BallsbridgeA large semi-detached Victorian house at 18 Burlington Road in Ballsbridge, Dublin 4 has a surprisingly modern interior. Orna Mulcahy reports

The owner of number 18 Burlington Road is a titled lady who has lived in one of the most beautiful Georgian houses in Ireland. When it came to decorating her seven-bedroom Victorian townhouse in Ballsbridge, however, she decided against a traditional scheme and opted instead for a light, contemporary approach. Now that it is time to sell, she says viewers will either love or hate what she has done.

Take the drawingroom. Here, she pulled out an unremarkable carved timber fireplace and replaced it with an art deco-style version. However, when it came to the ceiling cornices she paid thousands of pounds to have delicate mouldings that had been caked with paint brushed back to full relief - a job that took several men several weeks to complete.

In the interconnecting diningroom the original marble fireplace survives, but the floors are modern oak boards and the radiators, here and elsewhere, are squat 1930s-style models.

On the landing between the ground and first floor is a typical tall sash window framing a picture of the garden, but the view is screened by a bold geometric sculpture by Corban Walker that sits on the flat roof outside the window. The overall impression is of a clean uncluttered space, rather like an art gallery.

Lisney's Tom Day expects the semi-detached house to make over €2.3 million when it is auctioned on September 25th.

The house, on the southside of Burlington Road, has a good-sized front garden with parking for several cars. Granite steps lead up to the front door which opens into a stunning hallway with vivid red walls and crisp white plasterwork.

The reception rooms are to the left with just one door leading to them, the second having been closed off to create more space in the drawingroom. The decor appears simple with the plaster coloured walls, but the covering is in fact expensive French wallpaper with a pale mottled surface that changes tone with the light.

Steps lead down from the hall to the kitchen, which is a big bright room with space for a dining table in front of a tall window overlooking the garden.

A rear hallway has fitted bookshelves and doors to steps leading down to the garden.

The lower level, which has its own entrance and could easily be converted to a separate apartment, has three bedrooms, one of which has an en suite bathroom. There is also a second bathroom, a familyroom, a cellar and a large laundry room at this level.

The first floor return has a guest bedroom with bleached white floor boards and a charming yellow and white colour scheme. It has lots of fitted wardrobes and an en suite shower room.

The layout on the first floor is unusual with a bedroom, used as a sittingroom, running across the front of the house and with large en suite bathroom. A passageway runs through to a second bedroom, which overlooks the back garden. Across the landing is a bathroom with a sunken Jacuzzi bath, and there is a final single bedroom on the top floor return.

The back garden is mostly in lawn with a dense boundary of trees including an old pear tree that is just in season and dripping with fruit.