BLACKROCK: €1.75M:There's a touch of Zen calm about this five-bed family home
“YOU wouldn’t believe that just an hour ago there were breakfast things everywhere,” says the owner of 5 Clonfadda Wood, a large detached house in Blackrock, Co Dublin.
Looking around the pristine white open-plan kitchen/dining area as spa-like music plays gently in the background, yes, it is hard to believe. (The music is floating through a multi-room audio system.)
The house in this gated development off Mount Merrion Avenue, built 10 years ago, manages to be contemporary and chic and at the same time a cosy family home for three children aged 10 to 13 with their parents (and two dogs).
About 18 months ago, the owners of the 237sq m (2,550sq ft)five-bedroom house – for sale by private treaty for €1.75 million through Sherry FitzGerald – decided to give it a complete revamp.
This involved knocking down most internal walls, expanding to the side and into the attic and creating a landscaped back garden-cum-outdoor room with a handsome water feature. It has been decorated in neutral tones upstairs and down, with vivid splashes of occasional colour (and in the kitchen, a black Aga).
The result is quite Zen and pretty remarkable: the three main downstairs rooms – livingroom, family room and kitchen/diningroom – open into each other through double sliding doors. There are polished walnut floors throughout, except in the kitchen, which has a white resin floor (“easily dirtied and very easily cleaned” says the owner). And how can the white sofas in the family room stay so clean? “Throws” says the owner, pointing to a basket in the corner.
There are recessed fireplaces in both the livingroom and family room. The back of the house looks onto the garden through floor-to-ceiling glass doors and windows. There is an en suite guest room, a toilet and a good-sized utility room downstairs as well.
Upstairs, one bedroom was removed to create a large upstairs landing – but there are still three good-sized bedrooms plus a large tranquil main bedroom with a dressingroom and en suite. The attic space has been converted and includes a compact study area with Velux windows.
5 Clonfadda Wood, Blackrock, Co Dublin
Smart comfortable five-bed for €1.75m off Mount Merrion Ave
Agent: Sherry FitzGerald
