Nearly 50 years ago a couple with small children looking to move from Dublin to Wicklow came across what they considered to be the perfect garden at Cloon on Glencree Road in Enniskerry. The bungalow that sat on the 1.25 acre property, Silver Birches, however was a different matter being small and dark. So once they bought the property they essentially rebuilt the house from scratch creating a stylish and light filled 261sq m (2,809 sq ft)home.
In layout, the focus is on the garden; a large covered terrace is located beside the room-sized entrance porch whose tall glazed doors fold back to create an open airy space. The more formal living room is to the front too with two oversized windows, all the better to appreciate the lovely garden. The main bedroom with en suite and dressing room is also to the front, to the other side of the house.
A two-tier deck is arranged across the front of the house for sitting out, fringed with box hedging and dotted with planters. There are four bedrooms, the couple’s original rebuild included five but as the family grew and their needs changed two of the bedrooms were knocked together – the benefit of a bungalow is always the flexibility of the accommodation.
There is a formal dining room opening into and up some steps up from the front living room with its Adams’ style fireplace. There is another large sitting room off the hall, a more relaxed space with a cosy wood-burning stove. The eat-in kitchen is to the rear. Warm and welcoming with its fire engine red Aga this is one room that new owners might update or even extend or at least rework the current layout which incorporates a good-sized utility room.
Dotted around the garden are three structures; two shomeras – one providing ideal guest accommodation, the other operating as a home office – and a tree house.
The beautifully mature and lushly planted garden was designed with knowledge and flair by one of the owners, and assisted in recent years by a full-time gardener.
Silver Birches is set well back from the road and approached via electronic gates and a tree-lined avenue.
The owners are moving back to Dublin to be nearer one of their adult children and Silver Birches is likely to appeal to a young family moving in the opposite direction. It certainly provides a pretty property in a scenic area with plenty of space to work from home and within easy reach of the capital.
Silver Birches is for sale through Daphne Kaye & Associates seeking €1.35 million.
