Monkstown villa-style apartments fit for a king

Co Dublin: from €950,000: A scheme of five luxury apartments just off the Monkstown Road has created quite a stir

Co Dublin: from €950,000: A scheme of five luxury apartments just off the Monkstown Road has created quite a stir. Orna Mulcahy, Property Editor, reports

Five luxury apartments in a newly built block modelled on a Georgian house at Monkstown Road in Monkstown, Co Dublin go on the market today with prices ranging from €950,000 to €1.3 million.

The development, called Kings Villa, is located beside Montpelier Parade and the upper floor apartments have views down to the sea and beyond to the Howth peninsula.

Buyers trading down from larger houses in the area are prominent on a list of over 100 people who have contacted the selling agent, Davin, since work began on the scheme some months ago.

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There's been so much interest, in fact, that Davin has been showing the building to those on the list, and will do so again this evening.

The apartments - two duplex three-bedroom units on the ground and basement levels, two two-bedroom apartments on the first floor and an impressive two-bedroom penthouse - don't officially go on sale until next week, but it's likely that a few will be optioned before then.

Sean Davin describes them as five-star and, for once, it's not a case of estate agent hyperbole.

Unusually, the developers, the Galway-based Burke Staunton Partnership, have opted to furnish them out completely - the penthouse comes with piles of fluffy white towels - to appeal to people who want a turnkey home that they can move a toothbrush into and just as easily lock up and leave. Design is by Horan Keogan Ryan.

The cool, contemporary decor will appeal to a wide range of buyers, while the furniture, much of which is quite dark and club like, is likely to attract male buyers.

Underfloor heating, sophisticated bathroom fittings, high-spec kitchen appliances including Miele cappuccino makers, are all part of the package while the walls are decorated with beautifully framed prints and lithographs.

Bathrooms come with marble floors and power showers with massage jets.

Kings Villa is an impressive three-storey over garden level building standing on a large walled site. Security is tight, with coded access by both the front door and inner porch.

It was necessary to demolish a previous house on the site to build the double fronted block, which sits well back from the road with a landscaped courtyard entered through electronic gates.

To the rear is a surprisingly large walled and landscaped back garden.

The front door of the building opens into a wide hallway with the staircase and lift on one side, and access to the first two apartments - near identical 144 sq m (1,550 sq ft) duplex units.

These have wide, welcoming hallways, a large livingroom overlooking the back garden and a superbly fitted kitchen with an open hatch from the livingroom, all colour-coded in warm cream and terracotta.

The main bedroom suite and family bathroom are at this level, while a second en suite bedroom, a study and large storage room are downstairs. A second duplex is similar in layout and decorated in cool blue tones. On the first floor are two very large 102.2 sq m (1,100 sq ft) two-bedroom apartments, again furnished to a top spec. Sitting/diningrooms open onto balconies, one looking south-west, the other with views of Dublin Bay.

At 122 sq m (1,313 sq ft) and just two bedrooms, a sense of spaciousness pervades the glamorous penthouse apartment. This has private lift access and a terrific layout, with a large kitchen lit by skylights and top of the range appliances that include a fashionably vast gas cooker. A soft cream colour theme emphasises the abundance of natural light.

Opening off the kitchen on one side is a dining area, while on the other side is a well-fitted utility room. There is also a door through to the large livingroom which has the best sea views in the house and windows on three sides.

Both bedrooms will take a double bed, with an en suite shower off the largest room and a separate family bathroom.

Communal areas at Kings Villa are just as sumptuous, with marble floors and a beautifully landscaped shared garden with shrubberies, walkways and a folly. Two car-parking spaces per apartment are included in the price.