Self-build story: ‘It awakened something in me; I probably did it in a past life. But I’ve finally found a really creative career that I love’

If it wasn’t for the sideways rain and those distinct rolling hills of Bantry, you’d almost think you’d arrived at some cool Mediterranean pad as you roll into the driveway of Anna Bougharbel and Conor O’Reilly’s home in Cork, brushed with grasses, lavender and soft golden stone.