Future-proofed trio of luxury Blackrock homes from €1.95m

A trio of detached modernist-style homes has been attracting the attention of locals in Blackrock. Built on an infill site, where a dormer bungalow once sat on a raised elevation, the project is a collaboration between husband and wife developer team Conor and Niamh Hanratty of Brinnin Holdings and the architectural practice Extend, specialist in refurbishing and extending one-off, family homes.

Overlooking Temple Park, Brinnin paid €1.13 million for the site in November 2017, according to the property price register, and excavated the 0.25 acre plot allowing the houses to sit low without dominating the skyline.

The completed homes are a masterclass in space, integrated technologies and finish. They exude contemporary, low-key luxury based on a simple Scandinavian palette of natural woods, dark colours and warm metals, while natural lighting pulls it all together.

The homes have impressive A1 Ber ratings – most new builds are A2 – and as you make your way around the showhouse, you can see the attention paid to the flow and layout for family use by Extend’s Liam Brennan, himself a dad of three.

For example, the homes can be accessed at garage level, where there is room for two big vehicles and racks for bikes. This leads to a boot room, followed by a sleek shower room with anthracite grey tiled floor and walls and through to a utility room.

In a new Covid-conscious world this provides ample space to decant groceries, remove coats and shoes and wash hands, before heading upstairs in stockinged feet for the whole house is warmed by underfloor heating. Also at this level is a room that could work as a fifth bedroom or home office. It has a separate entrance, handy also for meeting clients while working from home.

The main living level is accessible too via the front steps where there is a large terrace and a sizeable oak front door that pivots open. There are high ceilings throughout with the living room to the front, a guest toilet and cloakroom area secreted behind it while the dark wenge-clad stairwell leads up to the first floor.

The kitchen is to the rear and spans the width of the house. It has side access and floor-to-ceiling glazed sliding doors opening out to the southeast-facing rear garden.

Aluminium windows are by Lynch Windows in Letterkenny and every one, bar these sliding doors, is triple glazed to block out the hum of traffic along the N31 nearby.

Underfoot, there is beautiful parquet flooring, cut to measure and laid by master craftsman John Kearns of Flooring Elegance. Custom joinery throughout is by Michael Farrell who also did the kitchen, a mix of soft white and wenge units with a marble-look stone splashback, white stone countertops and a brass extractor hood. The kitchen has all Siemens appliances and in the utility there’s an additional under-counter freezer, the new must-have when self-isolating.

The large dining area is roomy enough to fit a table for 10 or 12 plus a window seat and a separate living area that can accommodate an enormous sofa. There is lots of storage to keep it all looking clutter-free.

There are three double bedrooms on the first floor, two to the front, one of which is en suite, and one to the rear where the family bathroom is also located. It has a separate shower and double-ended bath.

The front rooms have ceilings sloping upwards to accommodate huge floor-to-ceiling windows that frame the views. In one the sea is visible from the bed. These rooms have Luxaflex blinds that can be opened and closed via remote control. Another option might be bottom-up blinds or slick wave-headed curtains that sit flush with the frame.

The master bedroom at the top of the house is quite special. It extends the width of the property and frames views of Dublin Bay that include the Poolbeg towers and the south wall. From the terrace the Dublin Mountains are visible to the south and cargo ships waiting to enter Dublin Port to the north. It almost seems too good a room to just sleep in and, space allowing, might work as a separate relaxing lounge.

There’s Cat 6 cabling throughout, wiring for a bespoke sound system by Cloney Audio and the showhouse has been staged by House & Garden Furnishings.

The smallest of the three properties measures 339sq m/3,650sq ft and is seeking €1.95 million while the other two, slightly bigger at 357sq m /3,850sq ft, are each seeking €2.25 million through selling agent Lisney.