32 Oakley Road: €1.8mNumber 32 Oakley Road has been restored with great style. Jane Powers reports
Oakley Road in Ranelagh is a quiet road with an eclectic mix of houses. Large detached residences set back from the road, Victorian terraces, and older blocks of apartments are all to be found here. Number 32 is a west-facing, terraced, four-bedroom redbrick built in the 1840s. It is to be auctioned by Sherry FitzGerald on October 13th, when it is expected to fetch at least €1.8 million.
The owners have completely renovated the 222 sq m (2,400 sq ft) property over the last few years. No expense has been spared, and no detail has been overlooked.
The last fixtures (a pair of wall-mounted lamps in the back garden) went up just a month ago, so there is a definite aura of newness about the place. The next owners will have a difficult job finding anything that needs rejuvenating. The refurbishment was overseen by designer Rachel Hall, and is a well-composed symphony of good taste. Toffee-brown carpets flow through the house, while the walls (except for the odd dash of colourful excitement) are creamy and pale. The house interior is the visual equivalent of tucking into a beautifully-made and comforting creme caramel.
The front door opens into an unexpectedly roomy hall, with an adjoining lavatory. The interconnected drawingroom and diningroom are tailor-made for entertaining: there was no door linking them, so the owners put in a set of folding doors, and an elaborate architrave that looks as if it is original.
Matching marble mantels have been restored to look as if they have been moulded out of icing sugar. The kitchen, created by Design House in Dalkey, is downstairs, and has birch cupboards with black granite work tops, and Bosch integrated appliances.
It opens into a light-filled extension, a red-birch-floored familyroom with two sets of French windows opening onto an Indian sandstone patio. The stylish garden was designed by Paul Doyle, whose "Garden of Solitude" was the winner at this year's MyHome.ie Spring House & Garden Show at the RDS.
The guest bedroom (a double) is upstairs on the hall floor return, while there are three further bedrooms (one is a single) on the first floor, along with the family bathroom. The main bedroom is linked to its en suite bathroom by a meticulously organised dressingroom clad in cherry wood storage space. The bathroom is a sumptuous room with limestone flooring and a separate bath and shower cubicle.
