A handsome cherry blossom tree adorns the front garden of number 56 Sandford Road, Ranelagh in Dublin 6. The Victorian end-terrace home on the corner of Sandford Road and Marlborough Road was built in 1847, and was purchased by its current owners in 2017. The owners proceeded to gut the property and put in new electrics, plumbing, bathrooms and underfloor heating on the ground floor. They also had the exterior brickwork repointed. The 164sq m (1765sq ft) three-bed now has a D2 Ber.
Considering the best layout for the house and to maximise the southerly aspect, they flipped the layout of the ground floor, swapping the kitchen and livingrooms, so the kitchen lies to the front of the house and the livingroom is now at the back.
It’s an arrangement that has suited the current owners very well and optimises the views of the cherry tree in the spring. The garden construction was done by Aspect Gardens and planted by Irish Times gardening columnist Fionnuala Fallon, and the front garden frequently causes passersby to stop and comment, the owner says.
A redbrick arch frames the front door which opens on to the hall, off which the kitchen/diningroom lies to the left. A pair of tall units flank the window in the dining area, with a seating bench linking them. The floor is a limed herringbone oak that runs through the ground floor, and the original fireplace is a grey mottled marble with a tiled inset and slate hearth.
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The kitchen lies beyond, installed by Newcastle Design, who also fitted out the adjoining utility, which lies in an extension to the left of the kitchen. A new double-oven gas Aga in pearl ash heats not just these rooms, but the whole house as the owner explains the heat it throws out extends to the rooms upstairs. A tall window lies at the end of the kitchen, the house has kept its original layout so there is scope to extend farther here if new owners wished, subject to planning permission.
At the end of the hall is the sittingroom, painted in Mole’s Breath, a grey shade by Farrow & Ball. It’s a narrow room with a beautiful window and French doors leading on to a side terrace and seating area. A door in the wall leads out on to Marlborough Road, which is one of the two spots around the house for parking; the other is across the street on Sandford Terrace.
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Upstairs are two beautifully appointed bedrooms on the first floor. The main bedroom has two big windows overlooking Sandford Road, and half shutters provide privacy while allowing light to flood in. The fireplace is original and there are fitted wardrobes from BeSpace. The other bedroom on this floor has a luxurious gold wallpaper, a pretty cast-iron fireplace and stained wooden floors, all original.
The family bathroom and additional WC on this floor were renovated with wainscoting on the walls and stone tiling on the floors.
There’s another lovely long bedroom on the return, with two windows overlooking the garden, and a bank of fitted wardrobes. The final room is in the attic, which is being used as a bedroom, but would make for a fantastic home office, with its double Velux windows and another window – there’s enough room up here for a sofa and a couple of chairs making for another living space.
The owners, now downsizing, have placed their home on the market with DNG seeking €1.395 million. They have enjoyed the proximity to the city centre and to the villages of Donnybrook and Ranelagh. It’s a home sure to appeal to families given its location beside Muckross Park and Gonzaga College.
