MILLTOWN, DUBLIN 6: €250,000:THE BOOM years didn't exactly turn us into a nation of apartment dwellers as predicted but there are a few well-designed developments that have stood the test of time. Mount St Anne's in Milltown, Dublin 6, is one of the best examples.
Space is selling 31 Convent Hall, a one-bedroom apartment on the first floor of the former St Anne’s convent school building, near the entrance to the development. The asking price is €250,000 and it comes with an underground parking space and a small balcony with access from the livingroom and bedroom. While most of the 480 apartments built by Park Developments between 2000 and 2006 are modern, Convent Hall has an intriguing mix of the old convent school facade on one side and a modern apartment block on the other. Eleven years on and the development is looking good, the large communal grounds are well looked after and, despite the number of apartments in the scheme, it has a leafy, tranquil atmosphere. There’s a private walkway for residents to the Milltown Luas stop at the other end of the development .
The entrance to the apartment building has a brown and cream Victorian tiled floor, big arched windows and a wide staircase (there is also a lift) but once you get to the inner sanctum of the building you are definitely back to the 21st century, albeit against the backdrop of old stone convent wall.
This one-bedroom apartment has a west-facing aspect looking out over an impressive central communal area with a water feature with fountains, and a seating area. In keeping with the old world meets new design of the building, the owner has filled the 72sq m (773sq ft) space with antique furniture. This makes for interesting viewing. While most one-beds take all of five minutes to walk around, with this one it’s as if the contents of a house have been shoehorned into an apartment. In the sittingroom alone there’s a large sofa, armchair, occasional chair, chaise longue, chest of drawers, two oil paintings and a small table and chairs, which make the space appear smaller than it is. But look beyond the big furniture and this is a spacious, modern apartment with polished timber floors and recessed lighting.
The kitchen off the livingroom is of a reasonable size and the owner has added illuminated glass panelled wall units, while keeping the original modern cream presses below. There is a range of integrated appliances and room for a small table. The bedroom is a real statement room with a dark red feature wall.
It’s a good size as the owner has somehow managed to fit an armchair, occasional chair, sizeable desk and chair, chest of drawers and a small table into the room. The bathroom has a bath and shower and behind the owner’s decorative gold mirror is the original modern wall mirror.
The apartment has reasonable storage including a cupboard in the hall and presses either side of the front door. The management fee is €1,400 a year.
31 Convent Hall, Mount St Anne’s, Dublin 6
The view from the balcony of this spacious one-bedroom apartment on the first floor in a well-maintained development
Agent: Space
