Often called villa style – or split-level Victorian-era properties – and found around Dublin’s city-centre suburbs, these houses can suffer from a lack of light due to their internal layout whereby the stairs lies to the centre of the hallway. This often results in quite higgledy-piggledy layouts, even after full renovations.
Enter 12 Geraldine Street; a reimagined and remodelled two-bedroom house. Planning applications submitted in 2011 show that from its initial area of 124 sq m (1,335 sq ft), less than 28 sq m of the original build was to be retained to give its now 118 sq m (1,270 sq ft) of floor space.
Essentially, the entire house has been rebuilt, which goes to explain its excellent Ber of B3 given the property dates from Victorian days.
It now offers a bright, contemporary space within walking distance of TUD Grangegorman, the King’s Inns, the Four Courts, the Law Library and Blackhall Place.
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Also in the area is the Mater hospital which is a five-minute walk away, and the planned Dublin Metro will purportedly have a stop there. The location is near to the village of Phibsborough along with hipster-trendy Stoneybatter; you also have the Royal Canal Walk on the doorstep, and one of Dublin’s secret gardens, the Blessington Basin, is visible from the bedroom upstairs.
Internally, it’s all very contemporary with polished concrete flooring warmed by underfloor heating, which runs throughout. Inside the front door lies a bedroom, retaining its lovely brick fireplace surround as a reminder to its past. Adjacent is a modern shower room with a rainwater shower.
Down a few steps leads to an open-plan kitchen/dining and living space. It is light-filled thanks to cleverly designed skylights, and a lovely birch plywood ceiling with Scandinavian whitewood beams that add interest. To the rear of this open-plan room are bi-fold doors that open to a small courtyard that benefits from a south-facing aspect.
It’s all very airy and spacious, thanks to the sense of space from a ceiling that appears to float, and light created by lots of glazing reflected in an all-white kitchen.
Details such as proper sash windows and the clever use of mirrors in the downstairs bathroom adds to place as does the installation of bi-fold doors in the bedroom upstairs.
When folded right back, you’d almost think you were in the garden of Blessington Street Basin while lying in bed. Here architects created a dressingroom space behind the bed, behind which again lies a second, all-white bathroom accented by the warmth of ply. There is also a study upstairs where the theme of ply against a white background continues.
This light-filled property is testament to good design and, despite being finished in 2015, still feels contemporary and new.
With laneway access to the rear, the property in turnkey condition is now on the market through Sherry FitzGerald, seeking €775,000.
