Merrion Gardens is a new development of eight contemporary four-bedroom homes on a private terrace set behind secure gates on Merrion Road in Ballsbridge. It nestles behind three large houses fronting the main road and is built on a section of their former back gardens, with additional pedestrian rear access from adjacent Shrewsbury Park.
The houses are built in a buff brick by Seabren Developments, who previously built Annesley Gardens in Ranelagh. They are all three storeys – six have lifts – and are completed and ready for occupation.
Numbers 1 and 8, on each end of the terrace, measure 182sq m (1,959sq ft) and are without lifts, while numbers 2 to 7 measure 194sq m (2,088sq ft) and are fitted with lifts. All the houses are heated with an efficient A-class air-to-water system, and have a full mechanical heat-recovery ventilation system to keep the air fresh at all times. There is also underfloor heating and air conditioning in the downstairs areas. Merrion Gardens have an A2 Ber rating and are for sale through Sherry FitzGerald New Homes, seeking €2.5 million.
Each house has a cobblelocked front area for parking, and a small back garden with Astroturf, each looking out to a shared walkway, also laid in Astroturf, to the Shrewsbury Park entrance. Buyers have the option of closing off their back gardens to the walkway if they prefer, but the open design does give a nice aspect to the rear, says the selling agent.
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Inside, the builders have created a striking design feature: two voids, one in the hallway and the other in the kitchen/dining/living area, both running all the way up to skylights on the top floor, and both visible from the landing. These voids add to the light coming in to the houses, and create a sense of space and airiness.
Downstairs is a livingroom to the front, and a large, open-plan kitchen/dining/family area to the back, with sliding doors creating a wall of glass looking out the back. The bespoke handmade kitchens are designed by O’Gorman Joinery, with centre island, stone worktops and a blend of Neff, Bosch and Siemens integrated appliances. The showhouse has a banquette along the wall, creating a cosy dining space, and a bespoke coffee dock beneath the void. There’s a small utility room off the kitchen, and also a guest WC off the hallway.
There are two double bedrooms on the first floor, the principal one with en suite, and there is also a family bathroom. All the bathrooms and en suites have contemporary tiling, pressurised shower systems and heated towel rails.
Bedroom three is on the top floor, overlooking the rear garden, and it has an en suite (apart from number 8, which has a bathroom adjoining the bedroom). To the front is a very versatile room opening out to a spacious terrace, with views out to the Dublin Mountains. This could be the fourth bedroom, or a spacious home office, or a second livingroom – with a view.
Merrion Gardens sits right in the heart of this leafy residential area, close to the Merrion Shopping Centre, St Vincent’s hospital and Sandymount Strand, with easy access in to the city centre. If you’re seeking comfortable, contemporary living in this much-sought-after suburb, or if you’re downsizing from a larger house in the area and don’t want to leave the neighbourhood, this development might work for you.
