Maria and David Bourke decided to move house one summer when their eldest Robert was away. On his return, he could see problems with the new home, but fortunately, he went on to become an architect and has helped his parents with a redesign they love
David and Maria Bourke in the living room of their home which their son Robert redesigned. The room originally had a triangular bay window and one of Robert’s innovations was to give it a big rectangular bay window with new views to the garden and to the Dalkey quarry. Photo: Tony Gavin
One of the things parents endlessly ruminate about is how their children will turn out, and what they will become. It can be hard to determine when one week the five-year-old is insisting on putting on a nightly show that is essential watching – “Ah,” the parents think, “he’s going to be the future Paul Mescal” – while another week he’s excelling at sports – “It’s obvious he’ll be the next Johnny Sexton.”
Maria and David Bourke always had an inkling that their eldest Robert would become an architect – as a teenager he was into decorating his own bedroom and he devoured Maria’s interior design books and Habitat brochures. Sure enough, though he took a roundabout route, becoming a structural engineer first, that’s what Robert’s career is and to their delight he’s won awards for his work, especially in the area of sustainability. Even more satisfying is the fact that he redesigned their home, making it a more workable, sustainable and welcoming space.