Dublin 8: €1.75mLoft in The Warehouse has been given the lavish treatment, writes Alanna Gallagher
A large loft-style apartment in The Warehouse development off Clanbrassil Street, Dublin 8, is on the market through Felicity Fox at €1.75 million.
The 204sq m (2,195sq ft) duplex has two bedrooms as well as an office with separate entrance, guest suite and immense living/kitchen/dining area.
With floor-to-ceiling heights of three metres this is a space capable of making bold style statements.
The vendors' collection of antiques and objets d'art with Thai, Chinese, Burmese and Indian elements play a central role in the look and feel of this chic and comfortable apartment.
Downstairs the living space is open plan with a wraparound balcony and windows with wide vistas of the Dublin mountains.
The ever changing city skyscape adds light and shade to the special effect paints created by Cindy Bartly, who also did the interior of Jeremy Irons' Cork Castle. Mica chip wallpaper panels offer additional texture to the walls.
In one corner, the L-shapedash kitchen is characterised by Sub Zero refrigerated drawers as well as an upright wine unit and dual fridge freezer unit.
Gaggenau steam and convectional ovens, tappenaki grill and wok-sized gas plate and four-ring hob offer a variety of cooking options. A Bulthaup central island with butcher block and breakfast bar with granite worktops frame this workspace. Adjacent to the breakfast bar is the dining area.
The living area features twin sofas. An opium table as coffee table provides another talking point.
A Gary Daly triptych hangs on the stairs to the second floor, which is more introverted in its identity. The mezzanine master bedroom has direct access onto the apartment's second south-east facing wraparound balcony. Views include the spires of Christchurch and St Patrick's.
Back inside, the bespoke wardrobes feature a wooden jali screen, Indian in design, backed by bronze paper to add lustre. At 5m long and 1m deep the wardrobe provides ample storage as well as decoration. A Japanese temple architrave was built into the master bedhead by Merrion Square Interiors.
The second room on this floor is used as a home office cum dressing room. It has its own separate entrance so business needn't mix with the personal aspects of the home.
This room is more masculine in mood and features anthracite grey, paper-backed felt walls as well as custom-built cabinets and wardrobe storage on three of its four walls.
The master bathroom is off this room. Chinese tiles cover the floor. A peek-a-boo window into the bedroom opens the room to daylight. It is camouflaged using another jali screen.
His and hers sinks, with Philippe Starck chrome fixtures, offer ample room to manouvre in the mornings. All toiletries are obscured by the mirror-fronted cabinets at eye level with more built-in storage below sink level.
The second bedroom is designed as a separate guest suite. It is accessed through a gold-leaf print-gallery that acts as an antechamber.
The mood is an over-the-top extravaganza that could have been designed by Tutankhamen, if he had a Versace fetish. Hidden behind some cupboard doors are the washing machine and drier.
Elements that the next owners can look forward to include bespoke silk curtains, wooden blinds and copious amounts of secret storage, which, incidentally, includes a private room complete with safe, the location of which, will only be revealed to the next owner.
This home was the first Irish property to feature in Andrew Martin's Design Review, an annual coffee table tome.
With less than one per cent of apartments in the capital designed on this scale, this is a property that offers urban outfitters the opportunity to go wild, without having to leave the city limits.
