34 Gulistan Cottages, Rathmines, Dublin 6
With a floor area of just 40sq m, this two-bed is on the small side of cosy, but its tall sash windows to the front and skylights to the rear let in the sunshine and make it seem that bit larger. Totally renovated in the last three years, it would make an ideal starter home within strolling distance of the shops and cafes of both Ranelagh and Rathmines.
Asking €465,000
Agent Sherry FitzGerald
50 Coldwell Street, Glasthule, Co Dublin
This one-bed cottage in Glasthule has a dinky mezzanine bedroom under the eaves, allowing most of the ground floor to become a spacious livingroom with a tiny home office leading off it. There's a galley-style kitchen opening onto a postage-stamp yard, but a few minutes' walk will have you on the seafront, while the Dart is also on the doorstep.
Asking €349,000
Agent Sherry FitzGerald
7 Thor Place, Stoneybatter, Dublin 7
Glitzily renovated and extended, this Stoneybatter two-bed is perfect for a couple with better things to do than DIY. The front door opens directly into a livingroom-cum-kitchen, with the main bedroom at the rear opening onto a patio garden. A pull-down ladder leads up to an attic nook designed as a games or reading room.
Asking €395,000
Agent Madden Property
39 Gandon Close, Harold’s Cross, Dublin 6W
With living space of just 34sq m, this one-bed apartment will suit loved-up couples prepared to sacrifice space for location. The ground-floor unit has some nice features, such as twin sash windows, solid timber wide-plank flooring throughout, and an open fireplace for romantic evenings in. On a more practical note, there's ample parking within this gated development.
Asking €230,000
Agent Mason Estates
7 Parochial Avenue, Baldoyle, Co Dublin
There's not a hint of cottage twee in this Baldoyle house that has been given an urban loft feel and a high-spec finish. Located just off the coast road, the 93sq m house opens directly from the footpath into a livingroom-cum-kitchen, with tactile black radiators set against a stripped-back redbrick wall. Lots of design touches throughout, and an additional attic hideaway room with en suite adds the possibility of extra income.
Asking €375,000
Agent DNG Raheny
Avoca Place, Blackrock, Co Dublin
Affluent lovers will be drawn to this light-filled cottage at a quiet address in Blackrock. Don't be deceived by the traditional facade – it opens up to a beautifully refurbished home, with much of the space given over to an airy livingroom with floor to ceiling doors opening to a private sun-trap garden.
Asking €895,000
Agent Five Star
The Secret Garden, Gleninchaquin, Tuosist, Kenmare, Co Kerry
This two-bed cottage lies so far off the beaten track and in such lovely surrounds that it's easy to imagine never wanting to leave, save for the odd trip into picturesque Kenmare (12km away) to stock up on supplies of ambrosia. Inside, The Secret Garden is cosiness itself, with a wood-burning stove, a baby Aga, bedrooms under the eaves and stunning mountain views all around.
Asking €286,000
Agent Sherry FitzGerald Daly
Old Road, Ballycotton, Co Cork
Village life, the beach and a world-class cookery school close by – this supercute thatched cottage in Ballycotton, east Co Cork, within striking distance of Ballymaloe, could be a game changer for a couple or a young family looking for a new start away from the city. The house is larger than it looks, with a spacious livingroom complete with original hearth, as well as a galley-style kitchen and four bedrooms.
Asking €220,000
Agent Sherry FitzGerald O'Donovan
Elderbush Cottage, Three Wells, Aughrim, Co Wicklow
There's a large garden going with this handsome ivy-clad cottage located about 5km from the village of Aughrim, but the entire property could do with complete renovation. The interior of the cottage is something of a blank canvas, but the grounds have the bones of an attractive garden for those who, above all, love a project.
Asking €75,000
Agent O'Neill Flanagan
Killery, Ballintogher, Co Sligo
A quiet country road that looks as if it leads nowhere turns up at this yellow cottage with its well-kept garden and sunny interior. A stove burns bright in the double-height livingroom that leads off to a bright kitchen where house plants flourish. Three bedrooms complete the 73sq m living space. The cottage is located near Lough Gill and the jetty from where boats cross over to the lake isle of Innisfree.
Asking €130,000
Agent Sherry FitzGerald Draper
