Róisín Lafferty Merges Two Houses into One Seamless, Forever Family Home

This week’s instalment of the Project of the Week series features a seamless and cohesive residential design by 2025 SBID Awards Finalist, Róisín Lafferty.

Róisín Lafferty was commissioned to reimagine two neighbouring semi-detached properties as one highly functional, long-term family home. The brief required a complete spatial rethink while retaining two entrances, staircases, and mechanical systems. The goal was to create a seamless, cohesive interior that could eventually be divided into two independent homes for the client’s children. The point where the properties meet became the design’s central focus.

What was the client’s brief?

The clients wanted to merge two neighbouring semi-detached houses into one forever family home – but with the ability to divide them again in the future for the next generation. The challenge was to create a seamless, unified interior while retaining two staircases, entrances, and independent systems. At the heart of the brief was flexibility: a home that could evolve over time without compromising function or flow. The brief also celebrated connection to the larger garden, ensuring key views and interactions with the landscape from multiple rooms, while eliminating wasted corridors so that every space had purpose.

What inspired the design of the project?

The design centred on the point where the two houses meet. Instead of disguising the joint, we made it the conceptual heart of the home, incorporating a sculptural sunken lounge at the original boundary line. This recessed lounge – finished with an inset marble floor and mirrored ceiling to reflect the garden indoors – became the hub that unites both houses. From here, a terrace extends the geometry into the garden, further strengthening the indoor / outdoor connection.

Throughout the house, the concept was about balance and discovery: twin music rooms linked by cobalt shelving that wraps around a central chimney breast, concealed oversized pivot doors that read as seamless wall panels, and a monumental steel-clad sliding screen that can transform the spatial flow. The playfulness of the layout encourages exploration, with endless routes and subtle surprises, while still maintaining proportion and calm.

What was the toughest hurdle your team overcame during the project?

One of the biggest challenges was the technical complexity of merging two houses into one while keeping them fully independent behind the scenes. Every system, from underfloor heating to lighting, data wiring, and ventilation; had to be designed to work both together and separately. Structurally, new connections had to be created without introducing visual obstructions. Balancing that level of engineering with the desire for a seamless, calm aesthetic required meticulous planning, smart routing for services, and constant collaboration across trades. It meant rethinking how we normally approach design and construction, but it allowed the project to function beautifully now while remaining future proof for generations to come.

What was your team’s highlight of the project?

The highlight was seeing the two houses truly come together as one; not just structurally, but emotionally. Spaces like the twin music rooms, unified by cobalt shelving and a shared chimney breast, embody that balance between individuality and cohesion. And the sunken lounge at the centre, with its sculptural form and connection to the garden, felt like the moment the vision became reality. For the team, it was incredibly rewarding to watch the design evolve from concept into a home that feels both elegant and deeply liveable.

Why did you enter the SBID Awards?

Because this project embodies what great design can do: solve highly technical challenges while creating a home that feels calm, generous, and deeply personal. It’s deceptively complex, and we wanted to celebrate that on an international stage.

What has being an Award Finalist meant to you and your business?

It’s hugely affirming for our team and our clients. It shows that innovation, adaptability, and forward-thinking design resonate far beyond Ireland. For us, it reinforces the importance of pushing boundaries while always keeping the needs of the family at the centre.

Questions answered by Róisín Lafferty, Founder & Creative Director at Róisín Lafferty.