Tigon, a substantial home in the heart of leafy Foxrock in south Dublin, is a modern house built like a period house. It has the attractive redbrick facade, the coving, the ornate centre roses, and an overall air of old-world elegance. But it is not shaped like a typical period home. The property, spread over a generous 354sq m (3,810sq ft), has angular windows, vaulted ceilings, twisty staircases, hidden corners and interesting spaces. There’s even a centre rose set at a 45-degree angle above the atrium-style staircase – you wouldn’t see anything like that in a Victorian home.
For any owner who values old-fashioned style blended with contemporary comfort, Tigon could be just the ticket. Add in a double garage that’s perfect for storing your classic cars, and a converted attic space that adds an extra 80sq m to the overall area, with a range of possible uses from yoga/gym to kids’ play area to teenagers’ den, and Tigon has all the elements needed for a well-functioning high-end home.
The owner built Tigon in 2002, incorporating top-quality fixtures and fittings in the build, including oak staircases, doors and architraves, granite worktops in the kitchen, and gorgeous grey marble tiling in the spacious kitchen/breakfast area. The owner also put in old-style chandeliers and crystal light fittings, but they do not come with the sale, so new owners will have to come up with their own lighting ideas. The good news is that Tigon gets lots of natural light from all sides through angled windows, rooflights and double- and triple-aspect rooms.
The house has gas-fired central heating, with underfloor heating throughout the ground floor. It is fully detached on 0.3 acres, with a B3 Ber, and is on sale through DNG, seeking €2.55 million.
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The wide entrance hall features an atrium that goes all the way up to the second-floor landing, with an oak staircase winding upwards. To the left is a traditional-style drawingroom with feature fireplace and a triple aspect looking out to the well-manicured wraparound gardens. This leads in to the formal diningroom, which in turn leads to the spacious, open kitchen/breakfastroom, with a glass roof over the breakfast area for sunny brunches. To right of the hallway is a guest loo, a storage cupboard and a livingroom with fireplace.
A large utility room lies off the kitchen, and a door leads out to a side passage, with the two-car garage opposite. The garage is ideal for anyone who owns a classic car, and the owner installed a handy space-saving mechanism for easily lifting the hard top from a convertible and keeping it suspended near the roof until it’s time to put it back on.
From the kitchen, another set of oak stairs winds up to a mezzanine reception room/study, which is in use as a home office. This could also work as a fifth bedroom.
There are four double bedrooms upstairs, and the main bedroom is the pièce de résistance, having generous space, excellent views over the gardens and a large, luxurious dressingroom leading in to a large en suite with a big Jacuzzi bath. The main bathroom also has a Jacuzzi, and two of the other bedrooms have en suites.
The attic room on the second floor runs the entire length of the house and is divided into two separate, spacious rooms fitted with Velux windows. You could do a lot with this attic space and there’s also a bathroom, shower and storage room up here.
Outside, there’s parking on the gravel drive for several cars behind electric security gates, and there’s a separate pedestrian gate. The house sits at right angles to its neighbour on the corner of the Birches, and the garden wraps around the house on three sides. To the back of the house is a large decked patio positioned to make full use of the sun.
Step out through the pedestrian gate and you can stroll 500 yards to idyllic Foxrock village. The Birches is close to the N11, with its quality bus corridor, the M50 interchange and the Luas green-line stops at Central Park and Carrickmines. There are numerous schools within easy reach, including Loreto Foxrock, Holly Park boys’ and girls’ national schools, and St Brigid’s boys’ and girls’ national schools, and amenities and activities include Leopardstown Racecourse, Westwood gym and the 96-acre Cabinteely Park.
