By offering bridal gowns for modern women, fashion designer Sharon Hoey carved out a distinct niche for herself. An astute businesswoman who has dressed many A-listers down the years, her shop, soon returning to Mount Street has, no doubt, seen its fair share of bridezillas over the course of her career.
But whatever work throws at her, Hoey’s home at 7 Roebuck Park is an exercise in Zen understatement. She fell in love with the house when she crossed its threshold in 1994, moving her young family from Haddington Road out to the leafy development built by Cunningham Brothers that year.
These large, three-storey homes are uniquely situated in a gated estate that extends to 4 acres with mature trees and green spaces. This gave Hoey’s three sons the liberty to roam safely and allowed the adults – she shares the home with husband and business partner Richard Tate – to turn the southwest facing garden into a grown-up space.
Over the years the house has been reconfigured and extended by about 39sq m/420sq ft over two storeys to make it a six-bedroom property that now measures 213sq ft/ 2,300 sq ft.
The property opens into a roomy hall with a triple aspect living room to the left where there is an open fire and French windows out to the garden. At the far end of the hall, a door leads to the dining room and kitchen, where the units are mainly under counter with iroko timber tops. There’s an island that doubles as a breakfast bar and an impressive six-hob Smeg stove with hot plate and two ovens, one big enough to accommodate two turkeys for big Christmas gatherings. The windows over the sink fold back creating a cafe-like hatch allowing the cook to stay in touch when entertaining outside.
The family room is down a few steps, has a ceiling height of 2.7m and is dual aspect. It features smart Flamant-inspired tallboy units and a large Maestro ceramic log gas fire by Dru that can be turned on remotely to ensure a warming fire to welcome you home on winter nights.
There are four bedrooms on the first floor including the dual aspect main bedroom suite with dressing area and spacious en suite where there is an extra deep cast-iron bath and sizeable separate shower. Across the hall is the spare room – or what Hoey calls the snore room – where guilty parties can be dispatched. The other two bedrooms have shower en suites with one boasting a walk-through study area, ideal for an adult child working from home or a student doing exams.
There are two further bedrooms on the second floor. One is dual aspect. The other has glazing on three sides and is painted a masculine midnight blue. Each has dormer windows with tongue and groove panelling. They’re charming and set far enough away from downstairs to make an ideal space for teenagers.
Many of the rooms have been painted a minky grey, a colour that is a favourite of Hoeys and changes depending on the light. Soft furnishings of linen and wool in a Scandi palette of grey, taupe, inky blues and slate combine for a restful ambience.
The property is seeking €1.375 million through agents Lynam Auctioneers.
