Malindi Lodge, a four-bedroom detached house on leafy Westminster Road in the South Dublin enclave of Foxrock, has everything a growing family needs for their busy lives. The one thing it doesn’t have, though, is a family bathroom, but when you realise that all four bedrooms have en suites – two of them so big and well fitted they might as well be family bathrooms – that tiny detail ceases to matter.
The original owners of Malindi Lodge had built it in 2004 on a 0.22-acre site, giving it a traditional appearance from the outside so it wouldn’t jar with the neighbouring houses, but going for a more modern style on the inside. The current owners bought it in 2018 and had to do very little work to upgrade it, apart from putting brighter colours in the kitchen and adding their own stamp on the place. They have also utilised the two-car garage as a gym room, complete with an array of full-sized exercise machines.
A striking feature of Malindi is its oak curved staircase with chrome balustrade that runs all the way up to the second-floor attic extension. This has detachable safety gates for toddlers so parents can feel secure no matter which floor they’re on. The owners also added a ledge on the first floor to fill the gap between landing and stairs. Both the ground and first floors have poured concrete floors, and there is zoned underfloor heating throughout. All the carpets, curtains and blinds are by Julianne Kelly Interiors and add a layer of luxury and warmth.
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Having lived happily here with their young family for the last five years, the owners have found a large old house in the neighbourhood which they are keen to refurbish, and so Malindi Lodge, at 297sq m (3,196sq ft) with B3 Ber, is for sale through Lisney Sotheby’s International Realty, seeking €1.95 million.
Malindi Lodge sits behind secure electronic gates, and a CCTV system offers added security. The large cobblelocked forecourt has parking for several cars. The entrance hall has tiled floors, ceiling coving and recessed lighting. There’s a cloakroom off the hall, and a shower room with fully tiled floors and walls, a fully tiled step-in shower and a feature wash-hand basin by Roca. To the right is the dual-aspect dining/livingroom, with a bay window to the front and French doors leading out to the rear patio. Both have pristine walnut floors and the livingroom to the back has a gas fireplace with a large limestone mantel and raised granite hearth. The diningroom to the front is currently the kids’ playroom/TV room.
French doors lead from the livingroom to the large kitchen/breakfast/family room, with a lovely bay window looking out to the private, south-facing back garden, plus French doors leading out to the garden. It’s fully tiled, and the kitchen is fully fitted with floor and eye-level units, a Miele double oven and a Bosch integrated dishwasher, plus a feature island with marble worktop. A window to the side brings more light to this exceptional space.
The spacious utility room has lots of built-in shelving, a stainless steel sink, Siemens fridge/freezer, wine rack, space for a washing machine and dryer, and rails for hanging laundry. A door leads out to the side, and another door leads in to the garage, which has lots of possibilities to be converted to another reception room or a home cinema/games room. As it stands, it’s a superb storage space with lots of cabinets and plenty of room for the family’s bikes, trikes, golf clubs and other sport equipment.
The four bedrooms on the first floor are all large doubles, and all with solid maple floors, with the principal bedroom suite to the back, overlooking the lovely rear garden. This room has a large walk-in dressingroom with ample shelf and hanging space, and the en suite has fully tiled floors and walls.
Also on this level is a large hot press, and a very handy study/home office with built-in mahogany shelving. The owners added in a mahogany desk and shelves to match the existing shelves.
The attic conversion on the second floor adds another 33sq m (355sq ft) to the overall size of the house, and it has its own fully tiled en suite, making it ideal as a guest bedroom suite, a teenage hideaway or an au pair’s accommodation.
The back garden isn’t huge, but it is private and professionally landscaped by Landart, enjoying a sunny aspect for most of the day, and with two patio areas for al fresco dining, plus a nice water feature.
Westminster Road is one of south Co Dublin’s most sought-after addresses, and Malindi Lodge is close to the N11 bus corridor and M50 motorway, and within easy reach of the Luas green line. Leopardstown Racecourse and Westwood leisure centre are nearby, as is the excellent amenity of Cabinteely Park. Dunnes Stores Cornelscourt and the Supervalu and Lidl in Deansgrange are handy, and schools in the area include St Brigid’s National School, St Patrick’s National School, Loreto College Foxrock and Kill o’ the Grange National School.
