Dartry is one of those areas that residents get extraordinarily attached to. It’s hardly surprising, as it’s tranquil, well-to-do, and comes with a choice of schools, as well as being near to UCD.
Paul and Imelda White, owners of Kinvara, on Temple Road, are a case in point. "The area is gorgeous, really gorgeous," says Imelda, "handy for everywhere, the Luas is nearby, or you can walk into town, there's the Dodder for river walks, and Alexandra College is just down the road, it's perfect." The house is for sale through Sherry FitzGerald for €1.795 million.
We’re sitting in the large sitting room of this five-bedroom- ed family home, after a tour of the house which has taken in the imposing double height hallway, with stained glass windows, and a marble fireplace fitted with an electric stove.
Upstairs are four bedrooms (two en suite) and a bathroom; while up again is a large attic space, containing another bedroom and shower room. The house has five bathrooms.
On the ground floor are a very nice, well-kitted-out kitchen/ breakfast room, a utility room, family room and livingroom that extends to a diningroom. Beyond the livingroom is a conservatory leading to an enclosed back garden. Out the front, there is parking for four cars, and the front space is protected by electric gates.
The Whites are moving because, with grown-up children, it’s time, they say “for another family to enjoy it . . . but,” adds Paul, “we’re only going down the road, we’d never leave the area.”
Peaceful
The house has been kept in fantastic order, and is in almost show-house condition. It's redbrick on the outside, while inside is decorated in tones of peach, cream and gold.
The bright and airy kitchen is well laid out, with units sweeping round to a breakfast bar that separates the cooking area from a space large enough for a table and six chairs.
The family have loved living here. “It’s the little things,” says Paul, “that add to your quality of life – like having parking, and being near schools. We never worried about the kids when they went out, because everything is so close. It’s a peaceful area too, so those are the things that add up to create a space for quiet, calm living.”
At the corner end of Temple Road, Kinvara is a house that has been designed to impress. A modern build, with various period-style features, including moulded plasterwork on the ceilings, the large marble fireplaces and the sweeping staircase and upper landing/ balcony, it would suit a young family ready to raise their own children in residential Dartry.
