One of Foxrock’s finest houses, a piece of “Old Foxrock”, is for sale. Long-time resident Maureen Arnold is downsizing and selling Kenure, a classic Edwardian detached house on one acre on Westminster Road.
Built in the earlier years of the 20th century it has had two significant makeovers under its current owners, the first in the late 1990s and again at the height of the boom in 2007. What has resulted is a stunning, five-bedroom house, where the many reception rooms flow into each other and every room is decorated in a comfortable contemporary style that would easily fit on the pages of an interior design magazine.
The size at 510sq m (5,490sq ft) gives an idea how spacious Kenure feels and it’s in walk-in condition.
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There’s also a separate mews to the side – possibly created out of old stable buildings – with a home office as well as a gym downstairs with its own steam room, and a bedroom and livingroom upstairs.
Conservation area
Kenure is in an architectural conservation area and so the first renovation, which included a two-storey extension to the side, a single storey at the rear and a double garage, had to be architecturally sympathetic. It was designed to look seamless with redbrick and white painted render and with red roof tiles and timber detailing.
The real makeover that has all the hallmarks of a money-no-object project took place in 2007, and transformed the interior.
Added at that time was a top of the range Bulthaup kitchen in a vast bright room looking out to the front, large en suites for every room, each finished with Travertine tiled walls and floors, as well as wide plank limed oak flooring downstairs.
Dmod Architects, which oversaw the renovation, has described the work as comprehensive and included significant external upgrading of the roof and windows, redecoration and landscaping.
New services such as underfloor heating were all integrated sensitively into the fabric of the house, it adds.
Over time the original Edwardian layout has changed. There’s a square reception hall with a large Adams-style fireplace and to the left two interconnecting reception rooms. To the right is a formal diningroom with a turreted front bay window and this leads into the kitchen via a butler’s pantry.
The bright modern kitchen has three rooms off it looking out over the back garden; a sunroom, another diningroom and an informal livingroom.
Two staircases
Off this is a contemporary staircase tucked into one corner that leads to the fifth bedroom. The other four bedrooms, all doubles, are off the original Edwardian staircase. The main one is vast having been created by knocking two bedrooms together and extending to the side for a marble en suite bathroom with an enormous egg-shape bath.
This bedroom was designed with heaps of storage – two cupboards just for shoes are concealed behind panelling, as well as a wall of mirrored Tisettanta wardrobes.
Outside the landscaping is mature now, the rear garden was designed by Diarmuid Gavin to complement the age and style of the house. It is laid out in lawn, with a large paved patio as well as hidden seating spaces, a pond and a meandering woodland walk. At the front, behind a tall hedge and electric gates is also now a mature attractive garden, as pretty as the house, and with parking for six or more cars.
If Kenure sells at, or close to, its asking price of €5.5 million through agent Sherry FitzGerald and Christie’s International Real Estate, it will be the most expensive house in Foxrock for many years.
The houses that came nearest, though still a long way off this heady figure, are both on Westminster Road: Stanford House, a very different older property on significantly larger grounds with stables and a paddock, aimed for €5 million in 2013 and eventually changed hands more than a year later for €3 million; and more recently Brynogue.
It is very similar in looks, age and size to Kenure, though without the contemporary high-end makeover but with half an acre more of gardens. It came on the market in 2012 for €4.5 million. It sold quickly, in less than six months, which is lightning fast at this end of the market, but for €3.45 million – more than a million euro drop.
Others in Foxrock considering trading down will be keeping a keen eye on what happens to Kenure.
