Inside Donal Skehan's kitchen space as he renovates his home

The Howth native and his wife Sofie Larsson enlisted the skills of leading interior design house Neptune to create a hard-working kitchen that will evolve with the bigger project involving the entire house.

The interim kitchen has been designed to cater for family life, create a photogenic space for Donal’s recipe creation and filming, and, crucially, offer the adaptability to be moved to a new location when the renovation is complete.

“I was very clear that I didn’t want to put in a new kitchen only to rip it out again when we did the extension,” says Donal, 37.

“I was sold the minute the Neptune design team told me that the cabinets are individual pieces of furniture and could be repurposed at a later date.” 

The chef and his wife Sofie revealed in February that they bought their first house after 17 years of renting.

The couple and their sons, Noah and Oliver, had moved back to Dublin from LA in 2020.

Donal has been sharing his home renovation on Instagram and in the past year told his followers how, after eight years on the move “since we left Ireland and came back, things are finally feeling like we’re home.” 

 In August, he said: “All the boxes, the flights, the four house moves, the stressful times, the unsettled feelings, the covid parenting, this is what it was all for." 

The property’s picturesque coastal location, where the garden wall reaches up to the sandy dunes, first attracted the family to the 1930s cottage.

The family moved into the new house in June but the kitchen wasn’t complete. 

While Donal and Sofie had begun discussions with architects about how they might eventually create their dream home while respecting the legacy of the original building, they also needed a workable kitchen.

Creating an interim kitchen with longevity was an exciting challenge as it required careful planning and consideration for the next phase as well as strong attention to detail to meet Donal’s long list of kitchen must-haves.

The couple sought clean lines and simplicity so Neptune’s Suffolk kitchen was their choice.

The Suffolk offers well-laid-out spice drawers, concealed bins, backlit cupboards and a pantry cabinet with adjustable shelves.

Working closely with Donal and Sofie, Neptune’s design team (Neptune.com) maximised the layout and functionality of the space and they positioned the farmhouse table (which Donal purchased at auction 15 years ago) as a continuation from the kitchen with a fitted Buckland bench seat, creating a cosy atmosphere.

“Seeing the kitchen table I bought so long ago make it into our final home and fit so well is really pleasing,” says Donal.

The kitchen will be fully re-purposed in their future final kitchen space.

“All the functional details in the kitchen have made life easier, and you don’t get to experience that until you are in the space and using it,” he adds.

“As a new homeowner, going into these projects with builders and decorators can be daunting, but we had an exceptional experience with the Neptune team. Everything we wanted was discussed and translated into what we see now and have planned.” 

The design team believes in creating a kitchen that “stands the test of time”, adds Neptune’s design director Fred Horlock. “All our kitchens are made from sustainably sourced timber and are guaranteed to last a lifetime,” says Fred.

“When Donal and Sofie came to us with the challenge of creating a kitchen in two phases that can grow and transform into the final kitchen space of their renovation story, we were confident we could deliver exactly what they need now.

“And, in the future, creating an expertly crafted, sustainable, full-circle design.”