Elstow, on Monkstown’s Knapton Road is a house of two moods. The original part, built in the 1930s, is a full-on Arts and Crafts-era space, complete with beamed ceilings, wooden panelling and country-cottage style wallpaper. But step beyond the entrance hall to find a bright modern extension, added by the current owners 15 years ago. This adds another bedroom, making for four generous doubles (two en suite), and gives an overall 232sq m (2,500sq ft) of accommodation.

Outside, the sunny deck and patio leads to lawns and well-kept mature planting, and there's a Shomera den/office, and a separate greenhouse. Lovely as all this is, however, the commanding feature is the slender granite tower, sited in the grounds of neighbouring CBC Monkstown, giving your sundowners a romantic, timeless feel. It was erected at the behest of 19th century social reformer Charles Halliday.

Back inside there’s a spacious contemporary kitchen that leads on to a large breakfast room, and through to a familyroom. There’s a good-sized utility room.

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“The kitchen is lovely to work in,” says the owner, and there’s certainly enough counter space to whip up elaborate creations.

There is also a cosy living room.

The current owners love gardening and bright colours, so the house is an intriguing mixture of the older-style Arts and Crafts: “It was the hallway that sold me on the house,” says the owner; and the funkier more modern spots. There’s also a separate garage.

This would make a great place to raise a family. Knapton Road is walking distance to the Dart, schools, shops and all the amenities of Dún Laoghaire and the surrounding area.

“You could park a fleet of cars outside,” says the owner, “but you can walk everywhere. I walk the pier a lot.” Elstow is for sale through Lisney for €1.95 million.