Spacious loft-style penthouse with clear city views

Dublin 8 €1.4m: Businesswoman Caroline Kennedy's smart €1.4m penthouse is larger than the standard suburban semi. Bernice Harrison reports.

The Warehouse development off Clanbrassil Street in Dublin 8 created a considerable stir when it was completed by developer Michael Roden and architect Mary O'Donohue in 2000.

The large modernised building is a former sewing factory built in the 1950s and, when launched, it was the first time that a genuine loft apartment development came on the market in Dublin.

Buyers bought a shell - albeit an interesting and very roomy one - with higher than average ceilings, and an industrial feel accentuated by powder-finished steel-framed windows.

In true loft style, it was up to buyers to install their own kitchens and bathrooms and to decide how the space was going to be used. For example, where to erect internal walls to create bedrooms.

A particularly attractive feature is that the apartments are built around a central courtyard that is now a lushly planted space with an impressive water feature that creates a calm, quiet atmosphere.

The penthouses are the most prized units in The Warehouse. They're duplexes with extensive terraces and great views and number 33, with 196.24sq m (2,112sq ft), is one of the larger ones.

It's the home of Caroline Kennedy, whose public relations company specialises in fashion and consumer PR, and over the years it has appeared in interiors magazines and a book on contemporary living in Dublin because of its decorative style and the sheer dramatic impact of the space.

This is a two-bedroom penthouse and, given that its square footage is far larger than most four-bedroom suburban houses, it's easy to imagine just how spacious the living accommodation in this apartment is.

There is a large double bedroom on each of the two floors. The open-plan, high-spec kitchen is downstairs.

There's also a separate utility room and two bathrooms, one of them en suite to the main bedroom which also has a large dressingroom.

A very attractive detail is the original herringbone patterned oak parquet flooring throughout, which was salvaged from the sewing factory and re-laid.

Both levels have been decorated in a smart style so new owners will find the penthouse in walk-in condition. The large wraparound terrace provides proper outdoor space for entertaining or for pottering about and there are panoramic views over the city.

The Warehouse is a gated development and number 33 comes with a car-parking space, although its proximity to the city centre means that a car isn't strictly necessary.

Felicity Fox is selling the penthouse by private treaty with a price tag of €1.4 million.