Killiney: €2.5m

A large south Dublin home has the sort of stylish features and fittings that make it a prime candidate for an interiors magazine, writes

Bernice Harrison

The current owners of Hillside on Killiney Hill Road originally had modest refurbishment aspirations of a new kitchen and a few other alterations when they bought six years ago.

Once started, they kept going and they ended up gutting the period house and refurbishing it from top to bottom. It was expensive and hard work but it paid off handsomely.

Hillside is now in walk-in condition with the sort of stylish features and fittings that make it a prime candidate for an interiors magazine.

The house, which stands on one acre of gardens and comes with a converted mews, is on the market through Brian Nolan at Gunne, for auction on March 9th with a guide of €2.5 million.

Hillside is unusual in that it's semi-detached but still manages to have 539 sq m (5,801 sq ft) of living space, making it a substantial property.

Double-fronted, it is one of a matching pair built, or so the story goes, in the mid 19th century for two sisters. It's on the hill-side of the winding Killiney Hill Road, and as it's high up on the hill it enjoys uninterrupted sea views, particularly from the upstairs rooms.

The remodelling wasn't just a matter of moving a couple of walls - the entire space was rationalised. When the current owners bought it was a seven-bedroom house. Now it has four bedrooms, but each has a bathroom en suite.

The staircase was moved from one side of the house to the other and remade with Travertine marble and curved wood panelled walls. The hall is floored with the same marble - giving a luxurious entry to the house.

Downstairs there is a formal diningroom to the front on one side of the hall. On the other side there is a particularly attractive oak-floored, square shaped livingroom with a good fireplace and decorative cornice work.

Off this is a more relaxed family room that runs from the front of the house to the back. This room opens out onto a patio. Also opening out on this patio is the eat-in kitchen which is a large high-ceilinged room, fitted out with a French country-style kitchen made by John Daly.

It features an Aga, an American-style fridge, integrated appliances and granite work surfaces. Down the hall there is a separate, well-fitted utility room.

There is another staircase - a more modest wooden one - leading up to a charming room. This would be perfect for someone who works from home as it feels quite separate from the rest of the house but opens out onto its own large deck and looks out onto the back garden.

The bedrooms are all quite grand, three have full-sized bathrooms with free-standing, period-style baths and are all decorated in a simple style.

The main bedroom, as well as having splendid views over the bay to Bray Head, has the luxury of space, an ornate cast-iron fireplace, a walk-in wardrobe and a particularly large en suite that features cherrywood units, a double shower and a double Jacuzzi bath.

The stables are immediately adjacent to the house and were converted into a two-bedroom mews with its own little garden.

The acre of gardens that belong to the main house are mostly to the back where the lawn stretches up the hill.

At the back, the patio area, immediately outside the kitchen and family room, as well as the wooden deck area complete the outdoor space.

There's car-parking for several cars in the gravelled area to the front.

The house shares driveway access with its neighbour, something that might be a negative for buyers who put complete privacy at a premium.