The silver-painted front door of an Edwardian terraced house in Dublin 8 opens into a contemporary home which is for sale at €570,000-plus.Orna Mulcahy reports
From the street, there is little to distinguish number 38 Mountshannon Road in Kilmainham, Dublin 8, from its redbrick Edwardian neighbours. Look closer though and the silver-painted front door suggests a different story. The three-bedroom terraced house, which is set in a quiet cul-de-sac close to the city centre, has been given a thoroughly modern makeover in the last six years, and is now for sale through HOK Residential at €570,000-plus.
Sales agent Iris Keating says the house will appeal to well-off young couples seeking an interesting first home, and also to investors, given its proximity to the city, and its good rental profile with a Luas station due to open nearby, and St James's Hospital a short walk away.
Earlier this year, HOK Residential sold a house on the other side of the street that had also been renovated in a contemporary style. With a larger extension to the rear, it fetched a record €650,000.
Number 38 is located at the end of the road, close to the entrance to a large warehouse complex owned by the Office of Public Works.
Inside, it has around 125 sq m (1,348 sq ft) of living space, all of it painted white to enhance its period details and showcase the owners' collection of contemporary furniture and art.
The entrance hall is long and light with a floor-to-ceiling mirror creating a sense of light and drama.
To the right are the traditional interconnecting reception rooms, which can be divided by tall doors with glazed panels.
Polished pine boards run through both rooms and there are two period fireplaces - a slate chimneypiece in the front room and an unusual painted timber one in the rear room, where there is also a corner fitted with very smart bookshelves with glazed doors.
This room leads through double doors to the kitchen/diningroom, a long room that ends in a large light diningroom extension designed by architect Esmond O'Briain.
With a high ceiling, windows on two sides, and a patio door to the garden, it's a lovely light place to sit, even on a dull day. An alcove fitted with chunky shelves provides a gallery-like space for displaying glass.
The working area of the kitchen has silvered units, topped with a mixture of granite and zinc. By contrast, an alcove houses the original cast-iron range.
There is access to the garden from the kitchen area too. It is very much a town garden, paved and gravelled with narrow beds planted with low maintenance shrubs and climbers and a door giving rear access to a laneway.
Upstairs the first of the bedrooms on the return is a small double room with a nice view over the garden. Next to it is the family bathroom which has been updated with fashionably large limestone tiling and a stainless steel basin.
There are two further bedrooms on the first floor with the main bedroom spanning the entire front of the house and incorporating the bay window.
All three bedrooms have their original cast-iron fireplace, though in the main bedroom it is hidden from view by a cascade of dark red taffeta which creates a dramatic effect behind the bed.
Parking is on-street with a residential disc available.
