While this Edwardian property would appeal to any writer or artist with its bookcases, study and garden studio, more likely this spacious, well-preserved five-bed in Rathgar will be bought by a family who seek a home they can make their own.
Many of the neighbouring houses have been turned over and refurbished, with owners tending to preserve the period interconnecting reception rooms and fine hallways and staircases, instead focusing the renovation efforts on the kitchens, which are to be found a few steps down on the return.
On entering through the red front door, set back from Victoria Road with cast-iron gate and railings, it’s obvious this is the home of an art lover. Paintings march up the stairs above the original dado rail and a pop of cerise surrounds the ceiling rose in the hall.
The interconnected reception rooms are painted a dusky pink, and the soaring ceilings are painted a darker shade. Original intricate cornicing and ceiling roses are still intact. The large triple-aspect front bay window in the drawingroom has single-glazed sash windows while the tall window in the diningroom has been replaced by French doors that open on to the garden. A pair of coral and grey marble fireplaces provide handsome focal points, built-in bookshelves flank the mantelpieces and fill the alcoves to the height of the picture rails.
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Modern furniture sits beside quirky old pieces that accentuate and gently tell the story of the house’s history; a bell that would once have been used to summon the staff is still in place beside the fireplace. The ceilings are 3.6m (12ft) high, giving these rooms their glorious proportions.
Period doors still contain the stained-glass windows installed in Edwardian times, and one of these doors opens from a small return into the long kitchen, which has a quarry-tile floor and sleek grey units. There’s a charming breakfast nook and utility at the end of the kitchen. The side windows overlook a wooden shed that proves to be the first of many outbuildings in the garden.
Large, meandering and L-shaped, the garden overlooks Stratford College. At the end of the garden, as well as a self-contained studio, there’s a large double garage with access to a lane. If planning approval were sought, the possibilities here are endless, with potential to convert the existing studio and garage into accommodation. There is also a right-of-way attached to the house that allows access into the Stratford grounds, though the owner chose not to exercise it.
The family bathroom is on the return, along with a bedroom, full of light with a Velux window, fitted out as a study. The first floor has three bedrooms, with a fine room to the rear, painted a striking shade of red and serving as another reception room. Although the house has a wealth of bedrooms, none are en suite. The obvious candidate for conversion is the small bedroom to the front; it could be linked to the bedroom overlooking the street and probably hive off enough space for a walk-in closet.
The final room at the top of the house is a large attic conversion, with yet more shelves, track lighting, Velux windows and enough room for a desk and bed. With the shower room outside the door, this would make the perfect teen or student den.
Ber-exempt and with 196sq m (2,110sq ft) of living space, 20 Victoria Road is on the market with Mullery O’Gara, seeking €1.75 million.
