A Belfast couple’s house has appeared on RTE Home of the Year.
Sinead and John Cullen live in a 1920s semi-detached ‘Art Deco home‘ which they purchased in 2017 and took on a big renovation project.
Their property featured during episode five of the TV series, alongside a renovated bungalow in Offaly, and a townhouse in Kildare.
READ MORE: In photos: Inside second NI property through to final of RTE Home of the Year
A RTE spokesperson said: “The home had rotting sash windows, an overgrown garden and an interior that had been left to ruin.
“Together the couple brought the home back to life. Sinead saw this as a personal challenge and concentrated on the interiors to restore as many of the original 1920’s features as they could. They even designed the kitchen themselves and added a large extension.
“They love that visitors can always see their personalities in the interior with John claiming the black and white details and Sinead bringing the glitz and glam of the 1920’s.
“Sinead and John are proud to have created this home and to have restored it to all of it’s glory.”
Speaking during the show, Sinead said: “We live here with our two dogs, Tilly and Minnie. “
John added: “We done everything in the home, we done the tiling, put the floors down, fitted the windows. Sinead took the lead in interior design.”
Sinead continued: “I saw the potential straight away and I just knew that this was the home for us.”
In each episode, looking for ‘individuality, functionality, and clever design’, the three judges each score the homes out of 10.
Sinead and John’s home received two scores of 8, and a 9, totalling 25, but it was the reimagined bungalow in Offaly that made it through to the final next month.
To date, NI homes through to the final are Olivia and Kieran McDaid’s historic Georgian rectory in Derry, and Peter Carvill’s gate lodge in Co Tyrone.
Home of the Year continues on RTÉ One and RTÉ Player on Tuesday at 8.30pm.
Check out Sinead and John’s home in our gallery below! Photo credits: RTE.
John and Sinead Cullen
