WITH A LOVE of DIY that began in her twenties, Yvonne Purcell is every upcycler’s inspiration, and her cosy cottage has garnered over 675k followers on Instagram at @sixat21 . Living on the coast of north Dublin with her husband and two of her four daughters (the other two visiting frequently for coffee and homemade cake), Yvonne’s favourite hobbies include baking, cooking, hiking and (of course) DIY – a passion she shares with her husband Kevin, a former coach builder who now works for the emergency services.
Yvonne bought her first toolbox when she moved into her first home at the age of 22. Once she caught the DIY bug there was no stopping her – inspired as she was by her crafty, thrifty aunt Lucille who was upcycling furniture long before it was trending on social media, and her mother Phyllis who sadly passed away this year but who had impeccable taste and an eye for great quality furniture.
Many of the pieces in Yvonne’s home are handmade by her and her talented husband Kevin. The pieces they’ve made together range from the beautiful storage cupboard in their living room to the large unit and table in their kitchen. Headboards, benches, mirror frames and stools… there are many wonderful handmade pieces in their home – often made from salvaged wood or by converting existing pieces of furniture such as the former wardrobe that now serves as a larder. “When I tell people we’ve made the furniture sometimes they don’t believe us so I think I need to start sharing our DIYs again next year,” says Yvonne.
The couple’s home once belonged to Kevin’s grandparents, was bought from his aunt by his parents and later by the couple themselves when Kevin’s parents passed away. A home with family at its heart, its rustic charm has also won the hearts of her followers on Instagram. “I love my kitchen because it’s where I enjoy cooking and baking for my family and entertaining,” says Yvonne. “I also love my bedroom and the sitting room. In the summer we’ll be in the garden till past 10pm if the weather is good but from September to March you’ll find me in front of the wood burning stove in the sitting room.”
“Baking is one of my favourite hobbies – the kids know that if they call to my house there’ll be homemade cake and coffee on the go. We changed our kitchen table to a smaller one recently to make more space in our kitchen but there are always plenty of stools and chairs to pull around the table.”
“We made almost everything ourselves and everything is freestanding which means we can move things around if we need to,” says Yvonne of her cosy kitchen. “We will often reuse wood left over from other jobs, or source wood from Mac’s salvage yard in Kilmainham in Dublin. One of my favourite buys was our Toledo kitchen chairs – I think I got them for around €25 each but they are worth several times that amount and the beech countertop around our sink was a bargain buy in B&Q.”
Yvonne says that her mother Phyllis had incredible (and sometimes expensive) taste but that she gets her bargain hunter’s eye from her father Paddy. “My mam had the most lovely taste and my aunt Lucille showed me how to paint furniture when I was a child – though I didn’t really paint anything myself until about 20 years ago. I have always repurposed pieces and given furniture a facelift since then but I always buy really good old wooden furniture that lasts too. My aunt Lucille had a beautiful home full of solid old pieces.”
“I love to browse in vintage and secondhand furniture shops run by Vincents or Oxfam but I am always careful to donate anything we no longer need too. It’s a small cottage so I have to be conscious of the things that come in and out of the house,” she says.
One of Yvonne’s favourite things about her home is its proximity to the sea which is a two minute walk away. “I love that the beach is so close as well as St. Anne’s Park, Malahide and the old Baldoyle Racecourse. I couldn’t picture living anywhere else. We have a husky who can run for miles.”
Yvonne describes her style as rustic and there is a focus on natural materials and rugged textures throughout her home as well as on the colour green with an abundance of houseplants.
“I love rustic design as it focuses on materials such as wood, stone, natural linen, organic cotton and wool in neutral colours, as well as rugged textures including jute, burlap and canvas,” says Yvonne. “I love the addition of handmade wood or metal furnishings as well as tactile things such as pottery, woven baskets and homemade rugs which really bring character to a rustic-style home.”
Yvonne brings the handmade vibe into her home at Christmas too with decorations made from birch, willow and hazel twigs; seed heads, pinecones, acorns and chestnuts. Meanwhile, top of her Christmas wish list is another handmade piece by @Kirei_home. “I absolutely love my Kirei Home cabinet,” says Yvonne. “Another piece by them is top of my wish list.”
Plans for next year include the addition of a skylight in her kitchen, the replacement of the perspex roof on the canopy outdoors and a redesign of her garden inspired by communal gardens she recently saw in Berlin: “I’m going to make a ‘secret garden’ with gravel, trees and lots of foliage.”
The last couple of years have been tough for Yvonne while helping to care for her mother who had Alzhiemer’s disease and who sadly passed away this year. Looking ahead to 2025 she is determined to grasp every chance that comes her way – from sharing her DIY projects to embracing all kinds of media opportunities. Fans of her style should watch this space.
Follow Yvonne Purcell on Instagram at @sixat21.
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