Artist’s D7 home reimagined

Three-bedroom period end-of-terrace for €425,000


You would expect an artist's home to be done up with flair, and a certain sense of taste – both stylish and quirky. At Geraldine O'Neil's house, on a quiet Dublin 7 cul de sac, you get all this and more. The artist, who exhibits with the Kevin Kavanagh Gallery, bought the house 18 years ago, and is now moving for more space for her family. "We're staying in the area," she says. "The community here has really grown. It's a very artistic area, and there's lots of street activity, for example at Halloween, they screen films on the gable wall of Doon Avenue."

Now for sale with Sherry FitzGerald for €425,000, number 4 is a bright three-bedroom house, with 112sq m (1,206sq ft) of living space that includes a livingroom, leading through to a diningroom, and kitchen to the rear that opens on to a charming back garden complete with storage shed, gravel, planting and side decking area with a swing.

A member of Áosdana, and associate member of the RHA, O'Neil's paintings are edgy still lifes, and intriguing portraits that show a brilliance when it comes to colour and line. The same can be said for her house, where touches including an unexpected burst of purple on a side wall, and a dreamy sea green in the main bedroom make it a space that seems to encourage creativity.

“The house had been neglected, but once we put a new roof on it and stopped the water coming in, it was fine. Because they’re such good houses, a bit of paint and imagination can transform them. We did add a bathroom, and open up the lovely fireplace in the kitchen, though. There’s always been a nice feeling in the house, a lovely vibe.”