Operation renovation: ‘We tried to level the floor in our bedroom ourselves using an electric whisk from the kitchen’With two renovations already under their belts, this Brazilian-Irish couple fell in love with a neglected Georgian villa in Dublin’s Portobello. Now they’ve turned it into their forever home, showing patience and respect for the building’s historyTom Schley and Brendan Harte in their home in Portobello, Dublin. Photo: Steve HumphreysOrla Neligan Today at 06:30Take a dogleg off bustling Camden Street and you’ll find yourself on leafy Heytesbury Street, a quiet, elegant stretch of Portobello shouldered with smart Georgian villas. Here, the volume drops, neighbours linger on their ‘stoops’, dogs amble past at an unhurried pace and the city feels momentarily held at arm’s length.

Source: Irish Independent February 17, 2026 11:32 UTC