10/08/2026
With over 600 metres of private waterfront, its own pier and 11 acres of indigenous oak woodland, this is one of those rare places where architecture quietly yields to the landscape. Tucked into a sheltered cove on the Ring of Kerry, every room looks either towards uninterrupted ocean and mountain views or into the surrounding gardens and woodland. It is here that a former guest cottage has been transformed into an understated retreat and a home for an Irish family based in San Francisco.
The original vernacular cottage has an intriguing past. It once belonged to the notorious English photographer Horace Roye, whose provocative n**e portraits scandalised London in the 1930s. This shoreline bears a striking resemblance to the setting for his Irish Maid series. Roye later sold the property to the Waterhouse family, who remained custodians of the estate for almost ninety years. During the 1940s, they built the main residence ,extended and remodelled the cottage into a guest house that welcomed visitors from around the world—a legacy that still informs the spirit of the house today.
When our clients purchased the estate in 2021, the guest house reflected its previous life as a successful B&B. The interior had been divided into multiple ensuite bedrooms, leaving little space for family life despite its extraordinary setting. Rather than simply updating the building, the brief was to completely rethink how it functioned as a home.
Designed for the couple, their young adult children, and a constant flow of visiting family and friends, the house balances sociability with moments of quiet retreat. The long, narrow plan of the living room and kitchen is carefully zoned through furniture placement, allowing different groups to gather independently while remaining connected. The result is a home that feels generous without ever feeling formal.
The interiors embrace a philosophy of quiet luxury. Nothing is shouty. Existing 600mm-thick stone walls, lime plaster and exposed oiled beams provide a beautifully restrained backdrop for for oak flooring, linen upholstery and layers of natural texture.
