Can piano man David win Home of the Year?

IT’S fair to say that Corkman David O’Brien’s decision to turn his treasured piano into a kitchen island divided the country back in February.

Among the more negative comments on social media was this Tweet: “I honestly think that piano plonked in the kitchen has put me off ever watching this programme again. Jokers.”

However, the controversial move found favour with the judges on his RTÉ property show Home Of The Year and now David’s abode in Ballygarvan is among the finalists for the final on RTÉ1 on Tuesday at 8.30pm.

David’s home won that first episode after judges Hugh Wallace, Suzie McAdam and Amanda Bone heaped praise on the overall design of his spectacular home.

He built the modern and bespoke home for himself in the Cork countryside, as a self-build home with help from his brother, and it took two years to complete. It looks like a modern take on a traditional barn.

David worked with an architect to create a design that was unique, spacious and very much to his style. He loves modern architecture and vintage antique furniture so he wanted these to compliment each other — including that quirk of the 1800s piano in the kitchen.

He has been collecting vintage and antique furniture pieces for years and feels they have created interesting interiors in his home.

However, the Cork property will face a stiff test up against the other six finalists.

A late 1800s cottage in Dublin, whose owner Jennifer Sheahan dug up the floor and lowered it, and added on an extra floor to make it a two-storey house.

Saara and Mike McLoughlin’s semi-detached family home in Limerick. The couple added their own colourful and eclectic style with a touch of bohemian and Scandi influences.

A 1920s cottage in Dublin, whch was gutted, re-modelled and extended to transform from three bedrooms to a four-bedroom home with a large open plan mezzanine extension.

A period home in Dublin city owned by Kevin Desmond, which he sympathetically restored throughout, paying particular attention to features of an 1830s house.

A modernist vernacular home in Co. Galway where Tanya Lee Conroy and Noel Conroy live with their two daughters, which has a timber frame and a flat roof rubber membrane.

A 140-year-old period red-brick property that underwent a complete restoration after being divided into five bedsits, which was the final home through in last week’s episode.