Is it old, is it new, or is it a fine balance of both? Number 28 Spencer Villas is a superb reconstructed home that blends modern luxury and style with period charm and elegance, a fitting tribute to the original 1880s house, Ivanhoe, which stood here. In early 2023, Brinnin Homes – a partnership of Conor and Niamh Hanratty, Stevin Tedstone and Extend architects – got planning permission to build two four-bedroom semidetached homes on the site of Ivanhoe, and one three-bed mews-type dwelling to the rear of the site. The developers demolished much of the original house, but kept its proudly prominent facade, using that as the starting point for two superb three-storey Victorian-style homes that align seamlessly with Spencer Villas period houses.
Number 28A – a completely new build – was sold off the plans, and now number 28, which features that original facade, is for sale through Sherry FitzGerald, seeking €2.795 million. It measures 265sq m (2,852sq ft) and has an excellent A2 Ber rating. The fine craftsmanship and attention to detail is apparent throughout; among its many deluxe interior features are a gorgeous Michael Farrell kitchen, luxurious bathrooms by the Stone Rooms, and bespoke wardrobes by Fine Edge Design.
The ceiling heights are impressive at about 2.8m, and there’s no shortage of natural light flowing freely. Fixtures and fittings have been chosen to pay high-end homage to the history of the house, from the antique brass theme running through the taps, coat hooks, cupboard handles and light fittings to the elegant fluted cabinets in the bathrooms, the French-polished mahogany staircase handrail with monkey’s tail volute, and the intricate centre roses in the entrance hall and formal drawingroom.
Dark oak timber floors downstairs give a solid feel underfoot, helped by underfloor heating throughout the ground floor. The entrance hall has wainscot panelled walls, a dado rail and ceiling coving with concealed strip lighting. To the right is the drawingroom, which exudes old-world luxury, and has a brass inlay border around the herringbone floor, and a fine feature bay window looking out to the front garden. An archway in the hall brings you to the inner hall, where a bespoke cloakroom area has lots of storage and hanging space. This leads down to a cosy study/home office looking out to the front, which feels far enough away from the rest of the house to avoid distractions.
Wide steps from the inner hall bring you down to the guest shower room, with a floor tiled in penny mosaic. And that’s just the guest loo – the three other bathrooms in the house are also gorgeously designed with top-notch sanitary ware and fittings.
The kitchen/dining/livingroom area is spacious with ample room for family and friends to gather. Light pours in via wall-to-wall glazing and a sliding patio door out to the back garden. The kitchen area features quartz worktops and bespoke units, hand-painted in a crisp Farrow & Ball shade, Drop Cloth, and units under the large centre island are painted in a contrasting Hopperhead. Off the kitchen is a spacious utility/boot room.
There are three double bedrooms on the first floor; the main bedroom looks out to the front and has a large en suite shower room with his-and-hers sinks and vanity mirrors. Across the bedroom, an archway leads in to a walk-in wardrobe. Bedroom two and three look out to the back, with views over Hudson Park and out to Dublin Bay, and the first floor roof area is planted with zero-maintenance sedum, adding a nice touch of greenery to the view.
The second floor is entirely taken up by bedroom four. It’s a breathtaking space, with a high, vaulted ceiling and a large picture window with great views. Surrounding the picture window are feature bookshelves, and concealed lighting runs along the apex of the ceiling. It also has a large walk-in wardrobe as well as an en suite wet room.
The back garden is laid in lawn, with a large, paved patio, and bordered by a granite stone wall and composite fence, mature trees, shrubs and feature lighting. The front garden is mainly laid in gravel, with stone cobblelock, and bordered by landscaped flower beds and feature lighting. There’s parking here for up to three cars.
From Spencer Villas it’s just a short stroll to Glasthule village and lunch at Caviston’s or a drink at 64 Wine. Both Glenageary and Sandycove Dart stations are also a short walk away, as is Glenageary Tennis Club, and both Dún Laoghaire and Dalkey are within easy reach. Schools in the area include Loreto Dalkey, Castle Park School, Rathdown and the highly regarded Harold national school.
