of it and turn it into a climbing wall for the kids.

It’s a timber frame with marine ply, which I just painted and sealed with an anti-slip varnish. I got inspiration for a mural on Pinterest and it was done as a collaboration with The Paint Hub in Carlow.

The kids get great mileage out of it.

The back of the goal post has been re-purposed as a climbing wall. \ Aisling Nugent

Tar isteach

I have two milk churns at the front door with planters in them; one was my father’s and one belonged to a friend. They hold a particular significance, as my father collected the milk churns in the area and delivered them to the creamery in Mogeely from the late 50s to the late 70s.

The milk churns at Aisling's front door have a family link. \ Aisling Nugent

The “Tar Isteach” mat was from the Helen James’ collection for Dunnes Stores and I changed the look of the flagstone tiles in the hall about two years ago, using a stencil from www.thestencilstudio.com. I sealed it with several coats of good, clear varnish, so it’s very durable.

Clever container

Aisling Nugent transformed this second-hand container into a garage. \ Aisling Nugent

This “shed” is actually a container that we bought on DoneDeal after we broke ground on the site and was used throughout the build for storage. It was sitting there for a few years and had become a bit of an eyesore, but we got our carpenter to clad the two long sides of it, put on the little porch and put a pergola off of it and it serves us very well. The cladding is painted in Tikkurila Q864 and the front door is Tikkurila U119, both from The Paint Hub in Carlow.

A good soak

A roll-top bath was a bit out of budget, until we found this one that was ex-display at Curran’s in Dungarvan. The “Prescriptions” sign over the window was a car boot sale find. I got the lampshade in a salvage yard and the yellow poster is a vintage Rimmel advertising print. I got the “Bathroom” door sign in Scott’s, Margate. It’s a massive vintage antiques emporium in Kent. It’s like heaven on earth. A few years ago, myself and my friend arrived there at 10am; and we were asked to leave at 5.30pm. Between the two of us we filled a pallet and shipped it home!

The roll-top bath was on Aisling's wishlist for a while. \ Aisling Nugent

From skip to sitting room

I got that couch in a charity shop for a fiver. It stank of cigarette smoke, but I just loved the shape of it, so I got it re-covered and brought it back to life. The little nest of tables to the left was an auction find in Waterford city and the G-Plan coffee table came out of a skip, would you believe?!

Aisling found this two-seater couch in a charity shop for a fiver. \ Aisling Nugent

Kitchen (not so) confidential

When we built the kitchen, we really wanted to go with open shelving. They’re brighter, they’re airier and it’s also nice to show things off; but you have to keep dusting them!

Aisling opted for open shelving in the kitchen. \ Aisling Nugent

Playing to the gallery

This gallery is made up of bits and pieces we’ve gathered through the years. Some pieces are particularly special, like the icon of Our Lady; that was my mother’s, possibly my grandmother’s, and the “Showboat” print that’s from the dancehall in Youghal that Shane’s father got us at an antiques fair. The sideboard is G-Plan and was one of the best finds I ever got secondhand for about €80. You can hide a multitude of stuff in it. I also love having plants indoors. I think they just bring a great sense of life to a home.

The gallery wall at Aisling's home is made up of favourite finds throughout the years. \ Aisling Nugent

Sweet dreams

The bed in our room was an auction find. I bought it before we ever moved in. The large mirror to the left was bought at Keighery’s auction rooms in Waterford, the floral cushions are made from vintage Sanderson curtains that I bought in a charity shop and the bird print to the left of the bed was also a charity shop find. And the shelf above our bed is actually the top off an old accountant’s filing cabinet.

Aisling's bedroom features many antiques and vintage finds. \ Aisling Nugent

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