CO WICKLOW: €750,000An artist's former house has views of the Sugarloaf mountains and is close to Avoca Handweavers
ESCAPING THE rat race of the city to live in splendid isolation is an alluring idea on paper, but in real life the rural idyll often proves to be too far from the action. Kiloran is a sweet, gingerbread-style house boasting some of the Garden of Ireland’s best views as well as proximity to some city-slicker trappings such as restaurants and boutiques.
Secreted off the pulsing N11 in the townland of Glencormac, the property, a former artist’s retreat, is accessed by one of the most pot-holed roads in Ireland. But don’t let that put you off. It has picture-perfect views of Co Wicklow’s two landmark mountains: the Big Sugarloaf and the Little Sugarloaf.
The three-bedroom dormer cottage is set on two acres of mature south- and west-facing gardens. It was once owned by textile artist Aileen Johnston, an embroidery specialist who has also illustrated children’s books, and it retains an artistic je ne sais quoi.
The current owner is tech wizard Bobby Healy, one of the Healy brothers who set up Cartrawler, a specialist software that supplies car rentals to airlines.
The 228sq m (2,454sq ft) property has an asking price of €750,000 through agents Daphne Kaye. It has featured in two interior magazines: 25 Beautiful Homes and Homes Interiors and Living.
Built 15 years ago, the house looks like it’s been there for decades. A Liscannor slate path takes you to the front door and a small granite porch. Wisteria cloaks these external walls. Inside, the decor is east-coast American. The double-height hall has Hamptons-style painted floor boards and a gallery landing.
Double doors lead through to the dual-aspect sitting room, which has a raised redbrick hearth. The room has lovely, period-style recessed arched wood windows which are double glazed and smart-looking radiator cabinets. Nutmeg-stained white pine floorboards run through to the adjoining Hamptons built conservatory. This room overlooks the garden and the not-so-faraway Sugarloaf mountains and has Sanderson automated blinds to help insulate against the cold in winter and to cool the room in summer.
The conservatory opens out onto an Indian sandstone patio that wraps around the house.
The Chalon kitchen is located off the sitting room and features salvaged roof beams and solid teak countertops. The cream-painted fittings include a smart island and a pot rack overhead as well as wall-hung wine racks. There are windows along the two external walls of the room. At one end is a Lacanche range. It is surrounded by polished black granite worktops. The floor has salvaged quarry tiles.
Off the kitchen is a small study or den. This was Johnston’s artist’s studio when she lived here. Also off the kitchen is a small utility room.
There are three bedrooms upstairs under the eaves, all with off-white painted floorboards.
The master bedroom enjoys views of the Big Sugarloaf from its gable-end windows and additional views of the Little Sugarloaf from a roof-light on the adjoining wall. The master ensuite bathroom has a cast-iron bath and separate rainwater shower. The other two rooms are spacious doubles.
There is an attic space that has chipboard flooring and roof lights installed but still needs to be insulated and plastered to make it a functioning attic room.
Outside in the sylvan setting there are pear and apple trees as well as magnolia, cherry blossom, ash and sycamore.
A five-minute walk along a nearby path leads you to Avoca Handweavers in Kilmacanogue, where you can dine in their Fern House cafe in the evenings, or enjoy mid-
morning coffee or afternoon tea in their daytime café. It’s the best of city life supplanted to a rural setting – interrupted only by the hum of traffic speeding south to Wexford and north to Dublin.
Also on the property is a small, two-stable building and a log cabin that is wired and insulated, where Healy first worked developing the Cartrawler software.
Kiloran, Glencormac, Co Wicklow
Description: Three-bedroom cottage with separate two-stable building and log cabin
Agent: Daphne Kaye
