Dublin 6/€1.9m: With an AMV of €1.9 million prior to auction through Hamilton Osborne King on June 29th, 5 Ashfield Road in Ranelagh will give heart palpitations to those looking for a classic D6 home of easy-to-manage size.
The three-bedroom terraced house has 158sq m (1,700sq ft) of living space that has been lavishly renovated by a young couple. Imagine travertine marble by the ton, distressed stained oak floors, Mediterranean-style kitchen, cast-iron bath - in short, everything on the average suburbanite's wish list and all coated in matt Farrow & Ball paint.
It's a perfect turnkey home: little about the décor is so distinctive that one's own taste could not be imposed through furnishings alone. Neutral, earthy hues make for a bright house.
Number 5 is located at the top of Ashfield Road, near the junction of Dunville Avenue and overlooks a small grassy triangle that separates it from Mornington Road. According to the owners, the on-street car-parking is more plentiful at this spot than adjoining roads.
The small, railed garden to the front has a pretty Laburnum tree.
Inside, two reception rooms to the right of a smart entrance hall have double Victorian chimneypieces, dark wood flooring and little details, such as marble topped radiator covers. The second of these rooms looks to the rear of the house and over an internal courtyard that separates the kitchen extension.
This means daylight into the livingrooms is not impeded.
The kitchen and dining area has a travertine floor and traditional painted units. Part of the room has a vaulted ceiling.
There is also a seating area as one enters the room, making the whole space quite multi-functional. Double doors open to a patio and a lovely west-facing lawn garden that has a secure gate to a laneway that runs behind the terrace.
Upstairs on the return is a double bedroom and a family bathroom.
On the first floor are two bedrooms - a double to the rear and a large main bedroom to the front. An en suite and walk-in wardrobe have been incorporated into the room, disguised behind double doors.