When the current owners of 19 Marine Drive were redesigning their four-bedroom semidetached house in Sandymount in 2010, they sought to create a home that would lend itself to family life.
“We wanted a house that was suitable for young children even though we weren’t married and had no children yet,” says one of the owners.
They now have four children under the age of 11 and a rescue dog, a lurcher/Saluki cross, and find the design works well for all of them. “It’s all about function and keeping things as simple as possible,” she says. “The house is comfortable but at the same time, if one of the kids goes through the kitchen on a scooter, nothing is likely to get damaged.”
It was more than a year before the work was completed and they could move into the 233sq m (2,598 sq ft) home, which was built circa 1930.
It was rewired and replumbed and the walls were insulated. New windows were installed. Parquet flooring was laid downstairs as well as carpet in the bedrooms upstairs. In addition, a two-storey extension was added at the back.
The heart of the house is now an L-shaped open-plan kitchen/dining/livingroom, which has floor-to-ceiling glass sliding doors that open to the back garden.
There’s a reconditioned cream-coloured Aga stove in the kitchen. “It heats not only the kitchen, but the rooms above it, when it’s on.”
The decor throughout is modern and combines cream, white and various hues of blue and light grey. There are unusual features here and there. For example, a sliding barn door painted white, leading to a utility room, off the open-plan kitchen/dining/livingroom, which they had made, and an old trunk which acts as a coffee table in the living space. Upstairs are three good-sized double bedrooms and one smaller one.
The south-facing back garden has a patio and a lawn where their children play football. They’re hoping to stay in Sandymount. “We love the fact that everything we need is within walking distance,” she says. “There are kids’ schools nearby and shops, and you can be at the sea in minutes on foot which is a major plus.
“We’ve had christenings, communions and even a wake here. It’s a house that’s full of beautiful memories, so leaving it won’t be easy.”
Number 19 Marine Drive, Sandymount, Dublin 4, which has a C Ber, is now for sale with Sherry FitzGerald, seeking €1.95 million.
