Taking in the tropical calm in the heart of Portobello

DUBLIN  €625,000:The garden of this traditional redbrick was inspired by its architect owner's time in Hong Kong, writes ALANNA GALLAGHER

NO 38 VICTORIA STREET is a family home in the redbrick-rich streets of Portabello.

The three-bedroom terraced house was renovated in 2002 and at that time featured on RTÉ’s About The House programme. It has an asking price of €625,000 through agents Sherry FitzGerald.

Designed by its owner, architect Peter Nickels, an associate director at firm Gilroy McMahon, the house now measures 130sq metres (1,400sq feet).

He extended the kitchen into the garden creating a galley-style cooking area that, for its size, has lots of polished stainless steel counter space.

There isn’t room for a dishwasher, which might put some people out, but the super-sunny breakfastroom that’s part of the open-plan kitchen should more than make up for this small shortcoming.

The room’s glazed doors, custom-designed by the architect, pull right back to open up two whole walls of the room to the garden.

A rooflight above the dining table lets in even more light. Below it is a fixed bench that doubles as a secret storage box for kids’ toys.

The south-east facing garden is inspired by the architect’s time in Hong Kong. The space feels utterly private and is tropically planted with foliage cladding the dividing walls: bamboo to shade out the neighbours and even ivy planted to cover the screen that shields the bins and adjacent garden shed from view.

The shed is affectionately called the stealth shed by Nickels as it is practically invisible under its ivy coat.

The dominance of evergreen makes the view from the kitchen very easy on the eye in darkest dreariest winter. Two sizes of river stone add texture and help to break up the garden deck area from the small lawn.

French doors on a raised timber deck lead back into two fine interconnecting reception rooms with matching square contemporary concrete fireplaces.

The fireplace internals are unusual: they are cast resin bowls with a gas-fired flame in the dining room and an open fireplace in the sitting room. Both have matching polished slate hearths.

The pine floorboards are stained dark oak and a door off the sitting room reveals a small home office, complete with its window for natural light.

It’s a great extra space for anyone who works from home, preventing the colonisation of either the dining room or bedroom for work. There is a wc under the stairs.

The family bathroom is on the first floor return. Originally subdivided, it now contains a full-size bath, separate shower and hot press.

On the first floor there are three bright bedrooms; two spacious doubles and a roomy single. The master bedroom is to the rear. Another rooflight illuminates the landing.

Parking is on street.

38 Victoria Street, Portobello, Dublin 8

Three-bedroom family home with architect-designed extension.

Agent: Sherry FitzGerald