Regeneration in less than a generation: time was, Beechwood Avenue, both Upper and Lower, and their adjacent streets, were student flatland. These Victorian redbricks were home to very good parties, the sites of some memorable nights out and forgettable mornings after. Just 20 years later, all’s changed. You can see it from the shops, cafés and restaurants. The Morton’s supermarket, just round the corner, had a fancy facelift a good while back, the LUAS arrived, and these days Ranelagh could hardly be more desirable if it tried – though the impression is, it likes to keep trying.
57 Upper Beechwood Avenue is, from the outside, typical of a Ranelagh pad. Red brick, black-painted iron railings, a neat front garden, big bright sash windows, a tasteful, muted colour on the front door. Inside, it starts typically too, but then it extends. The current owners, who are moving in order to get even more family space, turned a two bed into a larger, more open three bed, and added another sizeable room that also serves as a bedroom at the very top in the eaves. So you now get 172sq m (1,851sq ft) of living space, in which the new is seamlessly integrated with the old.
That’s not to say the new parts are Victorian pastiche, in fact, the house is a lovely blend of what was integral and traditional with more modern elements where they’re appropriate. The owners have been very clever, carefully copying the banisters on the existing stairs, so that the flight up to the top appears to have been there forever; while opting for the modern in the new kitchen, and also in the bathrooms. “We’re perfectionists,” one of the owners tells me. And you can see it in touches including the wiring for Bang & Olufsen throughout, the recessed lighting in the master en suite, and the way the specially commissioned doors fold into the shower there, to create an easy flow of space and movement.
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There is a pair of original fireplaces in the drawingroom and inter-connected diningroom, while the family room is open to the breakfast room and kitchen.
The attention to detail in No 57 is exceptional, and the materials used throughout the house are first class. To employ the cliche, you could turn the key and walk in tomorrow. What might take you longer to notice and appreciate are all the small touches that give this house its comfort, style and ease of living.
The agents are Lisney, and it is for sale by private treatyfor €1.15 million.
Viewing is this Saturday from noon to 1pm and by appointment.
