‘At the back all you can hear is birdsong’: Leeson Street four-bed for €2m

"We wanted something contemporary that stood the test of time when it came to our kitchen," says the owner of 93 Upper Leeson Street in Dublin 4. Crediting craftsman Peter McKiernan of Peter Bernard in Newtownmountkennedy as "a genius" for the way his handmade kitchen has lasted, it is testament to him that the streamlined kitchen has weathered 13 years of design trends.

The key is simplicity, where two oak pantries flank an Aga opposite a central island, while the rest of the appliances, such as toasters, kettles, mixers and the like are kept in a service kitchen with an open pantry, allowing the main room to be clutter free with a seamless flow into the informal living room.

The family have lived here for the past 16 years and in 2008 the entire property was given a complete overhaul with an extension added to the rear. “The hall-level rooms were in great condition but the house had dreadful PVC windows, which we replaced with proper wooden sash ones. For planning reasons they had to be single pane, so we put in special acoustic glass, so you don’t hear a thing,” says the owner.

Architects de Blacam and Meagher were tasked with designing an extension to the rear with the brief to bring in more light in a contemporary space that would contrast with the period rooms upstairs. In doing so, the owner was steadfast that the period features were maintained. To comply with this, the fanlight and architraves on the return became internalised as features of the state-of-the-art bathroom that sits on the return where a huge bath looks out on the private 24.3m (80ft) long rear garden. Another level on the return gave an en-suite guest bedroom, bringing the total to four.

All the usual – plumbing, electrics, boilers and roof were replaced in addition to the front of the house being repointed. The owners love their home but are in search of another project. The location, where they can both walk to work each day, and have almost 100 restaurants within walking distance are one of the reasons they love the place. “But it’s also the garden: at the back all you can hear is birdsong and we are not overlooked at all. When you’re in any of the rooms to the rear, all you can see are the tops of the trees. It is really such a private house yet it is close to everything.”

Extending to 254sq m (2,735sq ft) the property, which is in turnkey condition and BER exempt, is now on the market through Sherry FitzGerald seeking €2 million.