City centre hideaway with a cathedral, flea market and the world on your doorstep

DUBLIN 8: €645,000:THIS SMART end-of-terrace period house at 26 Lauderdale Terrace in Dublin 8 is in one of the area's coolest neighbourhoods.

Connecting Dean Street to Blackpitts, this is true blue old Dublin. While the area is gentrified, it still boasts old-school institutions, such as Fallon’s pub at the end of the street, and the vibrant Dublin Co-op, home to the capital’s monthly flea and brocante markets, just around the corner.

The two-bedroom property is selling for €645,000 through agents Sherry FitzGerald.

Owner Kevin Desmond bought the house in a poor state and together with his partner Dave Curran has remodelled and extended the strict Victorian interior to double its original size.

Thanks to design by architect Robert Skoczylas and supervision by Liam McLoughlin at McLoughlin Architecture, the mood now is relaxed at the light-filled house.

Now measuring 135sq m (1,453sq ft), the very private and thoughtfully decorated house has retained a sense of old-fashioned charm, thanks to the exposed brick and stone accents throughout. The formal front sittingroom, for example, has an exposed brick chimney breast and its original fireplace.

The property’s original range has been refurbished and installed in the livingroom. Double doors lead through to a large kitchen cum diningroom with a grey-and-white gloss kitchen, stone floor and exposed granite walls.

A small garden, paved in sandstone, is stepped and overlooks the mill next door where, on occasion you can celebrity watch, because the premises is used by film crews. Desmond recently saw The Rubber Bandits film something there.

Upstairs, there used to be three bedrooms but this has been transformed into two roomy doubles. The third bedroom is now an enormous bathroom with a free-standing bath and a shower big enough to house most of the Heineken Cup winning Leinster rugby team.

The rooms have raised ceilings and the bank of Velux windows in the landing and bathroom make this floor feel super-bright.

You can see the spire of St Patrick’s Cathedral from the first-floor terrace, which is accessed through the back bedroom window. There is also an attic room, which is not big enough for most to stand in, but would be very useful as an office space or playroom.

The house is very close to the city centre and you are five minutes from anywhere, says Desmond.

26 Lauderdale Terrace, Dublin 8

A two-bedroom house transformed by an architect and the owners

Agent:Sherry FitzGerald