Tucked away at the end of a small estate built on the grounds of Streamville, a villa off Killiney Hill road, sits 16 Streamville Court, a cottage renovated by its owner, Miguel Gerneay, during the Covid-19 lockdown.
What was a tiny cottage has now been transformed into a bright, cleverly optimised space measuring 72sq m (733sq ft), where no design detail has been overlooked and every inch of space is made to work hard.
Gerneay oversaw the renovations remotely from his house in Tuscany, where he spent more than a year during lockdown.
The charm of the B-rated one-bedroom cottage is not just the well-executed renovation, but the carefully planted and curated garden that links it to a converted outbuilding that used to be the stables of Streamville Villa.
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Gerneay has created an oasis of peace and serenity and says he spends as much time in the garden as he does in the house.
He changed the layout of the house completely, moving the front door to the side and using what was the hall to enlarge the bathroom. The bathroom now has double access to the bedroom and the living area. The bedroom is now where the kitchen used to be and the kitchen is housed in a new extension off the living area.
All the furniture was sourced in mainland Europe and he has created a laid-back, eclectic space with an antique French stove surrounded by blue glazed tiles at its centre.
Large concrete tiles cover the floors of the living area and kitchen and their size creates an illusion of space. The kitchen has a redbrick feature wall he chose to combine industrial style and warmth. Large sliding doors overlook the garden creating a bright space.
Gerneay chose all the materials and made the design decisions remotely, with some advice from his friend and interior designer Manny O’Hara.
“I modelled this kitchen on the kitchen I have in Italy,” he says. Other Italian touches include handmade heavy linen curtains in all the rooms from the Busatti linen factory, which are included in the sale.
The island and countertops are quartz and the island has a double Belfast sink. A keen cook, he installed a five-ring gas hob and a double Smeg oven.
A long roof light, three-metres long, floods the kitchen with light. Climbing roses adorn the trellised walls, there are birch and apple trees and a green acer; a stand of bamboo creates privacy and shade for the south-facing garden room.
The converted outbuilding, with an area of 31sq m (333sq ft), is a reconversion of the stables and is used as an office and a sunroom; the accompanying bedroom with a cream wood-burning stove provides guest accommodation. Extensive glazing in the ceiling makes this room a warm retreat at any time of the year.
The property is less than 10 minutes from Killiney beach with great walks and the Tea Rooms at Killiney hill. Killiney Dart station is 15 minutes from the cottage on foot. Ballybrack provides the closest shopping amenities and there are a number of schools nearby.
After 17 years of living at 16 Streamville Court, Gerneay is moving to Tuscany full time and putting the cottage on the market through Sherry FitzGerald Dún Laoghaire, with an asking price of €575,000.
