Villa Milano occupies an enviable perch on the Dalkey end of the Vico Road in south Dublin. Sitting pretty on an elevated position overlooking the sea at Killiney Bay, with southerly views sweeping from Dalkey Island to Bray Head and out to the Sugarloaf, this three-bedroom detached house is orientated to take full advantage of the gorgeous vistas.
The house was built in about the 1850s, and has been modernised over the years, but the current owners have extensively redesigned and renovated the property, under the expert eye of Paul O’Callaghan Architects (Poca), with the imperative of maximising those stunning sea views, and with the focus firmly on the wow factor. Large picture windows keep the twinkling light pouring in, and beautiful bespoke cherrywood shelving, teak window frames and oak herringbone floors enhance the sense of taste and style inside.
Villa Milano now extends to 267sq m (2,873sq ft), with a Ber of B3, and is for sale through Lisney Sotheby’s International Realty, asking €3.5 million.
The owners cleverly addressed a lack of street parking on this section of the Vico Road by building a sheltered car port under the front terrace, which comfortably takes two cars. They hired builders to excavate the hillside to create the car port, which has a storage shed built into the rock and steps leading up to the front entrance. The owners also made provision for a lift to be installed here for easy access in the future.
As soon as you step up to the front terrace, you’ll be tempted to kick off your shoes, sit down in the sun lounger and pour yourself a drink. The terrace has commanding views over the bay while maintaining its privacy from passersby on the road below. On the west side of the terrace, the owners have built a small al fresco dining area surrounded by glass balustrades to shelter it from the wind, and with an electric awning above.
The reception lobby and entrance hall are laid in solid-oak herringbone flooring, with a porthole window in the front door, shutters in the lobby and painted wainscoting with cherrywood trim in the hall. An inner lobby has shelving for books and a cloaks cupboard, and leads in to the guest WC to the back, which has a tiled floor, partially tiled walls, power shower and a window looking out to the rear.
The kitchen and breakfastroom has a lovely teak-framed arched window looking out to the rear, and is also laid in herringbone oak flooring. It’s fitted with a contemporary Bulthaup kitchen, with integrated Miele appliances, and the island has a Carrera marble top. A neat banquette dining space in tan leather makes for a cosy breakfast spot.
Off the kitchen is a spacious utility room with tiled floor that houses all the laundry facilities plus a wine fridge, larder freezer, heating and water controls and gas boiler, and has a door out to the back.
Glazed folding doors lead from the kitchen into the large living/diningroom to the front, which spans the entire width of the house, and has two large picture windows overlooking the bay. It has wide engineered oak floor with underfloor heating, marble fireplace with gas fire, and bespoke cherrywood shelving and display niches. A door opens out to the enclosed outdoor dining area.
There’s also a cosy sittingroom on this floor, with a vaulted ceiling and a feature Faber glazed gas stove and built-in storage.
Upstairs are three large double bedrooms, all facing out to the sea. The main bedroom has twin picture windows with window seat below, and frosted glazed doors open into a dressingroom with fitted open wardrobes, and on into an en suite shower room with tiled floor, power shower, Victorian-style sanitary ware, box shelving with glazed shelves and brass heated towel rail. The main bedroom is flanked by bedrooms two and three, and each has glazed pocket sliding doors opening out to its own private balcony with composite deck and glass panel balustrade, and of course amazing views.
The main bathroom has timber-effect tiled floor with underfloor heating, a Grohe power shower and a bath set in an elegant marble surround. The wash-hand basin has a walnut vanity unit below, and the walls have iroko bamboo panelling. Behind the house is a narrow elevated terrace leading up to a small seated area that catches the late afternoon and early evening sun.
Directly across the road from Villa Milano is the popular Vico bathing area, and you can walk in to Dalkey village via Sorrento Terrace and Coliemore Road, or along Sorrento Road. Dalkey has an abundance of pubs, restaurants, cafes and artisan shops, and Dart and bus routes link to the city centre and Dublin Airport. Schools in the area include Holy Child Killiney, Castle Park School, Loreto Dalkey and Rathdown.
