Since Irish architects - and then the general public - have really got to grips with how to bring natural light into extensions and newbuilds, projects such as this mews house offer all sorts of potential and are no longer necessarily the poor cousins at the bottom of the garden. This mews house offers a good example of how to build successfully in back gardens, writes Emma Cullinan
The architects who designed this mews house to the rear of Carysfort Avenue in Blackrock have made great use of the sky.
The four-bedroom house is one of a pair, designed by FKL Architects, which are extended from former coach houses on Prince Edward Terrace. Number 2a has plenty of outdoor space, including a roof terrace, courtyard, gravelled off-street parking and a garden to the rear, all nicely linked with the interior. The house is for private treaty sale through Lisney for €1.55 million.
The only bedroom downstairs has the off-street parking space to one side (which would be better off with no cars in it) and a courtyard to the other with an overhang above the bedroom, affording both visual and climatic protection. There is a shower room beside this room.
This bedroom is in the former coach-house, whose granite walls have been preserved. "It was important to maintain the legibility of the existing building which has value both historically and in terms of sustainability," says Paul Kelly of FKL.
Above the lower bedroom is the main bedroom, flowing out onto a terrace and which has a walk-in wardrobe and plush en suite reached through a frosted glass wall that follows the pitch of the roof.
This sky-lit room has a walk-in shower and is lined with beige marble which, on the walls, is in vast grout-free slabs. This is one example of where the client was happy to up the spec, which he did throughout the house, rather than going for the cheaper option, say the architects.
The builder made a template in MDF and took this away to create the wall slabs.
Beyond these two bedrooms is the central double-height kitchen whose large white Gemini island unit sits beneath the granite coach house wall complete with round window facing onto the sky-lit dining area. This has industrial, loft touches with its steel-faced open staircase with chunky timber treads.
The utility room beside the kitchen accommodates a tall fridge and freezer, washing machine and drier which are all included in the sale, as are the kitchen appliances.
The house is fitted with white flush cupboards throughout and there are the ever-popular fat iroko door frames, but the materials in this house are carefully balanced, with a mix of minimalist, industrial and cosy that give the place a comfortable, contemporary feel.
Beyond the dining area is a large livingroom reached through floor-to-ceiling sliding doors. This too has generous amount of sky brought in through a band of skylights sneaking past the bedrooms above. There is also plenty of natural light coming in through the glass wall out to the rear garden which is stepped up, giving a sense of privacy.
The third bedroom, upstairs, is lined with cupboards (one with a desk in it) giving in to the idea that spare bedrooms often become store rooms, while the fourth bedroom overlooks the garden.
The main bathroom has twin basins set on a thick timber shelf. The Monsoon rain shower here, as in the other bathrooms, is complemented by a hand-held shower for those who don't want to wreck their newly-coiffed hair style.
The house has American white oak timber floors, underfloor heating and CAT6 and sound wiring throughout.
Anyone willing to undertake a similar project might like to look at the 495sq m (5,328sq ft) site next door, for sale through Sherry FitzGerald at €1.3 million with planning permission for two houses.
