Architect's flair lights up Victorian cottage extension

YOU might expect a Victorian terraced cottage in Dun Laoghaire, Co Dublin, to have small, cosy rooms and period features galore - but instead viewers will find a stunning modern home filled with light and colour at 81 Patrick Street.

Owned by furniture designer Tadgh O'Driscoll, the three-bedroom house has been entirely redesigned so that the main focus is now the superb extension living and diningroom at the back of the house. Mr O'Driscoll has extended the house as far as it will go but now he is looking for a larger house in the area for his young family. Lisney will auction the property on March 23rd when it expects it to fetch around £200,000. The O'Driscolls bought the single-storey house in 1994 and carried out extensive renovations at the time. Three years later, they added what is perhaps the large modern extension which is the family's livingroom.

The three bedrooms are at the front of the house and lead directly off the central hall. On the left is the main bedroom, and there is a further double room and a single on the opposite side of the hall.

All the bedrooms feature cleverly designed fitted furniture such as bedside lockers and wardrobes. The small family bathroom again features an interesting alternative detail with its marine ply shower surround and vivid green walls. The living area comprises a large, eat-in kitchen and the new extension, which is both a living, dining and playroom.

The kitchen is particularly attractive as the ceiling has been raised to follow the pitch of the roof. Birch ply units designed by Tadgh O'Driscoll are fitted. These are topped with a vivid blue formica worktop and an industrial-looking opaque glass splashback. The floor is covered with ceramic tiles. There is access to a patio through extra wide glazed double doors.

Opening out of the kitchen is the large livingroom which is a wonderful design that combines the light and airiness of a garden room and the practical features needed for an everyday room. Two of the walls are made up entirely of floor-to-ceiling Rational windows fitted with cream-coloured roller blinds.

The floor is maple and this room also opens out on to the garden and to the narrow slatted wooden deck that surrounds the exterior of the entire room.

While the extension has taken up a good deal of the garden, there is still a reasonable amount of lawn, a pedestrian entrance and privacy thanks to its high walls.