The owner of this house just outside Enniskerry likes a project: when he bought the newly built home in Sika Woods, a development of just 47 houses backing on to the Powerscourt Estate five years ago, he changed nearly everything to suit his taste.
His revamp of the kitchen, livingroom and diningroom included a cabinet that incorporates a TV, a bar and a flame-effect fireplace. A downstairs bathroom got a glamorous makeover with glittery tiles, and 16 solar panels on the roof brought the house from an A2 to an A1 Ber.
Now he’s looking for another project, and 45 Sika Woods, a semidetached 173sq m (1,862sq ft) three-storey four-bed (plus a study) – bought for €575,000 in 2020 – is for sale for €995,000 through Sherry FitzGerald.
The overall look of number 45 – designed by Michelle Burnett of Cush Interiors – is quite masculine, with lots of maroon, grey and dark-blue walls as well as funky artwork, smart bathrooms with goldish/black Dekton-topped vanity units and dramatic light fixtures. It’s hyper-neat and in walk-in condition.
In a feature on the house’s makeover in an interiors magazine, designer Burnett’s objective was described as to give the house “a dark and moody ambience reminiscent of a chic, upscale hotel”.
The L-shaped dining, kitchen and living area opens off the left of the neat front hall, where a corner nook is fitted with a velvety-grey seat. The kitchen has a large island unit topped with pale grey/black quartzite: underneath is a 46-bottle wine fridge, and the sink has a Quooker tap. There’s space for three mulberry-coloured velvety chairs on one side of the island, matching the diningroom chairs.
The owner replaced all the original cabinetry in the house, upstairs and down, with carpentry from Kelly Interiors in Naas: the cabinetry alone cost €70,000, he says.
The kitchen cabinets are a deep charcoal grey, walls in the livingroom a slightly paler grey called Sharkskin. The living area is wide, with 12ft-high ceilings and a wall of glass doors/windows open on to the back good-sized tiered back garden. It features an entertainment centre cabinet that incorporates a bar and an electric fireplace.
A large deep purple-and-red custom-made rug (that cost €10,000) from Ceadógan Rugmakers in Wexford covers the livingroom floor. All the floors downstairs are pale matt engineered oak, with underfloor heating.
The downstairs toilet is glamorous, with glass-beaded wallpaper, a dramatic painting and a floor tiled with glittery goldish/black mosaic tiles from Bisazza.
A floor-to-ceiling mirror dominates the first floor return, beside a window that looks across to the Dublin Mountains. There are three double bedrooms, a family bathroom and a utility room on the first floor, convenient for handling laundry. All bedrooms are smartly fitted, with fitted wardrobes, padded headboards and floating bedside tables. The two bedrooms at the front have glazed doors opening on to a shared balcony, looking over a communal green.
The good-sized double guest bedroom at the back looks over to Powerscourt golf course and has an en suite, where half-shutters on the window ensure privacy. The vanity unit is topped with goldish/black Dekton Trilium, a stone-type material from Cosentino.
A small landing on the top floor is fitted with a comfy chair and a dramatic spider-like lamp fitting. The main bedroom and a study are on this floor. The study, with a vaulted ceiling, is fitted with a built-in desk and a window seat with storage underneath. On a good day, there are views from here of Bray Head and the sea in the distance.
Next to the study is the main bedroom, with vaulted ceiling and a balcony enjoying the same views. A good-sized walk-though wardrobe opens into another smart bathroom with a large walk-in shower and a Dekton-topped vanity unit.
The house has an air-to-water heat pump and mechanical ventilation system, an EV charger and surround-sound system.
A patio at the back of the house opens on to a tiered lawn. It backs on to the Powerscourt Estate, and a gate lodge on the estate can be glimpsed through tall trees. There’s parking for two cars at the front of number 45.
All the fixed items in the house are included in the sale but there’s an option to buy furniture and other items – curtains, light fixtures (all from Hicken Lighting), Ceadógan rug, commissioned artwork and the designer lamp in the livingroom separately.
Sika Woods is a development of 47 houses a little over a kilometre up a hill outside Enniskerry village. It was built by developer Winterbrook in 2020 and consists of two separate sets of houses linked by a walkway. Each circles around a green space fitted with modern wooden benches.
