This elegant two-storey-over-basement Georgian terrace on Upper Clanbrassil Street had once been split into three bedsits, according to the current owner. A woman, who lived on the middle floor, was well-known in the area, a local told him, and her flat was adorned with rose prints while the men on the floors above and below her lived in decidedly more muted surroundings.
Photos from the 2016 listing show the house needed a complete renovation when the current owners bought it – for €431,000, according to the Property Price Register. It is unrecognisable today following a thorough renovation by design-conscious owners who spared no expense in creating this contemporary, future-proof home, extending to 210sq m (2,260sq ft). Following the extensive works, which the owner estimates to have cost more than €500,000 in 2016-2017, it now comes to the market with an asking price of €1.35 million, selling through DNG.
Although the property is Ber-exempt, the owner is curious to find out what grade it would achieve as so much work has been done to make the home energy-efficient. For example, its huge, original-style timber-frame sash windows are double-glazed, the home has an air-to-water heating system and insulation was installed.
The owner’s idea was to design the top two storeys to reflect the period heritage of the building while the lowermost floor, which contains the open-plan kitchen/dining/livingroom, is all-out modern, he explains.
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You enter the property through a cast-iron gate from the street, past which are stone steps leading up to the navy front door. The “green room”, as the owner refers to it, is a cosy livingroom to the front of the ground floor painted in a sumptuous forest green. Like the rest of the top two floors, it benefits from high ceilings framed by cornicing and an engineered-wood herringbone floor. A big white-marble fireplace houses a wood-burning stove, above which is an antique gold-gilt-framed mirror, originally bought from Arnotts about 90 years ago. The green velvet-look sofas are bespoke, made to fit the room perfectly.
The next room off the hallway is a double bedroom, which doubles as a second office space for the current owners. A spacious modern bathroom sits on the return at the end of the hall, behind a door with beautiful multicoloured stained-glass insets; the white free-standing bath stands against a dusky-pink wall with a wet-room-style shower beside it.
The stairs down to the basement level creates anticipation for what’s to come, with an LED-lit banister. A glass partition offers a peek into the open-plan kitchen/living/diningroom. The design of the space has been extremely well executed with a well-equipped kitchen and a large glass-paned pivot door to the back garden.
The kitchen has blue units by Timbercraft, quartz countertops and storage galore. The owner didn’t want to install an extractor fan over the hob in the central island so, with the press of a button, one rises from the countertop, as if from nowhere.
The rest of the space is sectioned into a living area and a dining area. There is an alcove for a TV built into the wall in the living area, complete with hidden lights. Lighting was a big consideration for the owner, and the kitchen has dimmer switches as well as recessed spotlights under the cupboards to create different moods. There is a large rectangular skylight above the dining area, from where a bespoke, brass light feature hangs, creating a wonderful focal point.
The west-facing back garden is a functional low-maintenance space, with a paved patio and a parking area laid in loose stone (for two cars) up steps beyond that, accessed from the rear through an electric gate.
Toward the front of the lower floor is a study, which could also be used as a fourth bedroom, as well as a generous-sized storage room. There is also a shower room tiled completely in forest green, reminiscent of the livingroom. There is a door outside to the front of the property, where the bins are kept, and a handy ramp added by the owners to make collection days easier.
Two double bedrooms sit on the first floor. The main suite takes up the entire width of the floor with two huge sash windows flooding it with light. It has been cleverly designed with a partition wall behind the head of the bed, not quite ceiling height, behind which are four built-in wardrobes and a shelved nook for shoes in what would have been the fireplace. There is an en suite shower room here too, tiled in navy with a floating stone shelf for the sink.
Upper Clanbrassil Street is a great location, technically in Portobello, but situated close enough to the perimeter that it offers a lot more space for your buck than homes closer to the canal, the owner points out. Also adjacent to the Liberties, there are plenty of top-class cafes and restaurants within walking distance and St Stephen’s Green is just 15 minutes away on foot.
