Four townhouses in the south city's redbrick heartlands come to the market with their period features restored and stylish modern additions
Portobello: € 825,000: From the outside, 28 Curzon Street in Dublin 8 looks much like any other Victorian villa-style house on the street. Inside, the owners have paid such attention to detail that even the berries on the tree outside the drawingroom window blend in with the decor.
The three-bedroom house is so well planned and inviting it would make even the most competent interior designer sit up and take notice. Built in 1838 and renovated under architect supervision five years ago, the 136sq m (1,464sq ft) house off the South Circular Road will be auctioned on September 29th. HOK Residential expects it to fetch over €825,000.
The drawingroom is traditional elegance to a tee with a high corniced ceiling, ornate cast-iron fireplace and well-worn original wide plank floors.
Two of the bedrooms are at entrance level, a pretty single room with a cast-iron fireplace and a double bedroom with the addition of a hidden laundry chute carved into the timber floor which dispenses dirty clothes into a basket in the walk-in-wardrobe below. Excavation works to give the garden level extra height has transformed it from oppressive and dark to a light-filled airy space. A glass door to the yard, a large bay window and a triple skylight contribute to the dazzling brightness as you enter the room.
Long narrow radiators on either side of the kitchen look curiously like art installations and the petrol blue fitted kitchen with chrome splash backs contrasts perfectly with bright orange accessories. A window seat has been placed over custom-designed storage units and a hidden wine rack. A door from the dining area leads out to a secluded cobbled courtyard, which although only five years old, looks as if it's been around as long as the house. Lush shrubbery arranged by Oliver and Liat Schurman of Mount Venus nurseries is fringed by a stone wall.
A wetroom at garden level has a tiled floor and heated towel rail. On the opposite side of the hall a bathroom is a perfect place to relax. It has a stereo hi fi discreetly sunk into the ceiling and illuminated shelving with plenty of space for books and candles. A marble top unit masks the pipes of the sink and the toilet cistern.
The room that will capture the imagination of potential female buyers is the walk-in wardrobe straight out of Sex and the City. It has a clothes rail, a generous shoe rack, full length mirror and loads of smart cream presses and cupboards.
The third bedroom is a double that has been professionally sound-proofed. It could be used as a study with two phone lines, a broadband connection, book shelves, CD storage space, and fitted wardrobes and cupboards.
Off the rear hall is understairs storage and a utility area with space for a washer and dryer. A door leads out to the basement steps. Parking is on-street by residents disc.
Ranelagh: € 950,000 Number 46 Chelmsford Road was last on the market less than two years ago and then it took quite a while to sell - an unusual thing for a house a few paces from Ranelagh village.
The reason for the sluggish sale was that the end-of-terrace redbrick was in poor condition and the couple who bought it had to embark on a major renovation project. It's now back on the market, completely done-up right down to the Farrow and Ball wallpaper, and it's for auction by Sherry FitzGerald on September 28th with a guide of €950,000.
Aside from the basics, the renovation included getting the decorative details right, down to replacing missing cornices and fireplaces, and laying a reclaimed oak floor in the hall and reception rooms. It has been decorated throughout in a stylish and fashionable way -- pale painted floorboards upstairs, white walls everywhere and rooms with pretty wallpaper on one wall only, a designer detail that features large in interiors magazine.
Inside, the layout is typical of houses of the period with two interconnecting reception rooms. Double doors open out from the back reception room onto a decked patio that leads down to a sandstone covered area. There were a couple of smaller rooms in the back return but these have been knocked through to create a bright eat-in kitchen with custom-built wooden units with integrated appliances. A gas stove is in an alcove and there is access to the patio through double doors.
Upstairs, there are three double bedrooms, the largest one runs the width of the house to the front, while the back bedroom has an en suite shower room. The third bedroom is in the return beside the family bathroom.
This is a busy road with limited parking and the house has a garage at the back, accessed from Ranelagh Road. The owner says it fits two cars.
Next door is a motorbikes shop for which there are plans for a modest development of apartments.
Rathgar: €1.25m Agent Felicity Fox is guiding €1.25 million for 5 Waverley Terrace in Rathgar, Dublin 6.
This recently restored house has three bedrooms, a study, interconnecting drawing and diningrooms, a familyroom, utility room, kitchen and a family bathroom. About 3kms from the city centre, it also has a large rear garden with a Barna shed and a carport with electric gates.
The main reception rooms have white marble fireplaces and ceiling coving while the kitchen has custom-made units and an American-style fridge/freezer.
Upstairs, the main bedroom is en suite with a marble-surround fireplace.
Portobello: €850,000 A typical terraced redbrick in this popular neighbourhood, number 41 Victoria Street is a spacious two-bedroom house with an immaculately refurbished interior.
It’s for sale by private treaty through Felicity Fox, at €850,000. With 155sq m (1,650sq ft) it has a two lofty interconnecting reception rooms and, at the back of the house, an atmospheric kitchen with exposed brick walls and a central island designed for a serious cook.
The kitchen leads through to a conservatory style diningroom overlooking the patio garden. Upstairs, the two bedrooms share a grandiose bathroom with free standing bath and a fireplace.
