Colourful character in a Ranelagh three-bed for €760,000

When the owners of number 7 Chelmsford Avenue bought their period terraced house in 2014, they had a plan to stay just five years. But the location, the proximity to Ranelagh Gardens and its playground, pond and green space, the fact that it was in a quiet cul de sac, and that the shops and restaurants of Ranelagh were all on its doorstep, kept them there.

They paid €350,000 for it in January of that year, according to the property price register.

Having just moved back from London, they hired Antóin Doyle of Works Architecture to upgrade it completely and reimagine its layout. It is now a very smartly appointed home in a cracking location.

When they bought it, each room was small and separate with net curtains obscuring the park views. They say that it wasn’t until the works were done that they realised just how special the location was.

And it is a gorgeous, quiet little spot, accessible by car via Chelmsford Road.

There wasn’t space to extend the house much so it was really about making the most of the existing space, Doyle explains.

He changed the location of the stairs and in doing so freed up enough room to still have an entrance lobby, in the form of a broken-plan hall, where a chartreuse yellow shelving unit filled with baskets for outdoor shoes, scarves, gloves and other paraphernalia divides it from the sittingroom.

He also found room for a downstairs toilet, which is a valuable asset for families with small children. This internal space is painted Nancy’s Blushes, a shade that positively radiates heat.

The internal walls were insulated and a new insulated slab with damp-proof membrane was laid. New sash windows were installed to the front, while the owners opted for aluminium fenestrations to the rear.

The rest of the ground floor is open-plan and charmingly appointed. Now a dual-aspect space, it is washed in light with the framed view of the park to the front really central. You could lose hours to people-watching here in the living area, especially at this time of the year when the trees on the boundary are not yet fully green.

Set in a U-shape, the ply-fronted kitchen has a laminated countertop and projects almost to the boundary wall. Adjacent to it is the dining area where glass doors open to a small back yard with a barbecue and some seating.

By repositioning the stairs, now painted an arsenic green, the architect freed up space to install floor-to-ceiling cupboards that include a pantr y, laundry appliances and cleaning equipment.

There are three bedrooms on the first floor, two doubles and a single that probably has the best park view in the house. The bathroom is pained a vibrant green by Dulux and has a shower over the bath.

Now with a D1 Ber, the 79sq m (860sq ft) property is asking €760,000 through Young’s Estate Agents.