Traffic-stopping Ballsbridge new home is ready for its close up

Anyone who has been stuck in traffic on Anglesea Road heading towards Ballsbridge will have been drawn towards the construction on the bend in the river as you approach the turning for the Herbert Park Hotel.

The building, fronted in black limestone, has taken quite a while to finish, and commuters may also have had time to admire the smart use of a deep antracite grey-coloured glazing, in contrast to the pale Belgian brick that covers the rest of the building.

People, it seems, have been longing to get a look inside and curiosity got the better of one neighbour who rapped on the door to pop in and have a nose round during this writer’s viewing.

The property, number 1 Anglesea Road, is a beautifully simple homage to modernism. It is set in a prime location at the Ballsbridge end of the road, boasts big river views – at least once the flood works on the Dodder river are complete.

The two-bedroom house, which measures about 98sq m/1,054sq ft, is set over several levels and has been designed by engineer firm Magahy Broderick. That engineered approach is evident in the choice of fixtures and fittings throughout, starting with the high-specification front door which opens into a parquet hall where a softly curved wall hides the staircase to the right leading up to kitchen level.

Breaking up any internal hard lines, the property’s two double bedrooms are set to the left – one to the front of the house, with a walk-in closet area to its rear and overlooking any off-street parked vehicle, and an adjacent shower room with twin head shower; the second is down some steps and located opposite the family bathroom. From this point there is direct access to a small triangular patch of lush grass shaded by a mature sea holly tree. Underfoot is Italian Montagne St Moritz porcelain paving, a lovely striated material that will look as good on a sunny day as it will on a rainy one in winter.

Steps lead from the bedroom up to a private outdoor terrace, hidden from view by a set of louvred steel privacy fins and also accessed via a large sliding glass door from the kitchen.

The kitchen has white lacquered units by Nolte and Italian Silstone counters supplied by Miller Brothers. The room is almost entirely glazed, a glass wall frames Ballsbridge village on one side and Anglesea Road on the other as well as a glass-sloped roof above, all of it is triple-glazed to help dial down the constant hum of passing traffic.

The kitchen is gorgeous but the roof overhead will require cleaning several times a year to rid it of tree sap and leaves from the greenery overhead. Despite the high-level og glazing the room feels secluded, although some of the windows may benefit from privacy blinds – the kind that lift from ground level to shield you from the neighbours without blocking any top-level light.

Up a step is the living room, a dual aspect space with some high-specification Artemide wall lighting and zoned heating.

Every room feels private and self-contained in this A-rated property which is asking €1.1million through agents Lisney.

• Nearby, number 3 Zardoz Court, a C-rated property, one of a terrace of four, three-storey, red-brick townhouses located adjacent to number one, measures 134sq metres/1,422sq ft, with off-street parking and a patio within a shared communal garden with river views, is asking €795,000 through agents O'Regan Consulting.