The Fitzgerald house type is an enormous two-storey over basement home with wall-to-wall luxury finishes that virtually has it all, writes Alanna Gallagher
DEEP IN THE heart of Maynooth's Carton House Demesne is Fitzgerald, a large contemporary structure that doffs a cap to Frank Lloyd Wright's Robie House in its design.
Set in a copse of silver birch, oak and cedar trees, Fitzgerald - which was designed by Murray O'Laoire Architects - features bands of wood and stone cladding, as well as lots of glazing that all help make the property commune well with its surroundings.
The Fitzgerald is one of three house styles being built to order. A total of 24 properties are planned in this Temple Wood development. They will vary in size from 462-690sq m (4,970-7,426sq ft) in size.
Fitzgerald is an enormous two-storey over basement house of 462sq m (4,970sq ft) with another 149sq m (1,600sq ft) of decking to float around. It is for sale through joint agents Savills HOK and Coonan asking €2.95 million.
The Siematic Beaux Arts kitchen comes with composite granite worktops and a black walnut breakfast bar. A dumb waiter effortlessly transports food and drink upstairs to the property's formal diningroom.
A set of stairs, concealed behind a trompe d'oeil feature wall, leads up to these open-plan formal sitting and dining rooms. These rooms span the width of the house and there are several sets of French doors leading out onto a wraparound balcony and outdoor decking. Its seamless glass balustrading really makes you feel like you're floating high in the trees.
The extremely large, roofed outdoor space features cedar decking and overlooks the third fairway of the Mark O'Meara-designed golf course. It's south-facing space to catch the sun.
Next to the dining and sittingroom is the study. It has a long and low enclosed gas flame fire and leads out to the landing where the stone cladding in the hallway is accented with a chrome-polished pair of antlers for a very contemporary take on the hunting lodge aesthetic.
The stairs divide the house into the two principal zones, accommodation and living. On the first floor there are two bedrooms, both with en suites. In this showhouse the first of these bedrooms has been converted into an enormous and well-stocked dressingroom with shoe racking for up to 50 pairs of footwear.
The main bedroom has its own private balcony complete with outdoor hot tub. There is lots of hall storage, as well as laundry chutes which deposit dirty clothes to the basement utility room.
The interior is extremely lavish and was created by Spirit and Sky, the husband and wife team behind the extravagant decor of the Dylan Hotel in Dublin and also Dunboyne Castle in Co Meath.
The house is wall-to-wall luxury finishes, from the engineered semi-solid black walnut flooring and solid doors to the intelligent mood and scene setting lighting system and pre-wired high definition television. There's wireless broadband throughout, intruder detection and motion alarm system, and panic attack buttons. There's also a six-zone audio infrastructure, integrated vacuuming and fresh air recovery and air-to-water heat pump systems.
The basement is divided into two large rooms; one is set up as a sizable gym while the second is a cinema room with 7.1 surround sound capability making the experience cinema-perfect. There's also a laundry area and communications room to deal with all the technology in the property.
It all amounts to a whole lot of house, which despite the significant use of glass throughout comes with A rating. And you can nip up to the big house and enjoy the many luxuries on offer there, from fine food to spa treatments.
And its just 18kms from Dublin Airport and about 30 minutes from the city centre.
Fitzgerald, Carton House Demesne, Co Kildare
Spacious house with a high-spec finish overlooking the fairway
Agent:Savills HOK
