The exterior of 8 Beechwood Avenue Lower – located just a stone's throw from the Luas stop – hints towards the quality interiors of this three-bedroom villa.
The lollipop bay trees, carpets of crimson cyclamen, all bordered by neat box hedging, were planned by interior designer Emma O'Connor with consultation from award-winning garden designer Paul Doyle.
O’Connor worked in finance for years before realising her dream of having her own interior design consultancy.
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She and her husband purchased the property eight years ago, and following the birth of their fourth child the family have moved to a larger home in Blackrock.
“This house was a total mess when we bought it. You could see the rafters in the roof, but we could see the potential,” O’Connor says.
After gutting the property, installing new ceilings, roof and insulation, the house – despite being a home to four small children – is in turnkey condition. “Most of the furniture was moved to the new house, so we rented some from Rowell Design in Donnybrook,” says O’Connor.
Although a Victorian property, the interiors feel like new – due in part to the attention to detail throughout, including new panelling on the ground floor and polished walnut flooring.
Tall ceilings
At hall level lies a third bedroom, though it is currently staged as a formal living room for sale purposes. The ceilings soar to four metres (13ft) and the old fireplace has been replaced with an elegant limestone gas fire – a twin of which lies in the open-plan rooms downstairs.
At garden level there’s an open-plan kitchen, living and dining area, which opens out to the rear garden. The Shaker kitchen, with Neff appliances, has had a recent facelift, with the units hand-painted.
Adjacent lies the bathroom, with double shower and high-end fittings and tiles from Fired Earth.
On the top floor lie two elegant bedrooms – the master retains the tiny fireplace from a time when it would have been used to heat the room.
Unusually for period houses, there is a lot of storage throughout, including a low-ceilinged cellar that houses wine and sports equipment. This space allows the rooms upstairs to be clutter-free.
The paved rear garden is maintenance-free, apart from a bit of weeding and dead-heading annually. There is a laneway to the rear and some neighbours have erected mews dwellings at the end of their gardens, while others have dug into the cellar to create two-storey extensions, adding extra floor space.
The 109sq m property, in pristine condition with a blend of period and contemporary features, is for sale through joint agents Sherry FitzGerald and McNally Handy, with an asking price of €950,000. Properties of this calibre can yield a rental income of up to €54,000 annually, according to Andrea Whelan of Sherry FitzGerald.
