TV presenter Liz O'Kane and architect Rory O'Reilly have restored a D6 Victorian while adding some contemporary touches, writes Orna Mulcahy, Property Editor

Liz O'Kane, a presenter of Househunters and House in the Sun on RTÉ1, and Rory O'Reilly, architect, have combined their knowledge about houses and building design to turn Hillcrest, their Victorian home, into a family dwelling in which original and contemporary features live happily together in 222sq m (2,400sq ft) of light-filled floor space.

In between times Liz, who is a sister of comedian Deirdre O'Kane, has set up Get-Sorted, a business which aims to do the work for those buying or searching for a new home.

Hillcrest, at 11 Leinster Road West, Rathmines, Dublin 6 was one of the first houses built on the road in the 1850s and got its name because it was at the top of a (these days very gradual) slope. Double-fronted and semi-detached, it has four bedrooms, four reception rooms and a kitchen/breakfast room. Sherry FitzGerald, with an AMV of €2.4 million, have set an auction date for June 8th.

When they bought Hillcrest in 2002, Rory O'Reilly says they were "in a hurry to make a home and went the whole hog, quickly. Hillcrest, not being a protected structure, made the job easier."

Carefully keeping period detail intact, they modernised the existing house and added a contemporary garden room to the rear.

With the nearby church as a dramatic backdrop, this brings a new dimension to the house, as well as an extra 37sq m (400sq ft). A couple of glass walls are angled to catch the evening sun and an underheated, Italian marble floor means it can be used all year round.

The rear garden and decking together stretch to a lawned and landscaped 95ft with, at the end, a row of sentinel Cyprus trees guarding another area of decking.

Architectural design details abound indoors. The kitchen and garden room are linked by a study area with glazed glass roof and walnut flooring. Kitchen units are the palest, opaque green and the once separate reception rooms now have interconnecting double doors made to exactly match similar doors on the first floor. Shades of white, mellow timber floors and splashes of colour make the most of ceiling heights, the sweep of landing and stairs.

On the preservation side, there are seven original, working fireplaces, shuttered, sash windows, cornicing, picture rails, floorboards and, in the hallway, the original, central light fitting. A coloured glass door at the end of the ground floor return leads unexpectedly into the garden.

On the first floor return, where a new sash window has been installed to cleverly fit with the original fanlight, there is a guest toilet to one side and shower room to the other.

What was once a first floor, front-facing bedroom is now a family bathroom with marble floors and walls and a strip of pendant lighting hanging from the high ceiling.

The bedrooms have polished floors and fireplaces.