When designer Mary Fitzgerald and her husband bought their home at 60 Palmerston Road, they were returning from London, where Fitzgerald had worked on the sales side of Ralph Lauren Home before moving to quintessential British brand Cath Kidston. As sales director she saw the business grow from £10 million to a whopping £104 million when it was sold eight years later.
Added to her luxury decor expertise is more than a passing familiarity with the property market. She bought and sold five times within a 10-year period in London. Trading up from a one-bed flat on Elsham Road, she graduated to nearby Holland Park, eventually ending up in a large house on Clapham Common.
With two children of school-going age, the family moved back to Ireland in 2010 and bought this two-storey redbrick from Kevin McAnallen, former chief executive of interior fit-out firm Ardmac, for €1.3 million. The McAnallens had already done a lot of the heavy lifting in terms of structural upgrading of the property, including the installation of under-floor heating at garden level.
Palmerston Road remains one of Dublin 6’s most desirable roads, with prices varying hugely based on condition, size and orientation. No 60 is just a few doors down from actor Amy Huberman and rugby star Brian O’Driscoll’s home, which they bought in 2016 for €1.8 million.
Palmerston is a very active road: since 2015, 16 Victorian houses have changed hands. Last year alone, five properties sold. These ranged in price from €1.326 million for No 69, a four-bed of 262sq m/2,826sq ft in need of complete refurbishment, to €2.7million for No 17, a tastefully renovated four-bed of 277sq m/2,982sq ft that was in walk-in condition and situated on the sunny side of the street – the one where the houses have large south-west facing rear gardens. No 15, a six-bed with 393sq m/4,230sq ft, on the sunny side, came to market last year seeking €2.595 million and sold last month for €2.3 million.
No 60 needed an update, says Fitzgerald, who reconfigured the garden level, where the ceiling heights are 2.6m, opening it up so that it flows with family life. It opens into a spacious living area, set around a stove framed by the original granite blocks that would have once housed the range. Here Chesterfield-style deep-buttoned, roll-back sofas and chairs surround the fireplace and provide ample room for kids to dump schoolbags and coats before making their way to the kitchen.
Fitzgerald commissioned Co Kildare company Seabury to make the bespoke, in-frame painted units arranged around a large central island.
To the rear, and a little hidden from view, is the dining area, which seats up to 12. This glazed room overlooks the east-facing paved garden, which while small compared with the gardens on the other side of the street, has plenty of space for a barbecue and outdoor seating.
Upstairs at hall level there is unhoned limestone underfoot, which Fitzgerald sourced from Trunk Flooring. The interconnecting reception rooms are very elegant, with large windows pooling light in from both front and back. These have matching white marble fireplaces and retain the luxurious proportions of most homes on this road.
On the return is a smartly done guest bathroom with Ralph Lauren wallpaper and a full-size tub with a hotel-finish marble surround.
Originally the property had four bedrooms, but the fourth room has been converted into a shower en suite and walk-through dressing room for the master bedroom, which sits to the front. The other two rooms are good-sized doubles.
There is a further shower room at the top of the house.
Three years after they moved in, planning permission was granted for gates and off-street parking for several cars.
The property, which measures 266sq m/2,873sq ft, is seeking €1.95 million through agent Youngs.
