Few homeowners can claim to live right across the road from the Phoenix Park. Those along Blackhorse Avenue and Parkgate Street in Dublin 7 can, and so can those on parts of the Castleknock Road and Chapelizod. Residents of Park Place, a small terrace of six two-storey-over-basement redbricks that are on the north side of the river but have a Dublin 8 address, also enjoy the same proximity to the city’s largest green space.
The houses are within a two-minute walk of the Islandbridge turnstile and the owners of number 15 love to go running along its off-road paths and trails. It’s an incredible resource to have on your doorstep and home to all sorts of other wildlife, including the much photographed deer.
Behind its sky-blue front door is a three-bedroom, midterrace house that has been washed in colour and joyful decor. Set well back from the road, it has a railed garden and opens into a hall with lovely decorative coving above and a tangerine and terracotta patterned tiled floor, a design by Nathalie du Pasquier. A strip of periwinkle blue coats the skirting and the architraves and the dado rails are picked out in sea green.
Its interconnecting reception rooms are at this level and run the depth of the property, bringing in welcome south-facing light to the rear. With walls painted a similar blue to the front door, the rooms are also anchored by the timber floorboards underfoot and the matt black cast iron chimney pieces. In the front room, porcelain bell pulls sit on either side of fire.
Three-bed midterrace home by Phoenix Park infused with colour for €725,000
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The house then splits. You go downstairs to the kitchen and one of its three bedrooms, passing by the luxuriously appointed family bathroom. Completely upgraded to double its size, it features a large shower stall and separate free-standing bath. The owners repurposed a solid timber sideboard as a washstand for the sink, cutting its legs to size.
At basement level and to the front, the kitchen is north facing. It is big enough to accommodate a dining table that can seat 10, has a wood-burning stove that will be a lovely addition in winter and sage green units along two walls. The coal bunker has been repurposed as a larder/utility space as it is cooler than the rest of the property. It’s also used to keep pedal bins and a stick vacuum cleaner out of sight.
The room to the rear has a much loftier ceiling height and extends to 3.9m (13ft). South-facing, it is washed in sunlight. Currently used as a bedroom, it’s a set-up that would suit an older child living at home. There is a laundry room in the rear return where you could potentially install another small shower room.
Out back is a small but private yard with pedestrian rear access on to a lane.
On the first floor are two double bedrooms. The principal is blissfully spacious and spans the width of the property. The room to the back is used as a home office.
At the top of the house on the first-floor return is a guest WC with pink terracotta tiled walls and floor, and glass shelving built to create a natural light dressing table.
The property is Ber-exempt, extends to 150sq m (1,614sq ft) and is seeking €725,000 through Sherry FitzGerald. Parking is on the street with residential permits.
Two doors down, number 13 is also on the market. An end-terrace four-bedroom, two-bathroom property, set over five levels, it extends to 161sq m (1,732sq ft) and is seeking €745,000 through agents DNG.
