"As my background is in hotel design, I have a tendency to give a hotel-look to a lot of my designs, " says Gail. "With my own space I wanted to create a modern yet classical and bright atmosphere, so I used a lot of creams and blacks." With its creamy marble floors, touchy-feely wallpaper and mood lighting, the house is like a swanky interiors showroom.

The single-storey house is on a row of 100-year-old cottages originally designed for the tram workers and it was exactly the house Gail had been waiting for. "It was the right price, the right area and it needed a whole gutjob . . . which was the project I wanted."

Everything had to demolished, other than the front of the house, which has a conservation order, and the two adjoining brick walls. "The roof was stripped back and for months was just supported by acroes. We installed a new beam to span the width of the house and took the new ceiling line up to the existing roofline where we inserted huge windows to catch the evening sun. At floor level, we dug right down and built new foundations for the extension walls and to install the new underfloor heating."

Gail spent 225/sq ft on renovations, including the entire interior fit-out. In terms of inspiration, she learned nearly everything she knows from working with the top of her profession in a firm in San Francisco. "Not only did I get to work with some really talented people, who influenced me hugely, San Francisco also taught me not to become caught up in 'modern' design, which can mean minimal and empty spaces. I was taught to frame out everything, creating niches, accent walls, special places and built-in seats, making every wall special in some way. Good design can be applied to any style and is all about proportion and detail."

GAIL'S DESIGN TIPS

>> Place your accessories in groups of two or three >> Always centre things. If centre lines don't exist, create and define new ones.

>> Apply colour tone-on-tone and then add one element for contrast.

>> Add largescale elements . . . such as giant sky-lights and lampshades . . . to add contrast and drama.

>> Use directional, narrowbeam spotlights to highlight objects.

>> Put in a dimmer system for lighting.

>> Maximize natural light. Make windows and external doors as large as possible.

>> Orientate your most important spaces to the back and most private part of your house (where, hopefully, the sun is).

>> Make your bedroom smaller and add a walk-in wardrobe instead.

>> Put door-closer light switches on all your wardrobe/storage doors.

>> Wire for everything so you can add later what you require: sound systems, alarm systems, etc.

www. wallmorrisdesign. ie

STYLE STEAL

Kitchen

The kitchen is designed in a U-shape and has polished black granite worktops and a length of black glass behind the sink, "which gives great reflection and depth and doubles up as a backsplash", says Gail. The units are painted cream and the counter-top acts as an open-plan divider between the kitchen and dining area. "My idea with the kitchen was to keep everything concealed. I wanted everything integrated, " says the designer.

Dining area

"I wanted this area to be intimate and cosy so I used lots of mood lighting including narrow-beam spotlights, " says Gail. Walls are a sumptuous black tone-on-tone floral wallpaper from Osborne and Little and Gail commissioned a large shade lampshade in black with gold card interior from Willie Duggan lighting having it fitted instead of another roof light.

Living area

To maximise the light in the living area, Gail took the original ceiling up to the roof line and fitted the biggest skylight that could be found. There are three hanging lights over the coffee table and the fireplace is raised, mirroring the over-scaled builtin TV unit on the opposite wall. "I love to throw in large items that seemingly off-set symmetrics but really just mix it all up a bit, " says Gail.

Courtyard

"The whole house is orientated towards the courtyard where the sun follows the different areas of the house all around, " explains Gail. "The walls of the courtyard are lined with the salvaged, original bricks taken from the demolished walls of the interior of the house." Three sets of double doors open onto the generous courtyard and there is also a large window from outside the bathroom. "Being a sun worshipper myself, this house is definitely a homage to the sun! The garden furniture is from a new garden shop in Goatstown called The Outdoor Scene."

Bedroom

"I kept the bedroom very simple, " says Gail, who designed most of the furniture in the house. "The headboard, which I custom-designed when working on a hotel project, has an art-deco style and is done in a wenge-stained timber, the same as the bedside tables. Louvered wooden shutters keep the room nice and dark when you need it and also allow a slatted light affect when open."

Walk-in wardrobe This room is dark and mirrored and wouldn't look out of place in a smart hotel, with its stained wenge-wood finish, which reflects the rest of the house. "I could have squeezed two bedrooms into the same space, but I decided to go for the luxury of a walk-in wardrobe instead, " says Gail. "A rooflight was added in at the last minute which means reverting the wardrobe to a room, if I want to sell the house for instance, it won't be so much hassle."

Bathroom

The bathroom is lined in a soft 'crema marfil' marble, which is the same material that is used on the floors throughout the house. "There are heat pads behind the mirrors to make sure they can't steam up and touch on-off lights and I also have a heated towel rail . . . again inspirations from my hotel design background!" says Gail. The taps are Zucchetti and the vanity unit was designed by Gail and made by her joiners, Teamwoodcraft. "Each room, including the bathroom, has its own sound system and underfloor heating, so it all feels very luxurious!"