Less is more in architect's light-filled period cottage

Dublin 8: Number 21 St Kevin's Cottages, Dublin 8, is a lesson in how to make a small house feel like a bigger one. This has been achieved, ironically, by reducing the number of bedrooms.

The house will be auctioned on October 8th by Lisney, and has a guide of €500,000.

Architects, interior designers and mere mortals have taken Modernist principles to period cottages and knocked holes in strategic places to let in the light.

In this former four-up, four-down cottage in a quiet lane off Synge Street, Dublin 8, minutes from St Stephen's Green, a thin hallway and a tiny front room were opened up into a double-height space to light up the heart of the house.

Part of the first floor ceiling was taken away and four roof lights put in to create the bright diningroom.

This grand gesture was one of the cheapest, most cost-effective changes in the house, says architect owner Ronan Phelan.

Much other building work, started in 1997, involved the boring, hidden stuff, like wiring, plastering and replacing wooden lintels with concrete ones.

But the elements that can be seen have benefited from an architect's thought process and knowledge.

The diningroom leads into an ash-floored kitchen, with white lacquer units, designed to reflect the light that comes in from the south-facing glass door (formerly a window) that leads to the patio.

Paved in granite, this outdoor space is a bit of a sun trap and can feel rather un-Irish, with its copious bamboo, hammock and sunken sand pit. Wall-mounted lighting extends evenings spent outdoors.

The ground floor of the house also has two small bedrooms, one facing the front and the other, the rear, with a large cupboard between them. Storage has been carefully thought out in the home, with built-in cupboards and shelves inserted wherever the opportunity arises. There are bookshelves everywhere, even in the bathroom.

This has a large bath, huge mirrors with cupboards behind them, green mosaic tiles on the wall, classic black and white chequered tiles on the floor and a basin inset into the white worktop. Cupboards below this hide the washing machine and linen basket.

The upstairs main bedroom benefits from southern light and retains a period charm, with its sash window and curved ceiling, enabled by the fact that the roof truss begins some way above the top of the walls.

On one side, the first-floor livingroom is familiar, with its stripped pine floors and stuffed seating around a well-preserved original fireplace, but at the other end it curves around the missing floor, with views down to the dining room and up into the sky.

The wall around the opening incorporates more shelving, filled with books, and a glass section through which small children can view events below.

The owners testify that this chasm lends itself well to parties, as people can continue conversations with those on other floors. Even people who spend their parties in kitchens, won't be able to hide from fellow guests.