Rathfarnham: €1.75m:When architect Michael McGill and his interior designer wife Michelle decided to build their own home in Rathfarnham their combined talents resulted in a family home that successfully mixes comfort with style.
Cliff Lodge on Whitechurch Road in Rathfarnham will be auctioned by Sherry FitzGerald on October 17th with an AMV of €1.750 million.
The detached house measures 255sq m (2,750sq ft) and has five bedrooms. The exterior style is quite traditional and fits comfortably into the landscape around it.
The garden wraps right around the building and mature trees create privacy.
The entrance hall has a double-height ceiling, marble floor and curved staircase to a mezzanine area. A long livingroom off this space is also double-height and overlooked by the mezzanine.
Steps lead from here down to the diningroom which, as elsewhere in the house, has solid cherrywood flooring. One set of double doors open to the garden and another to the adjoining kitchen at the rear of the house.
The kitchen is particularly impressive with marble flooring, central island unit with sink and integrated Miele appliances. The best feature is a raised diner style table with benches set into an alcove and a large window overlooking the garden. There is a ulility room next to the kitchen.
Also on the ground floor is a study which McGill uses as a home office. This has built-in cherrywood storage units and plenty of shelving. Next door is a cosy family room with gas fire.
Upstairs, bedrooms open off the long mezzanine, which makes the house seem more open.
The main bedroom has a floor-to-ceiling window overlooking the rear garden and a sliding door to a walk-in wardrobe and en suite bathroom. This has a sunken Jacuzzi bath, double sinks and a shower recessed into a curved wall.
There are three further double bedrooms, all quite large, and a small single bedroom. Two of the doubles share an interconnecting bathroom but there is also a separate family bathroom, fitted with high quality sanitary ware.
One of the best aspects of the house is the ease with which each room flows into the next. There isn't an inch of wasted space, making this a very practical family home.
