Growing up in Dún Laoghaire, I misspent much of my teenage years playing in bands with my mates. We were gonna conquer the world with our punky tunes, but one thing we lacked was a proper rock musician’s pad. Rehearsing in the garages of our parents’ middle-class suburban semi-Ds was just not good for the street cred.
No 20 Wellington Street in Dún Laoghaire is the perfect rock muso’s pad: funky, quirky and oozing charisma and style. No surprise to find the owner is a musician himself — one of the four bedrooms has been adapted as a recording room, while his LP and CD collection leans heavily towards blues and soul.
The house, right in the heart of Dún Laoghaire, was formerly a vacuum cleaner repair shop, next door to the former Knowles electrical store, a landmark in the town. It was reimagined as a superb home in 2015 by the architect Mark Monaghan, who blended modern and exotic flavours while keeping everything practical for everyday living, and adding some nice design touches. When it last went on sale, in 2019, it was listed in The Irish Times as one of the top 10 houses to come on the market that year.
“When I saw it I was smitten,” says the owner. “It has suited me well, especially during lockdown when I was cocooning and working from home like the rest of the world.” His partner added many of her own decor ideas to really put the icing on this confection. Now, with expanded family circumstances, they’re ready to move on — albeit somewhat reluctantly.
The property extends to almost 146 sq m (1,572 sq ft), and has the added attraction of a delightful inner courtyard and a large roof terrace covering 55 sq m (600 sq ft), laid out with upcycled wood flooring, and with spectacular views over Dublin Bay. It’s the perfect place for summer entertaining, although the owner says he also uses it often during the winter months.
The architect cleverly turned the house upside down to maximise light in the living room-kitchen area and create a sense of calm and comfort in the three downstairs bedrooms.
Two of the bedrooms open on to an enclosed courtyard with high walls, which has been turned into a zen-like space for relaxing, with gravel underfoot, ivy, large potted plants and mirrors. Rather than vainly try to bring light in, the owner painted the walls a warm, dark blue to make it feel cosy and atmospheric.
There’s an en suite downstairs with tiled floor and walls, wall-mounted vanity unit and step-in shower cubicle with rainwater showerhead, plus a bathroom with lovely Metro brick-tiled floor and walls. The entrance hall has bright floor tiling with a distinctly eastern flavour, and a glazed front door brings light in. There’s a separate small storage room for bikes and bins that opens out to the street. Antique-style radiators add grace notes to this well-orchestrated home.
Upstairs, the open-plan living room/kitchen forms a large L shape, the living room stretching across the width of the house, with three large windows bringing light in, and the kitchen looking over the courtyard, with cream fittings, black-and-grey countertop, gas hob, Bosch electric oven and fully integrated appliances.
There’s a third bathroom on this floor, along with a spacious utility room with integrated fridge and freezer, countertop with ceramic sink, plumbed for washing machine and dryer, and plenty of space to do the ironing (ironing is the new rock ‘n’ roll, don’t you know).
Another flight of steps brings you up to a glazed lobby which leads to the roof terrace. There’s a nice spot where you can have your coffee and croissant while looking out on to Dublin Bay and Howth. The whole terrace is laid out with lots of greenery to add atmosphere, so you’ve got a peaceful retreat and a party place all in one.
New owners would need to enjoy the buzz of town living, and having Dún Laoghaire’s many amenities at their doorstep. It’s just a short walk down to the seafront for such activities as swimming, sailing and paddleboarding, to the pier and People’s Park for a stroll, to the Pavilion Theatre to catch a gig or to the DLR Lexicon library to just relax and read. It’s also handy for the restaurants of Monkstown and Glasthule.
Number 20 Wellington Street, with a BER rating of B3, is on sale through Sherry FitzGerald asking €945,000.
