In the centre of Synge Street, Portobello, this fine two-storey-over-garden-level Victorian four-bed has original features and a double-height extension to the rear. Used as a city base for the current owners, they are now selling the property through Lisney Sotheby’s International Realty seeking €1.485 million.
The hall door of the Ber-exempt property is painted a warm yellow and has pretty stained-glass panels, opening up on to a chequerboard-tiled floor and a hall with an arch, cornicing and corbels intact.
Interconnected reception rooms lie to the left of the hall, with large sash windows and working shutters, the 197sq m (2,120sq ft) property is on an east-west axis, with the drawingroom getting the evening sun. Its fireplace is a large white marble, with a pretty rose and grey-coloured patterned tile inset and slate hearth with brass surround. The decor is tired and will need a revamp here and in the diningroom or second reception room, but all the bones are in good condition and should not pose too much of a challenge.
On the return, leading to the garden level, is the property’s first bedroom, housed in the new extension. It’s a handsome room with great decorative detailing with dark wood surrounding the subtly cantilevered window and a smart en suite with a great visual centring of the stone basin and brass tap opposite the door.
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Downstairs is another visual feast beginning with a glass balustrade on the wooden stairs leading down to the expansive kitchen/livingroom. The kitchen is a high-gloss white, with a long, granite-topped island that has room to sit a crowd around it. An unusual, bronze-painted feature wall adds warmth, tempered by extensive use of glass panels and exposed, industrial-style steel girders that add a heft to the space.
[ Charming period home close to amenities in Dundrum for €550,000Opens in new window ]
A well-equipped utility just under the front stairs has a door leading outside, providing a separate entrance. The living area at the garden end has a stove to warm things up and concertina doors that fold back on warmer days, connecting the living area with the granite-paved garden.
Tucked away at the end of this renovated space is a separate room that could serve a multitude of purposes: home office, guest bedroom, playroom or den.
The garden is a well-thought-out space, with a lower level that is a suntrap. A few steps lead to another level that benefits from a wooden gate providing access to an exterior lane. The two-storey extension, clad in a gently silvering cedar, adds considerable interest to a zero-maintenance outdoor living area, planted with a still-flowering star jasmine and a mature olive tree.
The remaining bedrooms on the upper floor are large and roomy, and, like the reception rooms downstairs, could do with a design refresh. Both have pretty cast-iron fireplaces and decent built-in wardrobes. A family bathroom on this floor is lovely, with a free-standing bath on wooden pedestals, a new shower, a fireplace and a brass basin inserted in a long, marble-topped unit.
Its location near the city centre is sure to tempt buyers. It’s in walk-in condition and, bar some decorating, there’s little to do here. It’s a great example of clever design that amplifies the Victorian atmosphere, not intruding on the original house but offering the best of both worlds, traditional and modern.
