Number 16 Gulistan Terrace is a delightful late-Victorian redbrick house off Mountpleasant Avenue, in Ranelagh, Dublin 6, which goes to auction on June 24th. Lisney is quoting a guide price of £230,000, but this seems rather modest for the house which, although possessing just two bedrooms, comes on the market in near-perfect condition.
Furthermore, a stunning rear garden backs on to the vast green expanse of Leinster Cricket Club, giving a sense of space not usually found in the dense redbrick territory of Dublin 6.
The two-storey house, built in 1898, has been for some years the home of Christopher Moore, a partner in the company of gilders and decorative artists, Clements & Moore. The enterprise has carried out restoration and period paint and gilding effects in a number of notable Irish properties including the Lyons Estate, Newman House and Stackallen. Accordingly, in 16 Gulistan Terrace almost every available surface has been given a low-key and eminently tasteful painted finish. All the woodwork is covered in an off-white eggshell paint while the walls are in various shades of cream and green matt emulsion or chalky distemper. Where special effects have been employed, the results are barely perceptible, adding a depth of colour rather than a showy display of technique.
There are three rooms on the ground floor. To the right of the hall door a square, south-eastfacing room with a cast-iron mantel and simple cornicing is currently used as a spare bedroom. Behind this, there is a pleasant diningroom with a black-painted fireplace: although this appears to be slate, the owner says it is an early form of Bakelite. The kitchen is a smallish room with hand-painted units and warm, buff-yellow walls.
A stylishly simple big bathroom occupies the landing, while upstairs on the first floor, there are two rooms. At the front, a sittingroom with two windows overlooks the street and behind this, the bedroom - with a cast-iron art nouveau mantel - looks on to the back garden and the acres of green that make up the cricket grounds.
The garden is a long and lean space - about 100 feet long and 20 feet wide. A patio occupies the space near the house, and the rest is taken up with a stupendous herbaceous border which produces a constantly changing display of blossom from May until at least October.
