Calm and cool in Drumcrondra

The double line of knobbly trees on Griffith Avenue in Drumcondra has earned the road the accolade of the longest tree-lined purely residential avenue in Europe.

Number 299, a handsome redbrick constructed in the late 1920s, has undergone a recent overhaul under the careful eye of its designer owner, Celine Cummins.

Cummins was head of visual merchandising for Brown Thomas before establishing her international retail and exhibition consultancy. From a chocolate cafe in New York to fashion shows in Florence, she travels the globe creating visual spaces for international and Irish companies.

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The three bedroom house, in turnkey condition, has been home to Cummins for over 20 years. During that time the attic was converted and the kitchen extended, so that the semi-detached house now has 112sq m.

“As a designer, I am working with colour every day so I wanted our home to be calm, neutral and unfussy,” says Cummins.

This has certainly been achieved with a neutral palette used throughout. She removed the old fireplaces in the reception rooms, which are still retained in case new owners want to reinstate them, to create simpler more streamlined hearths.

The reception rooms flow into the kitchen through two sets of double doors and retain the original pine flooring. The kitchen, which Cummins designed herself, has lots of clever storage, as does the house in general. Fifteen years ago Cummins erected a studio in the rear garden which she uses as a home office.

With a huge Velux overhead and a wall of glass patio doors, this bright room could have a multitude of uses.

Garage

However, what lies behind the office will certainly be an attraction to buyers. A vast garage, which along with the studio constitutes an extra 66sq m of floor space, is currently an Aladdin’s cave of storage for Cummins business.

Boxes labelled “Louis Vuitton Light Fittings”, outsized glassware and an array of pottery indicate the broad nature of her work.

This space, with double-height ceilings, is serviced for electricity and plumbing, and could easily be transformed to an extra living room or teenage den.

Cummins is leaving the area to move in Meath, and has placed her home on the market with Sherry FitzGerald with an asking price of €740,000.