“You can just feel your blood pressure going down,” says the owner of Bunnow House, a superb waterside home about 15 minutes’ drive from the village of Sneem in Co Kerry. It’s not hard to see why: with uninterrupted sea views, its own jetty and boathouse, beside a crystal-clear sheltered cove, many would consider this a dream home tucked into the rugged Kerry coastline.
The owners purchased a house on the site in 2014, which bears little resemblance of what is now for sale through joint agents Sherry FitzGerald Country Homes and Sherry FitzGerald Daly in Kenmare. “We used the old house, which was bright yellow with blue windows, for a couple of years to get a feel for the place.”
They then engaged architect Mark Dignam (now of Meitheal Architects) to help them realise their dream home. They had lived in Australia and loved the beachside architecture in Sydney that uses lots of glass and steel. With that aesthetic in mind, the new home is inverted so that the living areas now take centre stage upstairs to maximise the views. Attention to building standards and energy efficiency was also paramount and the house now has an excellent B2 energy rating with the use of contemporary build systems.
The colour palette was chosen to mimic the surrounding colours of nature with hues from lichens, rhododendron, granite and the water all giving inspiration for the scheme, which blends into rather than intruding upon the scenery that surrounds it.
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The property, on more than seven acres, has three bedrooms, two of which are en suite. Upstairs, floor-to-ceiling glazing makes the most of the stunning views, which are just as superb during a storm, when the vagaries of the ocean let you know that Mother Nature is actually in charge.
Contemporary details such as polished concrete floors, a simple kitchen with no upper cabinets, and an all-white palette allow the natural world outside to act as the perfect backdrop to this 225sq m (2,422sq ft) house.
But it will be the location along the water that will seal the deal for new owners.
With a little beach for daily swims and a safe harbour, the family who live here catch mackerel and pollock for summer suppers. “One day it felt like a scene from David Attenborough’s Blue Planet, as there were tonnes of sprats leaping on to the rocks. When we looked to see what was happening, there was a huge shoal of mackerel pursuing the sprats and a large shoal of pollock giving chase too”.
The owners installed a lookout point with a fire pit along one of the many walks around the grounds, which exceed seven acres, and this spot gives even wider panoramic vistas.
As they farm in Co Cork, the attention required by the owners’ livestock means they are not getting to Sneem as much as they would like, so they have placed their slice of heaven on the market. It is now for sale seeking €1.65 million.
