If the devil is in the detail, then he has been busy at work along the canal in the Portobello area of Dublin 8. Windsor Terrace occupies a quiet spot parallel to the Grand Canal, and is one of the most sought-after locations in Portobello, thanks to it being a vehicular cul-de-sac – the only cars are those of neighbours – and it is not used as a rat run during peak traffic times.
Right next door to the fashionable Lock’s Restaurant, number 2 Windsor Terrace has been transformed since the owners purchased it in 2015 for €630,000. “All we kept were the front wall and the roof,” says the owner of the extensive renovations of the 142sq m (1,534sq ft) property.
Set behind electric gates with durable marine outdoor lighting illuminating the front garden at night, there is parking for one to two cars, but the location is such you could quite happily live with just a bicycle for transport. And if you don’t feel like purchasing one, the Dublin Bikes rental station is about a two-minute walk away. If you are unsteady on a saddle, the Luas stop is a short walk, as is Camden Street, which serves a number of bus routes.
The house now has three bedrooms, as the fourth was converted into a dressing room for the principal bedroom. Ceilings were raised upstairs and the installation of skylights for each bedroom means they have much more light than when the house was constructed in 1820.
A highly polished concrete floor at ground level continues right out to the dining space in the garden. It has a lovely patina and is warm underfoot thanks to underfloor heating, and creates a lovely contemporary balance to the thick stone cladding used on the staircase.
Small details such as the custom-made barn-style doors in the bedrooms show the attention to detail that has gone into the design. The owners saw the idea on Instagram, and had them made from heavy-duty iron and untreated pallet wood – whereas cheaper versions use aluminium and plywood – and they are one of the owner's favourite features in the property. More bespoke design is found in the walnut staircase with its tempered glass panels that allow much light into the open-plan ground floor space, and individual lightboxes housed in the stone cladding that illuminate the staircase at night.
More design details can be found in the Custom Tone kitchen with pine units and a honed granite countertops and backsplash. A Franke hot tap negates the need for a kettle, and the extractor fan was chosen for its low decibel rating to ensure a bit of peace while cooking, while the entire house has hot water on demand.
While the property is a fine example of what can be achieved with imagination and design flair, it will be its location that will have buyers really interested. With a good Ber of B3, number 2 is on the market through Sherry FitzGerald seeking €1.25 million.
