By throwing the design rules out the window, a couple, who ran an interior design company together, have created a home that showcases style, originality and effortless elegance.
Just a short walk from Grand Canal Dock and the Lansdowne Road Dart station sits number 9 Londonbridge Road in Sandymount; a 188sq m (2,024sq ft) four-bedroom home that has been lovingly looked after and refurbished during the 36 years in which the current owners have lived and raised their family here.
The property has been extended to encompass three reception rooms, four double bedrooms and two bathrooms – all of which are finished to a fantastic standard.
In the front garden, off Londonbridge Road, you’re met by greenery and a fabulous fresh scent thanks to the bushes of Sarcococca confusa (known as Christmas box), one of the owners informs me. Walking in from the street of this bustling area, the replete garden and the building’s handsome cream facade creates a charming welcome. “This house gives you a big hug when you walk in,” one of the owners says, and I’m inclined to agree.
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There is an entrance porch inside the front door, with the main livingroom through the first door on the right off the interior hallway. This is an ambient space with charcoal blue on the walls – Acqua Viva by Paint & Paper Library – and an original exposed stone hearth with a wood-burning stove omitting a welcoming warmth. There are recessed spotlights in the ceilings, while the owners use lamps dotted around the room to add to the cosiness. The exposed stone on the wall that connects on to the kitchen has been panelled in the same shade to create a contrast between old and new, and the floor is a warm walnut shade.
The open-plan kitchen-diningroom is down a step from the livingroom, accessed through double doors, which can be left open or closed as you please. The entire ground floor has a flow that makes it ideal for parties, and this has been the spot for ringing in the new year for the owners’ friends and family for decades. There are also accents of exposed stone in the kitchen area and a beam, painted black, adds character overhead.
The kitchen features hand-painted grey wooden units with an abundance of drawer storage, and a walnut countertop and splashback. The island houses the sink and has a large surface area and storage beneath it. In the dining area, a long table has been fashioned from the same wood as featured in the kitchen, accented by hanging pendant lights. Panelled wood painted grey camouflages further storage against the wall and the white ceilings are also panelled.
This room opens out to the southwest-facing garden which is paved and acts as a continuation of the ground-floor accommodation with accents of grey, two composite decking areas and an awning under which you can enjoy a cup of coffee protected from the elements. Bamboo trees planted around the perimeter provide plenty of privacy.
Two further interconnecting reception rooms lie to the left of the ground floor. To the rear is a stylish room which is flooded with light from windows and French doors facing out to the back garden. It is currently used as a music room of sorts with the owners’ record player taking pride of place on a built-in raised display shelf featuring pebbles and integrated lights. A circular black-and-white Missoni rug and vintage furniture give this room a cool edge.
Through bifolding doors is a gorgeous sittingroom with built-in backlit shelving on either side of the stone hearth, home to a second wood-burning stove. This was a playroom once upon a time and is an extremely versatile space.
In the hallway there is storage under the stairs, and a prospective buyer could potentially add a WC here if they wanted.
Upstairs, you arrive at a landing with steps up to the front of the first floor where a large multi-paned arched window creates a lovely feature. The main bedroom is a good size and sits to the right with oak flooring and space for a seating area by the window. Across from that, the owners have created a dressingroom with extensive built-in wardrobes and a pull-down double Murphy bed for guests. This room could easily be returned to a regular double bedroom if required, but the quality fit-out will make it tempting to keep it exactly as it is.
There is another double bedroom to the rear of the first floor, with black wooden flooring and built-in wardrobes. The spacious main bathroom is beside that, a dark roll top bath, matching the Farrow & Ball Railings shade used on the panelled walls, as well as Sbordoni Italia sanitary ware and decorative tiling over the bath. The tiled floors are terracotta, while the panelled ceiling is painted white with recessed lighting and a large Velux roof light.
From the foot of another flight of stairs up to the second floor you can see the glazed-brick wall of an additional wet room, fitted out with a terrazzo tile. The fourth double bedroom sits to the rear of the floor and, currently used as a home office, benefits from large windows and a wall of built-in shelving.
This stunning home, built in 1893, has a C2 Ber rating and features Honeywell zoned heating controls. It is likely to attract buyers looking for a stylish, turnkey home close to a host of amenities, as well as Dublin city centre. The owners, who have decided to downsize, have placed this property on the market with DNG, seeking €1.275 million.
