At first glance an asking price of €1.35 million for 9 Seafield Crescent in Booterstown, Co Dublin seems an ambitious one for a relatively run-of-the-mill looking bungalow. A set of sandstone slab steps lead to the front door while a sloping garden to the front is set out in terraces of box hedging where the aliums are giving way to hydrangea. A landmark oak tree takes centre stage.
Even as you cross the threshold and spot the bright home office (or possibly bedroom) to the left, and the fine lounge with its 3m-high ceilings, the meandering 280sq m/3,013sq ft floorplan only begins to reveal itself as you move through the house. Set on a quarter-acre plot there is plenty of room here for every member of a growing family to have their own space.
In the kitchen to the rear is a large L-shaped room with an island and roof lighting, and distinct washing, dining and cooking areas. From the large sandstone patio you can see how far the property stretches and how lush and private the big back garden is.
The patio gives way to a six-hole putting green, laid over what was once a pond. From here the garden rises in terraces to the top of the sloping site. When you discover the owner is florist Maureen McDonnell, who runs The Flower Box, one of the first contemporary flower shops in Dublin, the essence of the property begins to make sense. It is like her flower shop, beguiling, natural and contemporary all at the same time.
To achieve the garden McDonnell says they removed enough ground to fill 80 20-tonne trucks. The upright walls of the terraced beds are painted a regal purple that may not be to everyone’s taste but it’s only a matter of finding the shade that suits you. Gravelled paths wind past specimen trees and peonies, lavender and bay trees are all framed by low-cut box hedges. McDonnell says it needs tending about once a month and claims a quick walk around the grounds with a cup of coffee is all that’s needed to pull the few weeds that do grow. Designed by Anthony St John it has been extensively planted and maintained by McDonnell.
The path leads back around the property past a long extension that runs the full length of the site. To its left is a raised kitchen garden producing all kinds of lettuce, herbs, and vegetables including broccoli, carrots, strawberries and blackberries. She has even passed the green-fingered baton onto her five-year old granddaughter who now has her own small plot that produces carrots, oak leaf lettuce and strawberries.
The side door, clad in copper, leads via a corridor to a large master bedroom lit by ambient recessed strip lighting. Off it is a large en suite bathroom with a freestanding oval tub, a separate shower and twin sinks.
Architect
A set of steps leads up to a large room with light on three sides that has been used as a den for teenage kids. It is so far from the rest of the house that it’s ideally located to accommodate teenage kicks. Here garden doors concertina back and open out to a west-facing deck. Designed by architect Terence Cornish, a family friend, it is a wonderful addition to the home.
There is another bedroom on the ground floor. Dual aspect it overlooks the front. An unbalustraded stairs leads to a further two bedrooms with Velux windows. These rooms share a decent-sized shower room. One is a double and the other is set up as a single but would be big enough to take twin beds. Charmingly it has rails set under the eaves as a clothes-hanging space and then through a small gap is a tiny set of steps down to a secret room where her daughter as a teenager hung out with her friends.
The property is seeking €1.35 million through agents Vincent Finnegan and includes a detached garage with a small artist’s studio that is separate from the house.
