You would need a good grasp of trigonometry to design the penthouse apartments at 143 Merrion Road, and it’s clear that Maxime Laroussi of award-winning architects Urban Agency knows all the angles. The company designed this striking-looking development of 63 high-quality apartments in south Dublin, and it has been “brought to life” by McCauley Daye O’Connell architects.
The result is a monument to modern urban living that also pays tribute to the historical Georgian and Victorian architecture that gives much of Ballsbridge and Dublin 4 its timeless identity.
Lioncor has built this apartment development over five floors on the site of the former Gowan Motors on the corner of Merrion Road and Herbert Avenue. The apartments are close to all amenities including bus and Dart transport, shops and schools, and walks on Sandymount Strand and in Blackrock Park.
The crowning glory of 143 Merrion Road is its Penthouse Collection, comprising one-, two- and three-bedroom penthouse apartments which have been skilfully integrated into the roof structure of the apartment block, and have vertiginous cathedral ceilings that sweep up into dizzying triangular shapes and apexes, giving each unit an enhanced sense of space and airiness.
The penthouses open out on to balconies that give stunning views over Dublin Bay, from the famous Poolbeg chimneys to Dún Laoghaire harbour, and from the cityscape to the Dublin Mountains.
Their balconies open out from the living areas and the bedrooms, allowing in ample light, and are set into the roofline of the apartment block, creating private exterior spaces that catch the sun but remain sheltered from the elements.
The architects have neatly blended the style of a luxury penthouse with the quirkiness of a New York loft, while retaining a sense of individuality. None of the 10 penthouses, which are being launched this month, are the same shape or configuration, which makes them more attractive to potential buyers in this market.
The one-bedroom penthouses are 65-77sq m (699-828sq ft) in size, and start at €795,000. The two-beds are 88-102sq m (947-1,097sq ft) in size and start from €1.25 million, while the three-beds are 106.4-124.5sq m (1,145-1,340sq ft) in size and start from €1.55m – all being sold through Knight Frank.
The show penthouse, a large three-bed, is for sale fully furnished with an asking price of €2.2 million. It’s an impressive space, running lengthwise along the roofline, with a spacious kitchen, dining and living area at the centre, the main en suite bedroom at one end, and the two guest bedrooms and main bathroom at the other end.
Interior designer Manny O’Hara has sourced beautiful pieces from US furniture designer Restoration Hardware. The penthouse is configured for an owner who wants to fully experience the urban-living dream, with a deluxe space to entertain friends, and spacious balconies to share the panoramic views over Dublin Bay, the city or the Dublin Mountains.
The penthouses feature contemporary carbon-grey kitchens by Fitzgerald’s Kitchens, with Silestone Calacatta gold countertops and splashbacks, Siemens appliances including integrated fridge-freezer, electric oven, induction hob, integrated dishwasher and extractor hood. All the bathrooms and en suites have high-end Sonas sanitary ware, including deluxe square wash-hand basins with brushed gold taps, and rainfall shower heads and slide rails in brushed gold.
The en suite in the show penthouse features dramatic angles from floor to vertiginous ceiling, with a large bath in the centre. The bedrooms have contemporary bespoke fitted wardrobes with oak-effect interiors and internal lighting, and the living spaces feature low-voltage LED downlights and ceiling-hung pendant lighting.
An exhaust air heat pump delivers continuous ventilation, hot water and zoned underfloor heating, and extracts stale air from the kitchens and bathrooms and draws fresh air into the livingrooms and bedrooms. The Ber ratings are A2-A3.
The penthouses are accessed via two separate entrances, one on Merrion Road and the other on Herbert Avenue, which minimises the chance of owners bumping into each other all the time and enhances the sense of privacy. Most apartments have a secure, EV-enabled car parking space in the basement.
The building also has a secure communal landscaped garden with modern paving, planting and lighting, if you can drag yourself away from those amazing balcony views.
