Shabby-chic style and a dash of colour in Sandymount

If kitting out a house with lovely antiques, beautiful pictures and colourful rugs could sell a house, number 5 Leahy’s Terrace, Sandymount, would be snapped up in an instant. Its current resident has decorated the three-bedroom terraced house in lovely shabby-chic style against a neutral backdrop of white painted floorboards or pale-grey carpet and white walls.

Take all that away and it’s basically an attractive two-over-basement period terraced house in a great location with a good back garden, for sale through Colliers International for €1.35million.

It has its quirks in terms of layout, the most obvious example being the bathroom. As is typical of this type of Victorian house, there are two principal rooms upstairs: a very large room that runs the width of the house at the front, with high ceilings, two sash windows and a fireplace, and another room at the rear. The owner has converted this latter room into a huge, luxurious bathroom with a contemporary free-standing bath, an open shower in the corner and a his-and-hers vanity unit.

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The two other double bedrooms, both with ensuite bathrooms, are in the return, one at hall level, the other down at basement level. Having the bedrooms spread over three levels won’t suit some househunters, particularly those with small children.

Interconnecting rooms

At hall level the two bright, nicely proportioned reception rooms interconnect – the folding doors have been removed – and the house’s position on the road means it has a pleasant open aspect to the front.

Otherwise the house still has many of its original period features, including decorative plasterwork in the hall and reception rooms. There’s also a guest toilet at this level.

Down at basement level the accommodation is open-plan, with a family room to the front and the kitchen to the back. This kitchen has clearly been updated in recent years and is modern, with a granite-topped island unit that also serves as a breakfast bar. There is access directly out to a rear patio and on to the lawned back garden.

There is access to the basement area from the front garden and the house shares a flight of granite steps with its next-door neighbour.

The back garden is bordered by the original stone wall, and it’s long, so there would seem to be scope to extend the 250sq m (2,690sq ft) house, subject to planning permission.

The neighbours on the other side have built on a two-storey extension, which gives an idea of what can be done. Parking is on-street.