Donnybrook/€1.8m: A large redbrick period home in D4 virtually has it all, reports Kate McMorrow.
A Victorian four-bedroom terraced house at 41 Marlborough Road in Donnybrook, Dublin 4 - it comes with a studio in the back garden - will appeal to buyers wanting to set up an office from home. The house, owned by publisher Treasa Coady and her architect husband Jim Coady, is set for auction on September 21st.
Agent Barry Smyth of De Vere White & Smyth is guiding a realistic €1.8 million. The figure is based on prices achieved on the avenue in recent months, such as the €1.7 million achieved last spring for a three-storey house opposite, while another property on the road fetched €1.8 million.
At 323 sq m (2,500 sq ft) with the additional 31.3 sq m (337 sq ft) of studio space, this is a house which will suit most families. Most striking on entering the two-storey over garden house is the magnificent cornicing and centrepieces in the hall and reception rooms - as ornate as you will see anywhere. The sittingroom and formal diningroom are linked by sliding doors, with almost-matching marble mantelpieces, old-fashioned fat radiators and lofty decorative ceilings.
The diningroom is lined with chunky bookshelves, painted cream to emphasise the books rather than the furniture. Concealed lighting overhead emphasises the fine ceiling plasterwork. Tall shuttered windows at each end spill natural light into both rooms.
A few steps down at the lower hall return is a pretty bedroom with wardrobes and guest toilet. Because of the tall flight of granite steps to the main entrance, the garden level is exceptionally bright. Here, the owners have created a comfortable family living area, with a kitchen, sittingroom, shower room and utility and its own front entrance. The cherrywood kitchen cupboards and curved breakfast bar are understated and classy, and there is a huge stone fireplace for cosy winter mornings. Sliding doors open to a spacious family sittingroom with cast-iron fireplace and glass doors to the back garden.
Along a corridor is the shower room, utility and a door to a shady terrace. Up the main mahogany-railed staircase is the first floor return, where the family bathroom is painted a gorgeous sage green. There is a bath, separate step-in shower and a guest toilet next door. Roof windows here and on the upper landing create good light in what is often a dark spot.
Three further bedrooms are on the first floor proper. The main bedroom faces front, with a bank of cream and taupe panelled wardrobes providing plenty of storage. A single bedroom with cupboards also faces front and a double bedroom overlooking the back has a good range of wardrobes and bookshelves.
Private, stone-walled and well cared for, the back garden is positioned to catch the afternoon sun, with jasmine and quince giving scent and autumn colour. At the bottom and partly screened by greenery is a large studio with kitchenette and shower and glass doors to a tiny terrace. A covered side passage leads to a door to the rear laneway.
