Signposted by a pastel-pink bike with flowers planted in the basket, Hastings Street is a cul-de-sac located opposite Shelbourne Park greyhound stadium and less than a five-minute walk from Google’s European headquarters in Dublin 4. Any expectation you may have of this mid-terrace redbrick from the outside is turned on its head when you enter the home and realise that the layout is upside down. The property was completely refurbished by a previous architect owner before the current owners arrived in 2018, when they paid €460,000 for the home, according to the Property Price Register.
After walking down the hall and up the wooden staircase you reach the airy open-plan kitchen and living area. The old attic had been knocked through to create a double-height vaulted ceiling which houses two large Velux windows over the kitchen, flooding the room with light. The entire space is painted white and defined by two contrasting black beams in the bends of the ceiling. The navy-blue kitchen units span the height of the high wall, and the double oven, microwave, fridge and washing machine are integrated. The kitchen countertop forms an L-shape, sectioning off the area.
From the kitchen window, a few metres from the rear of the property, you can see a new development of two- and three-storey residential units nearing completion. The owner says this new addition to the area hasn’t affected them as the kitchen gets most of its light from the skylights.
A slight alcove in the centre of the open-plan space creates the perfect spot to hang artwork, in front of which is space for a small dining table. The dark-stain wooden floors continue into the living space, which has two windows looking out on to the street, a built-in wood-burning fire inset (currently not in use as the TV is mounted on the chimney breast) and overhead shelving on the front wall. Shelving to the left of the chimney breast is currently filled with logs as a design feature.
Downstairs, the main bedroom, accessed by inward folding doors, sits to the front of the house. The double room has white built-in shelving on either side of the queen-size bed. The en suite off the bedroom is a full-size bathroom complete with a bath that has a waterfall shower head, and a heated towel rail.
Further down the hall towards the back of the property is the second double bedroom. The current owners use it as an office and recently installed a double Murphy bed, which folds neatly into the wall, allowing the room to double as a bedroom when needed. There is also a shower unit hidden in an alcove at the back of the room. Its accompanying WC is in the hallway just outside the bedroom door. This room is perfect for renting out, says the owner, who has done so in the past.
A pebbled courtyard, big enough for a small table, is accessed from a door in the hallway, and has a clothes drying rack that pulls out from the wall. While the home has an F Ber rating this does not reflect how the home feels, the owner says, as she has never found it to be a cold home.
This property, extending to 63sq m (678sq ft), is likely to appeal to a buyer working in Ringsend itself, the south docklands, city centre, or in Ballsbridge. It is now on the market through DNG Donnybrook, seeking €495,000.
