Welcome to the house of fun: Colourful Kildare house that featured on Ireland's Most Exclusive Homes back on the market

In a world of beige and grey interiors, it’s difficult to forget a property like Dyann House. If you think it looks familiar, it’s probably because you saw it on RTÉ’s Selling Ireland’s Most Exclusive Homes last year.

It was launched on to the market with a lot of hype and expectation, but when its sale fell through a few months ago, owner Dianne Coleman decided to take it off and have a break from the stresses of selling a home.

The good news for those on the hunt for a colourful and colossal home in Kildare is that Dyann House is for sale again.

To say it comes with personality is an understatement. Behind this absolutely fabulous interior is Dianne, who has gone between horse training with her late husband John Coleman and interior design, as both a hobby and business.

John and Dianne met in Wales and came back to settle down in Ireland some 40 years ago.

“I’m originally from the south of England and he was from the west of Ireland and like a lot of Irish men, he always wanted to come home,” recalls Dianne. “I was happy to live anywhere so we bought the land in Kildare and that’s where it went from.”

The site they acquired was 84 acres of nothing but trees. The brief for the architect was to create a family home that would stand out. So, in 1982, Dyann House came to be, with a whopping 7,104 sq ft of accommodation that is set out over three floors. The perception many of us have with a property so large is that rooms go unused or are kept for visitors. This definitely wasn’t the case for the Coleman family.

“The whole house was used because we always had children’s friends around and there were always a lot of animals, not just the horses, so people were coming because they were curious to see what was happening with the animals,” says Dianne. “The house was always occupied.”

One would be forgiven in thinking that Dianne and John spent years entertaining guests, with dinner parties and drinks, but this house was centred around their three daughters, with fun always on the agenda.

“There was no real entertaining with adults because I’m not a great cook,” Dianne laughs. “When friends or kids came around it was fine because they accepted it and friends are friends. But when we had serious entertaining to do with business people, we went out.

“We did have a lot of parties though and everyone always ended up in the kitchen. It was a fun house. We would have bands in and always entertained in that informal way.”

It is the interior design that is the star of the show, however. While most of us think we’re being brave by throwing a bit of colour into the room with cushions or throws, Dianne has never been afraid to experiment, which is how the house evolved.

“I never really gave the design much thought at the time, because you don’t, it just developed,” she explains. “I had done a lot of travelling and was lucky to see how other countries used colour. I also ran an interior design company for a few years so I had masses of choices, which helped, but I always had quirky ideas anyway.”

John never stood in the way of her creativity, no matter how far Dianne went.

“I just did what I wanted to do with the house. My late husband never said to no to anything. He could go away for a while and come back and a whole room would be totally different, but he never objected and thought it was great to have things fill the house,” Dianne recalls fondly. “I didn’t always get it right but nothing drastic ever happened.”

The main house is accessed through a walled entrance with piers and electric gates taking you onto the driveway that is flanked on both sides by landscaped lawns and mature trees. Inside, the hallway greets you instantly with a hit of colour and a taste of what lies ahead. To the right is the triple-aspect drawing room and straight ahead is the conservatory that looks out over the man-made lake.

These rooms are bursting with colour through a mix of antiques, occasional furniture, bright curtains and daring wallpaper choices. This is the theme throughout the house, with happiness and fun radiating from every room.

To the left of the hall is a sitting room that leads into the kitchen. The kitchen units are painted in a hot pink colour that goes nicely with the AGA — that of course comes in Racing Green. In true Dianne style, there is an island that is a made out of an old bicycle with a timber worktop attached to the top.

An inner hall with a boot room creates a division between the house and a self-contained annex that has a sitting room, kitchen, bathroom and utility. From here there is a staircase up to the bedroom and shower room.

On the first floor is the master bedroom that runs the length of the house. This has a fireplace, walk-in wardrobe and ensuite bathroom. There are two more bedrooms on this level and a family bathroom.

Up on the second floor are two bedrooms (one with a balcony), a sitting room and bathroom.

Although the house was built in the 1980s, it has a period feel to it, not only because of Dianne’s choice in furniture and furnishings, but also because of design details like stained-glass windows, ceiling roses and decorative fireplaces.

To the east of the property is the business side of things. Donadea is in the heart of horse country so the equestrian facilities at Dyann House are sure to pique the interest of those in the industry. There are two stable yards with 18 stables and tack rooms. Within the yard is a barn with secure storage. There is also a lunging ring with an all-weather surface, a sand area, and eight-horse walker and a six-furlong gallop surrounding the lake.

In a U-shaped courtyard, the Colemans built apartments for their staff. There are two semi-detached one-bed apartments, and a further self-contained apartment on the first floor that has two bedrooms.

The main house sits on landscaped gardens that are laid out mostly in lawn, with two ornamental ponds, a summer house, gazebo and tennis court.

The land around the property is a mix of stud-railed paddocks, tillage and woods.

Donadea is 5km from Clane, 12km from Maynooth and 15km from Naas. Dyann House is 14km from the M7, with a drive into Dublin city taking 45 minutes on a good day.

Kildare is known worldwide as the thoroughbred county and is famous for its racing events. The Curragh Racecourse, Punchestown and the National Irish Stud are all in the county so those in the business couldn’t be better placed.

There is also a selection of schools in the area including Clongowes Wood College, Scoil Mhuire Community School and Scoil Phádraig in Clane. Scoil Bhríde in Clane and Hewetson National School are also close by as primary school options.

Dianne feels it’s time for another family to move in and fill the rooms of her much-loved home again. Perhaps her eclectic taste isn’t for everyone but for the Colemans, the house was all about fun and happiness, and this shines through in the colourful interiors in the property that is named after one adventurous designer.

Dyann House is for sale through Savills Country (01) 618 1300 with an asking price of €2.25m.