RATHMINES, D6: €345,000:THERE'S more than a whiff of Rathmines's one-time, independent township status about Gulistan Cottages. Quietly tucked into a rambling network of Victorian artisan dwellings behind the main Rathmines Road, the cul-de-sac has a gentle air of community and self-containment. The city, even the rest of the borough, seem a long way away.

With a matching pair of sash windows and cottage-style front door, number 22 Gulistan Cottages, Rathmines, Dublin 6 looks much as it always has during its more-than-100-year existence. Inside, however, an architectural redesign has created 71sq m (765sq ft) of bright floor space and given number 22 three bedrooms, an open-plan kitchen/living dining area and a roof-level deck off the main bedroom. Underfloor heating makes for living spaces unbroken by radiators. For sale by private treaty through Sherry FitzGerald, it has an asking price of €345,000. The asking price when number 22 was last on the market, seven years ago, was €450,000.

The colours throughout – mostly white with touches of grey and black – emphasise the high ceilings and open-plan layout. So does a wall of glass to the rear of the living/dining/kitchen area, that overlooks a decked patio and impressively high row of bamboo plants.

The bamboo performs the dual function of creating a greenhouse/garden effect and giving privacy. The kitchen has integrated appliances, beech units and granite worktops. Beech, in the form of wide floor planks, has been used in the dining/living area too. A brick chimney breast has an opening piped for a gas fire.

The bedroom on this ground floor level gets a lot of light from the two front-facing sash windows. The bathroom, which is off the hallway, has a cleverly designed wall of mirror, an overhead window giving natural light and bath/shower angled into a corner.

The main, first floor bedroom is another adroitly designed space with a wall of slide wardrobes and the bed on a platform facing glass doors to the rooftop decking area. Step outside and you get rooftop views as well as the reassuring sight and sound of Rathmines’s historic Town Hall tower and its pealing clock. The third, next door bedroom has a built-in unit with shelving and drawers.

Number 22 Gulistan Cottages, Rathmines, Dublin 6

Restored artisan cottage with three bedrooms

Agent: Sherry Fitzgerald