Residential

A touch of French style in Dublin 8

This bright, period-style mews house, built in 2000 on a small lane off Synge Street has contemporary details but fits in well with its Victorian-era surroundings

Emma Cullinan's face
Emma Cullinan
Thu Jun 26 2014 - 01:00

There’s quite an enclave of architect-designed mews houses to the rear of Heytesbury Street and Grantham Street in Dublin 8 and this house, by John Masterson, is among them.

The two-bedroom, 102sq m (1,098sq ft) home, built at the beginning of this millennium, embodies the careful thought that went into its design, from the high ceilings and large windows and doors to the hardwood floors, windows and built-in furniture.

The house, for sale at €525,000 through DNG, has a mix of contemporary details while remaining sympathetic to the Georgian-style, Victorian-era surroundings, with sash windows bearing hand-drawn glass, a period-style fireplace and reclaimed 200-year-old cobbles on the south-facing area to the rear which meets the garden of another house.

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To the front, the house, which has a D2 BER, melds into the mews context, with a garagey, French-mews aesthetic, and steely-blue wooden shutters and window surrounds. To the back the house looks like a cottage, with a post-Modern touch at its centre.

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To one side of the front door is a garage (probably a requirement of planning permission) currently used as a utility and store. There is good storage throughout the house with built-in wardrobes in the two bedrooms upstairs and a large hot-press at the top of the stairs.

On the ground floor is a hall running through a large opening into the open-plan living/kitchen area with fireplace. This has doors onto the cobbled patio and the inside/outside link is enhanced by two large, deep sash windows, reaching almost from floor-to-ceiling.

Upstairs, which has a top-lit central hall, there is a shower-room to the front of the house. This is beside the front bedroom which has a bountiful band of windows overlooking the lane. The main bedroom, overlooking the patio and neighbour’s garden, has a small window framing trees and a large oval-topped window that brings in southern light. There’s also an en suite with bath.

St Kevin’s Lane is off Synge Street, offering a serene spot near the city centre. Also on the lane is the Copper House Gallery so the new owners will have art at their doorstep.