Leinster Road West/€1.58m:A pretty terrace of houses on Leinster Road West in Rathmines, Dublin 6, is clearly the sort of place where people like to settle, writes Orna Mulcahy.

There hasn't been a house for sale on the terrace of seven for 14 years, and now the same house is back on the market. Its owners have raised four children in the meantime and are moving to something bigger. Sherry FitzGerald is quoting an AMV of €1.58 million prior to auction on on May 2nd for the four-bedroom house.

Leinster Road West is a quiet road with an interesting mix of house styles and there is a nice view of the Pigeon House towers from the steps of number 7.

Extended over the years, it's a bright, appealing house of around 186sq m (2,000sq ft) with a straightforward layout - reception rooms and kitchen on the upper level, bedrooms downstairs - and some very clever touches such as the pair of big Velux windows set into the roof over the hall and stairs.

This makes the hallway appear wider and brighter and also throws light down to the garden level where the ceilings are surprisingly high.

The other twist to the scheme is the spiral staircase descending from the kitchen, enclosed in a cylindrical extension, and providing a necessary link between the two busiest areas: the children's rooms below and the family space above.

The two fine reception rooms are decorated in a spare modern style that emphasises the elegant proportions. Tall sash windows at either end have working shutters, and both rooms have original fireplaces.

The extended kitchen has doors opening onto a deck overlooking the back garden which has off-street parking with access from a laneway.

At garden level, four double bedrooms lead off a central hallway. The main bedroom leads through to a bathroom that can also be accessed from the hallway.

The au pair's room is probably the nicest bedroom with its walk-in en suite and French doors leading to a terrace, but then, when you have four children you have to be keep the help happy.