You wouldn’t want to be prone to vertigo when you look down from the top floor of this architect-designed contemporary home nestled down a small lane just off Church Avenue in Rathmines. The central atrium swoops up a dizzying three storeys from the flower bed set in to the floor of the inner hall to the skylight glazing at the very top of the house. Luckily, the atrium-style stairway has glazed banisters and balustrades that ensure safety at every level.
Number 3 Church Lane is a deceptively large home that extends to an impressive 297sq m (3,197sq ft) and is built for 21st-century living, with three generous reception rooms, five large bedrooms including a huge principal bedroom, balconies to the front and a large first-floor roof terrace overlooking a spacious southwest-facing landscaped back garden with a sheltered patio dining area. There’s underfloor heating throughout, engineered dark wood floors, recessed lighting and speakers set in the ceilings for the definition of sound living.
From the front it all looks very discreet, with a remote-operated timber garage door and a timber front door opening into an off-street parking space for two cars. Inside, the reception hall has natural stone flooring with a central vacuum unit and digital security alarm, and the livingroom is next to this, with dark oak/walnut engineered floor with underfloor heating, recessed lighting, speakers set in to the ceiling and lots of built-in storage units with space for a TV. There’s even provision for a projector to turn this room into a fab home cinema with the snap of a clapperboard.
When you reach the inner hall, however, you really get a sense of the dimensions of this house, with the central atrium providing a headspinning focal point. There’s a large flower bed set in to the natural stone floor, with clearance to grow plants as high as you like, a double folding cloak hanging area and, behind a frosted glass door, a guest WC with walnut worktops, glazed shelving, a large fitted mirror and Duravit sanitary ware.
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The kitchen-dining-livingroom lies down split-level steps, and is a generous 10m by 5.8m. The kitchen has dark walnut-effect presses and drawers, a polished stone worktop, and a central island unit with a natural stone worktop. Fittings include dual Liebherr fridge-freezers, a pull-out pantry, a Siemens five-ring gas hob, stainless-steel oven, microwave and stainless-steel coffee-maker. Above the dining area is another atrium effect looking down from the first-floor mezzanine lounge, with light coming in from the large window. The family area has recessed lighting, raised gas fire, natural stone floor and concertina doors leading out to the back garden. Tucked away off the kitchen is a utility room plumbed for washing machine and dryer, with built-in storage, opening in to a large hot press with shelves which also houses the heating controls, fuse board and central vacuum system.
On the first floor is a mezzanine-style lounge room that looks down on the kitchen-dining area and has engineered walnut floor with underfloor heating, a large open fire with brushed chrome surround and recessed lighting. A walkway leads to a superb roof terrace that’s ideally positioned to catch the southwesterly sun in the afternoon and early evening. There’s an outdoor solid-fuel fireplace and wall-mounted electric heaters so you don’t have to run back in when it cools off.
Two of the five bedrooms are at this level, one with built-in frosted glazed wardrobes, and both with fitted shelving. A shower room at this level has a hardwood frosted glazed door, step-in tiled Grohe power shower with an air-jet Monsoon head, fitted mirror with Hollywood lights and Duravit sanitary ware.
On the second floor are two more bedrooms with picture windows overlooking the back garden, one with an en suite shower room with all the same fittings and fixtures as the first-floor shower room. The principal bedroom suite to the front measures 5.6m by 4m and has sliding wardrobes with walnut-style finish, and double folding doors opening out to a flower pot balcony. The impressive en suite is done up in mosaic tiling, and features his and hers round sinks, a walnut vanity unit and glazed medicine cabinets.
But we haven’t reached the top just yet. Completing this stunning spa-style en suite is a set of hardwood cedar steps leading up to a mezzanine bath area with more mosaic tiling, a large bath and skylight above. Fill up the bath, light your candles and relax under the stars. There are lots of storage alcoves for your pampering products, and there’s also a handy door into a generous attic storage space.
Church Lane is close to Palmerston Park and within easy reach of the villages of Rathmines, Rathgar and Ranelagh, and with the Luas Beechwood stop just a short walk away, there is easy access to both the city centre and Dundrum Town Centre.
Number 3 Church Lane, Rathmines, Dublin 6, extends to 297sq m (3,197sq ft) with a Ber energy rating of B3, and is for sale through Lisney Sotheby’s International Realty asking €1.85 million.
