Interior designer’s eclectic home in Clontarf for €425,000

Formerly an art studio built on the site of an old garage, number 14A Victoria Villas has since been converted to a one-bedroom residence complete with an outdoor terrace on each level. It was last bought by interior designer Caroline Flannery, who has created a stylish, eclectic home.

Tucked in to the side of a row of period redbricks, from the street you first see the rear aspect of the property, including the opaque glass panes of the first-floor balcony.

Walking around to access the front door – painted an inviting mustard hue – you enter the property into a porch where you can hang your coat, before stepping into a bright hallway with two floor-to-ceiling windows ahead of you, looking out to the rear terrace. There is ample room in the hallway for the large drawer unit currently in situ, or you could put a chair and bookshelves here if you wanted to.

The open-plan kitchen/dining/livingroom is to the left of the hall, through a floor-to-ceiling glass door. In choosing her kitchen, Flannery ensured she would have plenty of storage space as she loves to cook and has an array of herbs and spices to prove it. White handleless units conceal drawers, shelved cupboards, under-sink bin storage and a fridge-freezer. Flannery also had a filter tap fitted for convenience. A mottled mirror splashback above the sink reflects the outdoor terrace space to the rear and there is inset shelving in the side to display books.

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As most of the furniture was custom-built for the space, Flannery is happy to sell some of it along with the property (subject to negotiation), including the substantial dining table, over which is a modern chandelier-style hanging light fixture, and the comfy tan leather chairs that accompany it.

Laminate wood flooring continues into the living area, which features a built-in TV and display unit and a shelf built over the long radiator to the rear of the sofa – the blue velvet corner unit also has a pull-out bed for guests. The living area has a sliding door which opens out to the rear southwest-facing terrace.

With no-maintenance composite decking, the terrace has a Parisian-style blue-striped awning which you can crank out to save you from showers. This comes in handy when people come over, says Flannery, and the party can flow between inside and outside – festoon lighting adds to the vibe when the sun goes down.

Back in the hallway, there is a guest WC that has rattan textured wallpaper and gold accents. There is also concealed storage under the stairs, including a slot for the washing machine.

The windows visible from the ground floor hallway continue up to the bedroom on the first floor, where there is also a row of clerestory windows and a wall of glazing facing out to the balcony. This abundance of light was ideal for an artist’s studio but is not exactly restful for a bedroom. Luckily, Flannery has taken care of that by installing remote-controlled blackout blinds on the clerestory windows and bespoke fabric panels for the panes either side of the glazed door leading on to the balcony.

The bedroom is painted the rich Obsidian Green shade by Little Green, with a bespoke green velvet headboard. There is also a shower room en suite and, at the top of the stairs, a built-in desk for working from home complete with inset shelving.

With hopes to move to a house with a guest bedroom and a larger garden to try her hand at vegetable growing, Flannery has placed her eclectic home on the market through DNG, seeking €425,000.

Measuring 63sq m (678sq ft), the house has an excellent B3 Ber, keeping bills relatively low, and, Flannery says, she rarely needs to turn the heating on, and when she does, it just needs an hour to heat the whole place.

The Dart stop at Clontarf Road is a 10-minute walk away, and plenty of bus routes to the city centre pass nearby, including the number 15, which is handy for Rathmines and Ranelagh, Flannery says. There are also plenty of places for walks nearby, including along Clontarf promenade, and several gigs are held at nearby Fairview Park as well as a Sunday market at St Anne’s Park.

*Updated on May 31st, 2024, at 9am