Would you buy a house purely on the strength of an en suite bathroom? Probably not, but the luxurious, light-filled main bedroom en suite at Mulberry in Dublin 4 could certainly sway potential buyers, if they haven’t already been captivated by this vibrant, double-fronted detached home in a prime south city location. The en suite, fully tiled with gorgeous Italian marble, is a generous 2.02m x 4.56m, and is flooded with light from four windows and a large skylight, plus a full-height window looking out to the landing. It has a double step-in shower, twin wash-hand basins with storage underneath and a WC, and shutters on the windows. The owner, an interior designer, has added some arty features to complete the luxe look, and this is of piece with the rest of the house, which is filled throughout with tasteful, imaginative design touches.
The owner bought Mulberry 10 years ago and completely extended, refurbished and redesigned the property, creating a versatile home that can be either opened out wide for entertaining, or wrapped up cosily for family living. Wide doors that fold back or disappear into the walls allow rooms to flow freely into each other, and the outside has been brought in via superb a garden room to the back, and via a seated patio area to the front of the house to catch the evening sun. Mulberry, 33 Nutley Road, Dublin 4, now extends to 228sq m (2,454sq ft) with a B3 Ber rating, and is for sale through Sherry FitzGerald, seeking €2.95 million.
The decor in Mulberry is a showcase of design flair and imagination, including the assorted-sized round mirrors that bubble up the staircase, the rich upholstery and carpeting and the striking artwork that lifts every room above the everyday. The showbiz factor is apparent as soon as you enter the spacious hallway, with its polished crema marfil Italian marble floor, and the grand piano under the stairs.
The kitchen/living/dining room extension is a wide L-shape, and has a large bespoke island unit with a six-seater breakfast counter, crema marfil worktops and a range of bespoke high-gloss kitchen units by Cucine Lube. Dunleavy has also made the illuminated, glazed display cabinets in the kitchen. A large roof light brightens the area, and there are full-height glass windows looking out to the back garden from the living area, plus sliding patio doors leading out to the garden room, which is pretty much an outdoor livingroom, with a glazed roof, nonslip tiled floor and feature log-burning fireplace. There’s a barbecue area, too, piped for natural gas so you don’t have to run out to the garage for a new cylinder in the middle of cooking the steaks. Stone steps lead down to a private, well-manicured back garden with another patio area at the end of the lawn.
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The utility room off the dining area is actually a second kitchen for entertaining, with everything you need to discreetly prepare food for your guests, and a door leads out the garage. But where are the washing-machine and dryer? They’re upstairs, in a laundry room neatly tucked beside the hot press, so you don’t have to lug your laundry downstairs.
The main bedroom looks out the back, with a sliding door into that spacious, luxurious en suite. There are three more bedrooms upstairs; one of them is being used by the owner as a dressing room. The main bathroom is fully tiled in marble with a Jacuzzi bath and a shower. At the end of the landing, a large round window looks out to the front, and a large desk has been built in here to create a fantastic home office space, in a commanding central position.
Mulberry sits on a quiet road between Nutley Lane and Ailesbury Road, behind electric gates, with room for several cars to park on the front. You’re not far from the Merrion shopping centre, the RDS, Ballsbridge and Donnybrook, plus a range of sport and leisure amenities, and some of the country’s top schools, including St Michael’s, the Teresian School, Blackrock College and St Andrew’s.
