DalkeyRose Doyle visits a light-filled house with a spectacular panorama
Amberley, on Torca Road, Dalkey, Co Dublin, is a 1940s bungalow which has been redesigned as a house into which light pours from both the back and the front.
Its location has been fully exploited, too, and there are views of Dublin Bay from almost all rooms, including the utility. With some 205 sq m (2,210 sq ft) of floor space, it has three bedrooms, three reception rooms (including a conservatory) and large eat-in kitchen. Martin O'Mahony of Property Team O'Mahony Auctioneers is quoting €1.3 million prior to auction on September 30th.
The house has an unusual layout with the main en suite bedroom taking up the entire first floor. Filled with light from the rear glass atrium through which the stairs wind, it also has four, front-facing picture windows overlooking the sweep of bay from Poolbeg to Howth and the far horizon.
Its pine floor has been washed with an aqua tint, a walk-in wardrobe takes up most of one wall and a door in the eaves gives access to attic storage. Highlighting a nautical colour scheme there's a long, leaded-glass window of a yacht on a blue sea in the wall by the stairs. The tiled en suite has a shower, toilet and wash-hand basin.
The entrance hall enjoys the same sweep of light. Polished maple floors (which are everywhere except the main bedroom) lead through glass doors to the diningroom and on to the atrium and south-west-facing rear garden. The dining room, which was the original family room, runs across the centre of the house and gives access to the conservatory, kitchen, livingroom, one of the bedrooms and the atrium/stairs. The livingroom, which is to the front and another of the original rooms, has a gas-fired fireplace with timber mantel and slate front. A large, pane glass window has views over Dalkey village to the sea.
The kitchen/breakfastroom has a long, galley-like cook's kitchen with Marmoleum flooring whose colours pick out the sea-green hues of the fittings and tiles. The breakfast/dining area fits into a front bay window, outside of which there is a balcony. Steps lead down to the side and the narrow, well-equipped utility room from where there's separate access to the front and rear gardens.
The kitchen, too, gives access to the conservatory, a south-west-facing room looking into the rear garden with a sloped glass ceiling. One of the bedrooms on this floor is to the front, off the entrance hallway, and has a bay window overlooking the sea and Howth. It has a black-and-white tiled en suite shower room and a separate walk-in dressingroom. The third bedroom is to the rear, off a small inner lobby which also gives access to a guest toilet.
The bedroom overlooks the garden and has an en suite with shower and wash-hand basin.
The rear garden has a pond with water feature. The landscaped garden has fronds and long grasses and a sloping lawn surrounded by shrubs, high hedging and trees which give privacy.
A patio closer to the house leads to a small bower and a second side entrance.