And the news is . . . a home with a contemporary twist

Looking at 7 Laurelton, off Bushy Park Road in Terenure, Dublin 6, it is difficult to believe that inside this rather plain looking 1980s dormer bungalow is an extremely stylish and contemporary home. It belongs to RTE newsreader Michael Murphy who commissioned architect Eva Byrne to greatly extend and enliven its interior accommodation. It is now for auction through Lisney on September 22nd with a guide price of £400,000.

The architect totally transformed the detached 1,800 sq ft house turning it into a four-bedroom home with a spectacular kitchen that has featured in Image Interiors.

Downstairs, the front two rooms are bedrooms, both doubles, one with an en suite. The other bedroom has its own private bathroom, which opens into a well-planned and well-appointed utility area. A large livingroom was untouched during the renovation and it is a comfortable room with an oak floor, a Le Droff fireplace and double doors out to the garden.

The kitchen is the real surprise in this house. It is double height, giving it a wonderful lofty feel. The working area is very contemporary looking with its sleek grey units paired with maple. The units line two walls and there is a large and very useful island unit that houses some of the appliances as well as providing an extensive work surface and a breakfast bar. It is topped with a Junckers maple worktop. All the Bosch and Miele stainless steel appliances will be included in the sale.

The hallway was very much part of the new design and it too is now double height, with a window in the roof and Italian tiles on the floor. The original spiral staircase was replaced with a stylish oak staircase which leads up to what the auctioneers are somewhat confusingly referring to as a suite. It is, in fact, two double bedrooms and a bathroom positioned off the landing, very much in the usual way. One of the bedrooms has been fitted out as a home office with extensive shelving. There are built-in wardrobes on the landing, leaving plenty of space in the bedroom. There are landscaped gardens front and rear.