Dublin 8: €575,000 The last time I saw this house on 12 Dolphin Avenue off the South Circular Road in Dublin 8 it was when I was presenting RTÉ's interior design programme, Beyond the Hall Door.
We featured the Victorian redbrick because the owners had renovated it to make it an interesting and stylish home. Six years later it still looks that way and they are now selling the four-bedroom house by auction through Douglas Newman Good on May 6th with a guide of €575,000.
The house has 165 sq m (1,780 sq ft) and there is a great feeling of spaciousness about it because of the bright, good-sized hall and landing, and the high ceilings both upstairs and down. The owners made the most of the period features, choosing muted strong colours for the walls and sanding and polishing all the floorboards. Other features include original cast-iron fireplaces.
Downstairs the two reception rooms interconnect via two sets of double doors fitted with stained glass. The kitchen is at the back of the house and the garden has clearly been important to the owners because the entirely glazed back door out to the garden is positioned in such a way that the back garden is seen from the front door.
Upstairs on the first floor return is a large family bathroom and a separate toilet. The bathroom features a clawfoot Victorian bath, a walk-in shower and matching reclaimed wash-hand basins. All the bedrooms - two to the front of the house, the third to the back - are a good size. The fourth bedroom is in the attic conversion.
The gardens are beautiful. The small front garden is formal with box hedging and lavender and the 50 ft back garden a wonderfully designed and interesting planted urban oasis. There is also a double garage.
