Inside James Kavanagh's Kilkenny cottage: Saving to mortgage, choose interiors and his favourite room

2 weeks ago 4

James Kavanagh always dreamed of leaving Dublin for life in the country. His wishes came true earlier this year when he and his boyfriend William Murray bought a house in Co Kilkenny. Here, the influencer and TV presenter opens up about the process of becoming a homeowner and what life is like living away from the city.

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House hunting

It was very stressful because we were doing all of that while trying to get mortgage approval. The house hunting itself was depressing in a way because I went into this thinking I could get a country manor with 10 acres of land and some horses. But, in reality, you have to prioritise what’s important and what’s just a wish. We got a big reality check. We’re finally in a new chapter of our lives, we felt a bit stagnant over the past four or five years. I was so over the house we lived in in Phibsborough and the area we were in.

Finance

Without doubt the hardest part of the process was getting our mortgage stuff together. William and I have odd enough jobs in the eyes of the bank. The bank loves a nine-to-fiver with the same wage every month, we don’t have that. It’s up and down. Some months are busier than others, so our salaries are higgledy-piggledy. I’m the worst person when it comes to admin, getting my finances together for an accountant and filling out forms. I’m allergic to all of that, it brings me out in hives. There’s so much to do when it comes to getting a mortgage, it would give you a nosebleed. Our mortgage adviser did a lot of the heavy lifting, but there was still a lot to do. That was the hardest part for me. It was hard to save while living in Dublin, especially with the cost of everything and the cost of energy bills. We opened our Currabinny caravan and we were trying to save, there was just a lot going on at the same time. It was a bit spooky!

James Kavanagh outside his Kilkenny home

Dealing with the bank

You have to have your savings in order and you need to be able to show the bank that you can deposit the same amount of money every month. I didn’t realise that. Get a track record of your savings for three or four months together before you go to the bank. The bank will tell you to go away and come back if you don’t. Get your ducks in a row. I worked with Martina in Doddl, she was a machine and they’re the best in my eyes. She knew absolutely everything and she coached us through and told us what we needed to have prepared. The only thing I would change about our journey to becoming homeowners would be to be better with money and have my finances in order. I should have started saving a lot earlier.

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James planting the trees gifted from loved ones

Planning

Make a list of what’s important to you, the non-negotiables. After that, see what would be the cherry on the cake for you, like a sea view or a polytunnel. Tier your list. We wanted at least an acre of land and a mature plot. We wanted a renovation on the footprint of an old house. We wanted old trees and bushes and a lived-in feel. We wanted to stay close enough to Dublin. We saw some places in Cork, but they were too far away. We also wanted a sea view, but the closer you are to the sea, the more money it costs.

Leaving Dublin

I’ve wanted to leave Dublin for the last three years. I felt like I was in limbo, I wanted the gates to open so I could gallop off into the sunset. I was really eager and excited, but I wasn’t nervous.

Interiors

Mood boards or a Pinterest board are key because you run away with yourself. My interiors are all over the place because I get drawn to items rather than a theme. I’ll buy a lamp and it might not necessarily go with the table, and the table might not go with something else. If you’re moving into a home with a blank canvas, always have a mood board or a theme that you can check back with. You need one cohesive story when it comes to decorating your house. If you’re like me and you’re drawn to tat, your house will look like a car boot sale. I love massive windows as well. I’m not into minimal clean spaces, I like ‘lived-in’ clutter and trinkets. I want to lean into that. I don’t want things to be tidied away. I love an interesting bookshelf and when you can tell what somebody is like from all the bits and bobs they own. I love Clodagh McKenna’s interiors and the style of Ballymaloe. I want my house to look like a granny lives there. We’ve gotten some random pieces of furniture and we’re flooding the place with flowers, we’ve new displays every week. We also have this new motorised motion bed so we can watch TV in bed while sitting up. It’s called Sally and you can talk to it. I find it hard to go to Dublin as I love the countryside so much.

Colours

I love heritage colours like deep green and deep red. I want to lean into a moody colour palette. I think the house can take it with its high ceilings. We’re not going to put down new floors, we’re going for reclaimed floors from the Kilkenny salvage yard. I don’t want to rip out everything from the house and replace it with new stuff, I want that old feeling. I hate fake flowers and frosted glass. Overhead lights and spotlights are banned — they’re my nightmare! I was in Newbridge Silverware recently and they’ve a vintage section. I bought a load of ceramic lights from them.

Sustainability

People who we have visited that have solar power are paying nothing in their bills and that’s really motivating me. Our energy bills in Dublin were insane! Some houses in Ireland are powered just off a wind turbine. There is incredible technology that is great for the environment and your wallet. I would love a well in my garden, the idea of a well is very romantic.

I love it. It has been everything we’ve dreamed of. I have been craving this country community forever and now it has happened. All of our neighbours have called over with chicken and goose eggs. They’re so friendly and very open with local advice.