The aptly named Rugged Lane, a small boreen connecting The Strawberry Beds to Porterstown in Dublin 15, is bordered on one side by the old stone walls and turret of Luttrellstown Estate.
In this colourful setting, where the trees are taking on burnt autumnal hues, at one stage there were only three families living on the road: the Blacks, the Whites and the Brownes.
Blackwood, which was known as Tall Trees when it was purchased by the current owners in 2015 for €654,000, has been completely refurbished and redesigned.
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"All that remains of the original structure are the four walls and chimney breast," say current owners Patrick and Sarah Cremin.
Having an architect and quantity surveyor in the family is a convenient asset when rebuilding a house.
Patrick's sister, Sarah Cremin, who was lead architect for the conversion of a piano factory to the Prada Headquarters in New York when she worked at Herzog and de Meuron, designed the property, which focuses on blending the natural surroundings with the interiors.
There are no curtains in the house, instead some of the 1,000 trees on the site and surrounding lands which border the house provide privacy and interest with the changing colours through the seasons.
In addition Patrick's brother, Ross Cremin, a specialist in passive houses, oversaw the insulation – with the addition of sealed breathable membranes to ensure the house was built to passive standards. He also clad the house in Siberian Larch – which has a lifespan of 100 years. All the windows and large patio doors are triple glazed.
The property sits on a site of just over 0.6 of an acre behind electric gates and has four bedrooms, three of which are upstairs. The main one lies at ground level, and views through the picture windows are remarkable – especially the vista of an old copper beech.
“It is lovely to lie in bed on a starry night – the views are great even though we are just around the corner from Castleknock village,” says Sarah.
Off a large hallway at ground level is a living room with a stove as its central focus. The six point antlers of a red deer stag head overlooks the hearth – Patrick’s father operated one of Irelands’ first deer farms.
Off the living space is a dining room which opens out to a west-facing patio, and a spacious kitchen.
The Cremins are moving to another project to be closer to their families, and have placed this house in a wonderful sylvan setting on the market through Sherry FitzGerald seeking €1.35million.
