Did you ever rent a flat in Dublin 4 and think you’d arrived? These days, old-fashioned apartments in Edwardian and Victorian houses are harder to come by, as owners convert these properties back into family homes.
No 42 Belmont Avenue is one such home; formerly partitioned off into several apartments, the semi-detached Edwardian redbrick of 240sq m (2,580sq ft), has been fully refurbished and restored to its original form as a handsome family home in the heart of Donnybrook.
Today, there’s little to suggest that this house used to be part of Dublin’s flatland. No sign of one of those old payphones with A and B buttons, or an electricity coin meter, in the hallway, which is spacious and welcoming, and no plasterboard walls bisecting the generously sized rooms.
In fact, the house has retained many of its original features, including ceiling coving and centre roses – although the chandeliers are all shiny and new. The furniture and fittings are all designed to showcase the period elegance of the house and set a tasteful, stylish tone.
The drawing room has a fine white marble fireplace, feature double-glazed bay window and double doors leading to the dining room, which overlooks the rear garden. An extension to the back, built in 1988, features the kitchen and a breakfast/family room with sliding doors out to the back garden. A brand new kitchen was fitted as part of the 2019 refurbishment, with eye-level fitted units, white marble worktop, integrated double fan oven, microwave, dishwasher and double-door fridge freezer, recessed lighting and tiled floor.
The back garden is in need of a bit of love and landscaping; at the moment it’s just a plain lawn with double gates opening out on to Belmont Villas and looking out on to St Mary’s Lawn Tennis Club. There’s little sense of privacy here, but there is ample room for car parking, and there’s a handy side passage to the front of the house.
Upstairs on the first floor, to the front, are two generous bedrooms, each with en suite, and to the rear is the main bathroom and a third bedroom leading on to a large den that would make a perfect home office/gym. On the second floor is a fourth bedroom with en suite and separate walk-in wardrobe, and a small set of stairs leads up to a converted attic room – big folk will have to stoop here, but it’s the perfect place for little ones to play.
Belmont Avenue is a narrow, busy street linking Donnybrook with Ranelagh, but there’s a lively, buzzy feel about it, and a sense of elegant urban living. It's close to Herbert Park and the shops and restaurants of Ranelagh village, and a short enough distance from St Stephen’s Green. There are some fine schools in the vicinity, including Muckross Park and Gonzaga, and it’s a gentle stroll to Energia Park, the RDS and the Aviva on match days.
No 42 Belmont Avenue, with a BER rating of C2, is on sale through DNG asking €1,895,000.
