A bushy-tailed, grey squirrel bolts from the garden of 33 Brighton Square, speeding across the road to the adjoining park, which is privately owned by the residents. Laid out in a triangular shape, the park has three tennis courts and an abundance of community activities throughout the year.
The residential square is famous as the birthplace of James Joyce, who spent some of his childhood years at number 41.
The late wife of the owner of number 33 had always harboured a desire to live here, so as a young couple they were delighted to purchase the four-bed property in 2008 and set about a complete renovation, managing the chaos of builders and babies as they turned a house untouched for decades into an exquisitely gracious home.
Her keen eye and fine aesthetic sense oversaw a renovation that she frequently updated over the intervening years, so the house presents in immaculate, walk-in condition. The front garden is landscaped beautifully around a huge olive tree, and the entrance has been altered, so the path leads not only to the front door but also to a covered passage at the side of the house.
Behind the blue-painted front door with the house name, Minerva, picked out in gold lettering on the fanlight, lies a stunning entrance hallway, with marble flooring in black and white, French linen wallpaper in a serene grey, elaborate cornicing, a fine ceiling rose and original corbels. There is copious understairs storage – in fact, there is storage built into every room, making this a perfect home for a busy family, laid out over four floors and with an area of 279sq m (3,003sq ft).
The original door opening to the drawingroom has been stripped and adorned with cut-glass handles and pretty bevels. The fireplace is marble, the floors are walnut and the deep bay window was replaced during renovations, which also saw a complete rewiring, replumbing and re-roofing of the house. The Ber is D1.
Things become very clever beyond the beautiful formal reception rooms in the extension. A sittingroom and office with an open fireplace bridges the space, steps lead down to a vast kitchen with a coffee-bean shaped island. There is also an adjoining large cinema room which builders had to dig 4ft down to create.
To the left of the kitchen is a long, bright dining area, and French doors open on to a very pretty garden, with two large olive trees, laurel trees growing around the gate that has vehicular access to a lane outside, and there is a sunken trampoline and a home studio too.
On the first-floor return is a bedroom and a fine bathroom and first sight of the custom-designed wardrobes that feature in all the bedrooms. The main bedroom overlooks the square and is luxurious, with a clever blend of dark walnut on the floors and doors, silk wallpaper and matching silk drapes. The en suite is gorgeous and full of smart design touches such as a sink placed in a fireplace surround, a raised ledge in the shower and dramatic double doors providing a lovely line of sight back into the bedroom.
There is another large double bedroom on this floor, with a fine original frieze coving and a fireplace picked out in the same soothing deep blue as the walls. All of the sash windows were replaced – while no expense was spared in the renovations, what is unique about this house is the exigent and restrained hand that executed them. A fine bathroom with a large, traditional style bath and a small bedroom completes this floor’s accommodation.
A final bedroom, a good-sized double with Velux windows and lots of storage, was created from an attic conversion. It has a shower room and access to the rest of the attic. Moving to be closer to extended family, the owner says it has been an “unbelievably happy home” and he leaves with years of good memories, citing the solid community ethos of Brighton Square, where “you always felt like you belonged.”
Number 33 Brighton Square is for sale with Mullery O’Gara, seeking €2.25 million.
