Two fine period houses just a short distance from each other on one of south Dublin’s most sought-after streets have come on the market, offering a double opportunity to put down roots in this desirable area of Dublin 6. Both of these two-storey-over-garden-level Victorian homes have been refurbished and extended by their owners, and decorated with a tasteful mix of old and new and are pretty much ready for new owners to move in and make them their own.
71 Palmerston Road
Number 71 Palmerston Road measures 328sq m (3,531sq ft) and is for sale through Sherry FitzGerald, asking €2.85 million.
When the owners of number 71 decided to add a three-storey extension to the rear of the house, they co-ordinated with their next-door neighbours at number 72, who were also planning to build an extension. The two couples hired one builder to do both extensions, which neatly mirror each other and blend in nicely with the main houses.
Behind the hall door at top of a flight of granite steps lies an elegant hallway with intricate ceiling cornice and centre rose, fan light, dado rail and decorative arch. The drawingroom has two tall sash windows with working shutters, and a fireplace with attractive white and sienna mantelpiece. Double doors lead to a generous diningroom, which is adjoined by a small but very handy serving kitchen with lots of wall storage units and plenty of counter space, removing all the stress from hosting dinner parties, says the owner.
Housing in Ireland is among the most expensive and most affordable in the EU. How does that happen?
One in five people expect to pay mortgage in retirement, survey finds
Irish architectural great Ronnie Tallon built a home far superior to Mies van der Rohe’s original. Time to protect it
Sherry FitzGerald CEO Steven McKenna to leave firm to ‘explore new opportunities’
The main kitchen/breakfastroom is downstairs at garden level, towards the front of the house, and is fitted with a bespoke Andrew Ryan kitchen, comprising hand-painted timber units with brass handles and timber inserts, polished stone countertops, a large gas-fired Aga with separate gas hob, and a stepped island unit with raised breakfast bar, allowing you to work away without your guests noticing the mess. The livingroom to the back has a carved timber mantelpiece with open fire and slate hearth, fitted bookshelves and presses and recessed lights, and provides a cosy spot for the family to gather during the winter months. There’s a door to the inner hall, and folding doors opening out to a lovely conservatory/garden room overlooking the landscaped rear garden. The garden room is the perfect spot for a morning coffee; on a summer’s evening, however, the owners sit at the west-facing sunken patio to the front of the house, which has been cleverly landscaped to create a suntrap and offer complete privacy, even though it faces out to the main road.
There’s a bedroom with en suite shower room on the first-floor return, plus three bedrooms on the first floor including the main bedroom, a big double room with two sash windows looking out to the front, a walk-in wardrobe with floor-to-ceiling storage and a gorgeous en suite bathroom with marble-tiled floor, large shower with marble-tiled surround and large bath with marble surround. There’s also a shower room on the second-floor return.
The back garden is tastefully landscaped, with original granite walls, wide beds with acers, box hedging, Allium and Hydrangeas, climbing roses and Hostas. At the end of the garden the owners have built a home office and shed with high-vaulted roof to maintain privacy. From the shed there’s access to a lane leading to Ormond Road and Killeen Road.
75 Palmerston Road
Just four doors down, number 75 measures 251sq m (2,700sq ft) and is for sale through Mullery O’Gara, asking €2.75 million. It has a three-storey rear extension, but the owners of this house decided to go for a more contemporary design, which works particularly well when you see the luxurious main bathroom on the first-floor return, with its Antica natural stone floor and four-claw standalone bath hand-painted by artist Don Knox.
The Antica natural stone also runs through all the floors at garden level, making everything flow nicely together and connect seamlessly with the outside.
The main reception hallway has ornate ceiling cornices and centre rose, and an archway leading to an inner hall. The large interconnecting drawingroom and diningroom both have original matching fireplaces and original timber floors, sash windows and shutters, with walls and wall plates hand-painted by Knox. Bedroom one is on the first-floor return, part of the new extension, and it has floor-to-ceiling windows, bespoke wardrobes and a fully tiled en suite shower room.
There are three more bedrooms on the first floor, and the largest, to the rear, has wall-to-wall bespoke fitted wardrobes and panelled walls, plus ceiling cornice, centre rose and dado rail. Bedroom three, to the front, has bespoke fitted wardrobes and a hand-painted Knox mural. There’s also a lovely, iridescent mosaic-tiled bathroom on the second-floor return.
Everything is open-plan at garden level to allow everything to flow – including light. A separate front entrance brings you in to a large family room, with open fireplace, alcove shelving, bench storage and bespoke cabinetry. This leads in to the kitchen/breakfast room, with solid wood and granite worktop by Siematic, plus Gaggenau appliances and Britannia gas Rangemaster cooker. To the back is a livingroom with floor-to-ceiling bifold glazed doors opening out to the back garden, and next to that is a study with floor-to-ceiling windows and rooflight. Off the inner hall is a utility closet and a guest WC.
The private back garden is low-maintenance, with mature shrubs, plants and trees, artificial grass lawn and a patio laid in Antica natural stone, with garden lighting and a sound system for al fresco entertaining. There’s also a concrete outhouse, and access to the back lane.
