It’s difficult without the use of too many superlatives to describe Kish View, an impressive midterrace period home located at 14 Crosthwaite Park in Dún Laoghaire.
Set over three floors, it was last on the market in 2013, when it achieved €1.225m – well over its asking price of €995,000 – at a time when the financial crisis was still having an effect on the property sector.
Since then, every inch of its 290sq m (3,122sq ft) has undergone complete refurbishment and has been home to its current family, who are downsizing locally, for more than a decade.
The solid bones of this house, dating from about 1860s, and its peers around the green are attributed to builder John Crosthwaite, but, to give fair dues, its current incarnation after an extensive and quite meticulous renovation is down to the work of a team of people, whom the owners describe as “superb”.
Conservation architect Roisin Hanley was given the brief “to get as much light into the house a possible, especially at basement level, which was like a dungeon at the time as it had a labyrinth of rooms”, one of the owners says. To Hanley’s credit, the room now occupying garden level is excellent: a large open-plan kitchen/dining/livingroom that is flooded with light and is a far cry from its dark, dungeon-like days.
The space is centred by a McAuley kitchen, with a range of solid timber hand-painted wall and floor units, along with high-end appliances including Siemens double and single ovens, an induction hob, a Bosch dishwasher and a Liebherr integrated fridge.
The owners had thought of installing an Aga “but the heat we get from the underfloor heating really meant we didn’t need one for heat, and the multi-fuel stove in the living area is only used when it’s extremely cold outside”, the owner says.
A utility room, itself the size of a regular kitchen with lots of storage, also lies at this level as does a bathroom, bringing the number of bathrooms to six.
Out front at this level, and taking advantage of its south-facing aspect, the garden has a lovely, private seating area where owners and their guests have sundowners in summer. There’s also room for two to three cars. Electric vehicles are catered for with an EV charging unit.
Upstairs, via a new sweeping staircase that connects the hall level and basement, lie two formal reception rooms in the form of a diningroom and a drawingroom. Here, period details shine through with newly polished original floorboards, detailed cornicing and matching marble fireplaces, while the deep bay windows – echoed in the principal bedroom upstairs – help to bounce light off the all-white interiors.
A study, kitted out with bespoke shelving, lies on the return and has access to the rear garden from a private balcony.
Four bedrooms lie upstairs, all of which are en suite. The principal, as you would expect, is superb and testament to the calibre of its renovations. It benefits, too, from lovely views across Dublin Bay to Kish Lighthouse.
Formality at the Cowshed was tasked with the rear garden, which formerly had “an ugly concrete double garage”. The brief was to create a dog-friendly, low-maintenance space where the family could entertain. The result saw a New England-style boathouse erected in the garden, where there is another chill-out room, which can also be used for overnight guests.
Taking centre stage is a lovely wedding-cake tree, the deciduous shrub boasting clusters of small white flowers set in the middle of the lawn, which is overlooked by a stone patio. With colour and interest from tulips, hydrangea, allium and agapanthus, it’s all very elegant and, importantly, low maintenance.
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Houses along the park – and indeed Clarinda Park and Royal Terrace – are now designated an architectural conservation area by Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown Council, which describes the west (other) side of Crosthwaite Park as “probably one of the most majestic terraces” in the area.
The location is just a few minutes from the centres of Dún Laoghaire and Glasthule, both of which have good selections of restaurants and shops.
In turnkey condition, the Ber-exempt property is a smashing house. Its renovations and current additions marry its period features with the latest contemporary comforts. Kish View is now on the market through Sherry FitzGerald, seeking €2.35m.
