Midlands bungalow wows judges to reach 'Home of the Year' final

"We were in Offaly but, to be honest, I felt like we could be in LA."

Those were the words of interior designer Sara Cosgrove when she and the other two judges on RTÉ's Home of the Year show visited a renovated 1950s bungalow in the Midlands.

The property in question was the home of Rebecca and Eamonn McMackin, and it made a terrific impression on the judges who selected it to go through to the final of the RTÉ One series.

The transformed bungalow, where Rebecca and Eamonn live with their two children, was featured on the popular show on Tuesday night.

The couple introduced viewers to their extremely impressive residence.

"Since we got married we've moved three times, so we were always looking for somewhere where we could make a forever home," explained Eamonn.

"We went for a large open plan, lots of high ceilings, a lot of glass, and a lot of light."

Rebecca outlined the thinking behind the interior design of the home: "We were going 'Scandi' a little bit - very minimal. I want it comfortable as well, not too cold, so we used a lot of warm colours."

One of the features of the home is a grand piano which Rebecca brought to Offaly from Canada, where she grew up.

"It's a piece of Canada here in our forever home in Ireland," she said.

The judges responded enthusiastically to the bungalow during their visit, with Sara Cosgrove describing it as "a very crisply presented contemporary home" with an international flair.

"We were in Offaly but to be honest I felt like we could be in LA," she remarked.

"I think there's a tone in this home that is magical," said Hugh Wallace, the architect and longstanding judge on the show.

"Walking around this home, what you get is a sense of family, fun, and, most importantly, contentment."

When it came time for each of the judges to score the house out of ten, Sara concluded that Rebecca and Eamonn had "created a real balance in the home, combining creativity and functionality," and she gave the home a 9.

Architect Amanda Bone found the house "comfortable, inviting and warm," and she gave it a score of 8.

And when it was Hugh Wallace's turn to give his score, he decided to award the Offaly home a perfect 10.

"I thought this home was amazing. There were lovely details. Beautiful furniture, lovely textures and colours," he said.

Rebecca and Eamon's home now goes through to the final of the tenth series of Home of the Year, which is currently airing on RTÉ One each Tuesday at 8.30pm.

As with all of the homes featured in the series, the specific location of the McMackins' property in Offaly is not being disclosed by the show.