A cottage in its own grounds which has been extensively revamped is for sale through Douglas Newman Good for €4.3 million.

The five-bedroom house on Ballycorus Road, in Kilternan, is the home of chef Eamon O'Reilly - famed for restaurants such as One Pico and Bleu Bistro Moderne.

The house has 371sq m (4,000sq ft) of living space with five bedrooms and several high ceilinged reception rooms.

This was not, however, what O'Reilly and his wife found when they bought the property four years ago. They saw potential in a small down-at-heel stone cottage (dating from around 1861) and built a new home around it. A generous parcel of land made this possible.

Post construction they still had two acres left over and the immaculately landscaped garden will be one of the main attractions to potential purchasers.

The major goal of the renovation was not to dominate the stone cottage with an out-of-proportion extension. Although now a large home, on entering the gravelled forecourt, the first impression isn't of an overwhelming house. The cottage's stone walls have been re-pointed and the new building is broken up into different sections rather than being one large block.

Once inside the front door is a large, specially commissioned, chimneypiece from Minnie Peters. To the right, in what was the entire floor area of the stone cottage, is a drawingroom with original windows on one side. Again the ceiling is exceptionally high. Hardwood floors run through the ground floor.

The other side of the house is given over to a vast room that combines kitchen, family and dining area.

To let in air and light, and to orient the house towards the view, this space has double-height windows and doors that open to a deck and the garden. O'Reilly says this has been a great entertaining space.

The kitchen units are in solid walnut with a white oak interior. Last year O'Reilly won Best Chef at the Irish Restaurant Awards and here he cooks on a smart stainless steel Britania range.

Also on the ground floor are four double bedrooms, two with en suites, and a family bathroom. Almost every window offers pretty views of the garden and Wicklow hills beyond.

The first floor is given over to the main bedroom and a large en suite, clad in a lovely pale stone. There are windows and balconies on two sides of the room. There's also a home office at this level.

Outside is a large wood structure that is used as a gym and games room for O'Reilly's children. This includes a kitchenette.