Not many rooms can accommodate a 15ft-high (4.5m) tree at Christmas, but the drawing room at Killiney Lodge on Seafield Road has ample room. Ceilings of Grecian proportions, and framed with detailed cornicing soar to 16 feet in the reception rooms on the upper floor.
In Regency style, the Victorian property dating from 1872 is totally secluded behind high walls and mature trees – just minutes from the beach in Killiney. The 302sq m (3,250sq ft) house has been home to the current owners for the past 19 years, and has been used over the past decade to accommodate guests. It is described by travel site Alastair Sawday as private, secluded and civilized.
Yet it does not feel like a guest house – with the exception of a rather large utility at garden level, which comes complete with a wine cellar with a capacity for 300 bottles.
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Up the granite steps – the railings of which are hidden under a blanket of clematis armandii – is a small glass porch which leads into a gracious reception hall.
Detailed cornicing catches the eye, illuminated by an unusual arched window, which sits high above the return.
Ornate marble
The elegant drawing room and dining room – flank the hallway and feature early Victorian fireplaces with ornate marble mantles.
Original sash windows with working shutters, are in proportion to the tall ceilings, and allow an abundance of light and views to a croquet lawn, which is framed by specimen trees – the highlight of which is a white Abutilon – with its saucer-sized petals in full bloom.
A bedroom fit for a princess is located at this level and the owners cut the legs off the bed – because it was so high it required a set of steps to climb in.
Adjacent lies an en suite, bathroom which links to a second room and this would make a super nursery or reading room.
Across the hall the owners decided to install a mezzanine and divide the room in two. So now there are two bedrooms, with upstairs accessed via a spiral staircase. Purists may baulk at this – as the ceiling heights are one of the features of the house, but the new ceiling can be taken down quite easily and the room reinstated to its former grandeur.
Downstairs is the heart of the house with rooms off a square hall. There is a real sense of relaxation at this level which is in complete contrast to the rather grand upstairs.
The kitchen is in perfect condition despite its 20 years, and features a four-door cobalt blue Aga cooker which sits on terrazzo flooring. French doors open out onto split level flagstone patios – laden with colourful shrubs.
To the side, a former glasshouse was removed and in its place now lies a wonderful Victorian style conservatory – which is the family’s favourite room, where they host candlelit dinner parties around a hunting table.
An old courtyard, where original sheds and scullery were located was roofed in, and this is the only tell-tale that the house has been used as guest accommodation.
There is an abundance of storage, two dishwashers, and a drying press. Over this lies a guest room which would suit an au pair.
Butler’s pantry
New owners have the option to amalgamate the vast utility with the current kitchen to create a very spacious open plan unit with light flooding in from three sides of the property.
A pretty living room, two further bedrooms, a family bathroom and a butler’s pantry complete the garden level.
Outside, the gardens which occupy 0.5 of an acre, curve around the driveway, with further pockets lying off many sets of French doors. A walnut tree is home to a red squirrel who collects the nuts in autumn, and a carpet of wild strawberries lies around a wooden chalet, which is used as a playroom.
Killiney Lodge is a wonderful spot and, though elegant and gracious, it has the balance of a relaxed family home. For sale through estate agent Lisney with an asking price of €1.95 million.
