An Edwardian semidetached house at 25 Morehampton Terrace in Donnybrook is expected to fetch over £700,000 (€889,000) when it is auctioned by Sherry FitzGerald on April 10th.
Morehampton Terrace is a surprisingly quiet cul-de-sac of redbrick houses off Morehampton Road, near Sachs Hotel. While many of its houses front directly on to the street, number 25 - near the end of the terrace on the right-hand side - has the benefit of a small front garden and a long, well-kept rear garden backing on to the grounds of a Carmelite monastery.
The four-bedroom house was built around 1904, and has since had only three owners. The current owners have lived here for the last 28 years, regularly updating, renovating and extending the house to suit changing circumstances.
The result is an exceptionally comfortable and stylish home in which every spare inch of space has been put to use.
A sunny yellow hallway is wider than might be expected. In fact, the entire house is larger than it looks, with around 2,000 sq ft of living space. There are two very attractive reception rooms - a sittingroom with a square bay window overlooking the front garden, and an open arch leading to a good-sized study at the rear.
Both rooms have polished timber floors, with walls lined in an olive green linen which gives a rich, padded feel. The material is still in excellent condition, though it has been on the walls for over 20 years.
The sittingroom has its original art nouveau fireplace fitted with a coal-effect gas fire. The study has floorto-ceiling bookshelves and a door leading to a big livingcum-diningroom overlooking the garden at the back of the house.
Every house of this type needs a room of this size to accommodate family and friends, and less formal living. In this case, it is the original kitchen and breakfastroom extended into the "dead space" at the side of the house to create one large sunny space with light streaming in from overhead as well as from the garden.
The sense of space is intensified by floor-to-ceiling mirrored cupboards that store a multitude of household bits and pieces. A corresponding cupboard, with plain doors, opens to reveal a cloak cupboard and the hot press. Beyond this room is the kitchen, which is not very large, but has a nice view of the garden.
Upstairs, the first of the bedrooms is a pretty room on the return with windows on two sides and built-in wardrobes and shelving. Next door is the family bathroom which is simply decorated with marble-effect wall tiles and an all-white suite.
The first floor has two bedrooms - both doubles - and a small study that could be knocked through to the adjoining room to make an en suite bathroom. A spiral staircase leads up to the fourth bedroom in the attic, a serene sunny room with roof lights overlooking the surrounding gardens.
