Curzon Street, just off South Circular Road, is a stone's throw from Camden Street in the trendy Portobello district of Dublin 8. Number 5, set over three levels, lies mid-terrace and has been home since 2006 to its current owners, who are moving to a larger property to accommodate their growing family.
When purchased for about €1 million, the house had been entirely renovated, to include a new bathroom and kitchen extension, and an en suite was installed in the master bedroom on the first floor.
Clever installations such as a bridge in the stairwell, and skylight throw lots of light into the garden level, as does a wall of glass in the kitchen – which opens out to a small courtyard with climbing Chinese Wisteria, Acer palmatum and a chestnut tree.
The owners redecorated the house to include wainscoting and a banquette in the kitchen, which adds both warmth and texture to the room. The addition of a Danish log-effect gas stove adds instant heat on colder days.
At hall level is a wonderful light-filled drawing room with high ceilings and an open fire, and original pine flooring has been given a high-gloss varnish. A large door frame salvaged from a skip on Leeson Street, has been transformed into a backlit mirror – giving the illusion of more space. Now a focal point of the room, and a piece of upcycled artwork in itself, it is included in the sale.
The property has three bedrooms. At garden level lies a small double overlooking the courtyard, with the tiniest cast-iron fireplace, which still works a century and a half after its installation. Upstairs lie two further bedrooms, the master of which is en suite.
The property has a lovely calm feeling throughout, and contemporary effects marry well with period details. There is lots of storage throughout including a vast area with 5ft-high ceilings under the drawing room – currently used as a hideout by the family's children. The house is for sale through estate agent Sherry FitzGerald with an asking price of €650,000.
