One of Dublin 4’s most sought after addresses, Pembroke Road, is a short stroll to cafes and restaurants on Baggot Street Upper and a short walk up the two bridges in either direction on the Grand Canal will take you to local Dart and Luas stops.
A 15-minute stroll will have you in the centre of St Stephen’s Green, the Aviva Stadium for rugby internationals and the villages of Ranelagh, Donnybrook and Sandymount, all of which have a great selection of pubs and restaurants.
Number 75 Pembroke Road is set well back from the road itself. It originally had an office block to one side, which was replaced in the 1970s with a set of apartments, though is accessed through the original period doorway. Located just off the junction triangle of Northumberland, Lansdowne and Pembroke Roads, it’s as smack bang in the centre of Ballsbridge as you can get.
Sharing its site with 30 other units, number 21 Pembroke Court is a second-floor dual aspect apartment that has just been released to the market through estate agent Owen Reilly. It has three bedrooms and a generous 97sq m (1,044sq ft) of floor space that has undergone a recent transformation since its owner purchased the unit in early 2021, for €525,000, according to the Property Price Register.
READ MORE
It’s a smashing renovation of a 1970s unit that had little in the way of features until its owners gave it a stylish upgrade: “It was easy to see its potential, even though nothing had been done since the 1970s,” says its owner, adding “you don’t always get the luxury of all-square rooms, with proper windows that overlook a garden, but that, and the location made us buy”.
With the help of Belgradian architectural duo Tihomir Dicic and Iva Njunic, the entire space has been reimagined to a superb, spacious three-bedroom contemporary apartment in the heart of one of the most desirable addresses in Dublin.
By removing small hallways, the entire unit was opened up to give a lovely internal flow with the benefit of lots of light from large windows, all of which have been replaced with more energy-efficient aluclad units. When the walls were being insulated and upgraded, builders discovered the original brick walls of the period property next door. With advice from the architects that it could be exposed, and though it took “lots of cleaning and sealing” it is now a standout feature in the apartment, which owners have highlighted with the use of smart LED lights in an overhead shadow gap. In fact, thoughtful lighting – as 1970s ceilings are rarely high – was one of the many considerations when this unit was being refurbished.
Central to the living space – off the dining and kitchen area – is a modular unit the family sourced from Nordic Elements in Blackrock, which sits so well around the television that you would think it was custom made for the room.
Solid oak floors run through the C1-rated apartment, which has a streamlined kitchen with Bosch appliances and the focus on storage at design stage, allows the whole place to be streamlined and clutter free – despite this being home to a family with young children.
Its three bedrooms comprise of two doubles and a single, and the family who live here say they were amazed at how the architects managed to rearrange the space to accommodate an en suite and so much storage in their home.
Even the bathrooms are luxuriously subtle in a pared back kind of way, with focus on storage and illuminating soft tones from the wood.
The owners, who are moving due to a growing family, have loved their time here – especially the garden out front where their children play – and say they live a mostly car-free life due to the location.
This unit shows what a 1970s apartment can become with a bit of thought, and is now seeking €800,000 through Owen Reilly.
