The owners of 2 Blarney Park in Kimmage took the step to buy their first home in 2017 after the landlord of their Rathmines rental informed them he was selling up. In hindsight, they were “very lucky” to find what was then a doer-upper, says one of the owners.
It was the long back garden and how central the three-bed terrace is between Dublin city centre and their old stomping ground in Rathmines that first attracted the owners. After they had secured it, an eight-month renovation began with the help of an uncle, who is a builder, and an aunt. The house was stripped back to the bare bricks, internal and external insulation was fitted, as well as new windows and doors — the property now has a B3 Ber — and a wall was knocked through to create an open-plan kitchen-diner to the rear.
The house has been finished to an immaculate standard with crisp white walls, classic wooden finishes and new flooring throughout, likely to suit a multitude of tastes. The midterrace home, extending to 92sq m (990sq ft), is now on the market through Mullery O’Gara, seeking €590,000, as the couple have decided to move to an area closer to family.
The boundary wall of the front garden has been knocked to create a driveway large enough for two cars, although you could certainly manage without one as the property is just a short walk from the bus stop offering multiple services toward the city centre. It is about a 20-minute walk from Terenure village and Harold’s Cross.
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The exterior of the property looks smart with red brick cladding up to ground-floor ceiling height and dark-grey window frames with a matching front door.
Once inside, wooden features — such as the banister, original doors with brass knobs and bookshelf atop the far door frame — pop against the stark white background. The space under the stairs offers built-in storage as well as a guest loo. The compact but comfortable livingroom is to the right off the hallway with a wood-burning stove set into an angled wall, above which a railway sleeper forms a sleek mantlepiece.
At the end of the hall is the extremely well-executed kitchen-diner. It’s a welcoming bright space with plenty of light from two windows in the kitchen and a big sliding door out to the back garden off the dining area. The kitchen has a timeless design with a bespoke fitout consisting of white wooden units and a hardwood countertop. A super functional island/breakfast bar adds more storage and seating space and is the perfect spot to perch and to chat to whoever is working away in the kitchen. One of the items on the couple’s wishlist was a range cooker and a Belling model takes centre stage in this kitchen. There is also a white metro tile splashback. The owners sourced a stunning copper tap for the kitchen sink which is complemented by a pendant light in the same tone.
The dining area offers plenty of space for a large table and the space feels even bigger when the weather allows you to slide open the glazed door on to the patio portion of the back garden. Beyond the patio the garden is laid in lawn with shrubs around the perimeter, with a second patio to the rear, with a colourful hand-painted mural adding a bit of fun to the space. At the end of the garden, an old garage, with a corrugated-steel facade, has been turned into a music studio. This is a great additional space with electrical outlets and soundproofing. It could be used by another musician or as a gym, art studio or workshop, depending on the interests of a prospective buyer. There is access through the studio to a rear laneway.
Back inside, the first floor follows a familiar layout with the bathroom and the main bedroom to the rear and a second double and a single room to the front; the stairwell wall is glazed, adding a sense of space to the landing. A lockdown project for one of the owners was adding some opulence to the main bedroom to create a hotel-like feel; they achieved this by adding panelling to the rear wall and painting the room in Farrow & Ball’s Pigeon green.
There are built-in wardrobes in both double rooms, as well as shelving in the second double, and grey carpeting throughout the upstairs. The bathroom has a bath with a shower attachment and is decorated with diamond-patterned tiles underfoot and white metro tiles on the walls and around the bath.
The property is also close to a number of schools including Scoil Úna Naofa, Gaelscoil Mológa, Loreto and Harold’s Cross National School at primary level and Pearse College and Rosary College for second-level students.
