Grosvenor Lane serves as a throughway between Leinster Road and Grosvenor Square, and four mews houses were built here in 2009 on the site of a coach house. HKR Architects designed the build on a site with a tight footprint – including the property now for sale at 11D – resulting in a building with extreme angles jutting out to the edge of the boundary granite walls. High-end materials make for a house that looks bang up to date, with sleek and streamlined interiors and an abundant source of light from clerestory windows and a double-height atrium.
A wooden electric fence rolls back to reveal a gravelled parking spot to the front of the house. The first floor is cantilevered out over the wooden front door which is offset by pale sandstone tiles. Heating is underfloor, and the Ber is a C1. The living area has a double-height atrium with huge windows facing south, flooding the livingroom with light. It has an excellent, custom-built media unit and storage and shelves that merge into the kitchen units.
The kitchen is by Kube, with grey units stretching to the ceiling and another bank of units surrounding the Siemens oven and fridge-freezer, and yet more units and storage in the central island, which has a waterfall marble counter. The countertops are also marble, as is the splashback.
A wooden block is fused into the island, creating a dining table which is quite a brilliant use of space, as the ground floor is shaped like an irregular hexagon – similar to a long rectangle with an isosceles triangle tacked on to it..
It feels, with all the unexpected angles and incredible light, like a home bigger than the 95sq m (1,022sq ft) that it is. There is storage under the stairs in the form of pull-out drawers, and a narrow wall covered in hanging space on the way to the guest WC to the right of the entrance hall.
Doors from the living area open on to the garden, a perfectly landscaped, maintenance-free zone built for entertaining with a large timber pergola with built-in seating, a composite deck and atmospheric lighting at night. It was recently installed and will make for a superb outdoor entertaining space, with privacy provided by a row of well-established copper beech trees running along the outside wall. Behind the kitchen is a small triangular terrace with access to the lane and more storage.
Marble stairs with glass balustrades lead to the first floor which begins with a balcony overlooking the ground floor. At either end of the wide balcony with timber floor is a bedroom with an en suite bathroom. The room to the front, the principal bedroom, has a handsome en suite with marble tiling and a walk-in wardrobe, and tranquil views of neighbour’s trees. The bedroom to the back is fitted out with a desk and shelving, so could be retained as a home office or used again as a bedroom. It has a wardrobe built into a triangular nook and an en suite with exquisite marble tiling and mosaic tiled floors in the shower.
An interesting architectural home, its features will prove ready talking points when guests come around. It’s in turnkey condition and the location is truly excellent. Rathmines village and its buses into town are only a few minutes’ walk away and the adjacent Grosvenor Square has Kenilworth Bowling Club and Stratford Lawn Tennis Club. Number 11D Grosvenor Lane, Rathmines, is on the market with Sherry FitzGerald, seeking €795,000.
