Built in 1907 to showcase the best of architectural design and building materials for the Irish International Exhibition of the same year, number 19 Park Drive has retained its showhouse good looks.
Called Luariston, the three-storey, semi-detached house, which is set in a quiet cul de sac away from the traffic congestion that plagues many of Ranelagh’s other streets, is striking, with a turret and arts and crafts-style balcony to the front. Inside, the well-proportioned house has many of its original features intact such as Edwardian plasterwork, fireplaces and several leaded-glass windows in the hallway and stairwell.
Now for sale asking €2.25 million through agents Lisney, the house has been in the same family for over 30 years. While it does need upgrading, a light touch will help preserve its character, but the next owner could spend anything from €200,000 upwards to coax this Edwardian dame into the 21st century.
The hall is a room in its own right rather than just a throughway with a box bay window and window-paned turret drawing light in and has a brass-hooded fireplace decorated with art nouveau panels adding physical and visual warmth.
To the right is the property’s best room, its formal sitting room, a space that has decorative plasterwork that appears to hark back to the Victorian era rather than forward to the more pared-back elegance of the Edwardian period. A mahogany fire-surround complete with over-mantle mirrored panel has tiled inserts. The room is big enough to take three sofas set at right angles to each other and has a large casement window with a leaded-glass panel that shines light into its furthest corners. The second front window is a decorative trope. From the outside, it appears to be a cabinet of curiosities housing blue and white vases on shelves but is closed off from the main sitting room by a door. The current owner uses it as a bar but it would be lovely to have the benefit of this light filtering into the living room.
Wall space
The formal dining room to its rear is another fine room that overlooks the garden. The fact that these rooms are not interconnecting means there is plenty of wall space to hang art.
The kitchen is set to the back and is where work is needed. By modern standards it feels small, given that the house extends to 330sq m (3552sq ft). But there is plenty of scope to extend sideways through the covered side passage and into a sitting room that leads through to the garage. Rethinking these rooms would give you all the space you need to have a large kitchen, dining, living room with access to the garden from each part.
Upstairs there are three generous bedrooms on the first floor with another two on the second. The master bedroom is set to the front of the first floor and has access to a verandah-style balcony that faces southwest. Adjoining it is the family bathroom, a gorgeous space that enjoys the round window as well as turreted space, currently home to a flourishing potted plant.
There is a large shower room on this floor also.
On the second floor, there are two bedrooms and two other smaller rooms, one became a bathroom, the other a study or playroom.
The garden is gorgeous and completely private with several decked areas. The house backs on to Gonzaga College.
