Shades of Araby

Hollyglen, on Kellystown Road, Ticknock, Sandyford, Co Dublin, is just a few minutes' drive from Lamb Doyle's pub, a mile in from the busy stretch of road that will soon be part of the M50. And yet it is a quiet and peaceful rural home, perched on a hillside in the foothills of the Dublin mountains.

The 6,600 sq ft seven-bedroom house on one acre, which has an indoor swimming-pool and a large, recently-refurbished sauna, is for sale by private treaty through Lisney for £1.4 million, just about a year after being withdrawn from auction at £1.65 million. This seems to confirm the trend for house prices at the top end of the market to soften.

The house has panoramic views of Dublin, sweeping from Howth and Dublin Bay over to west Dublin. Clare Campbell, the owner of this huge but comfortable modern family home, says the views are best enjoyed at night, when the lights of the city spread out beneath it.

Ms Campbell owns Araby, an interiors shop in Enniskerry, Co Wicklow, and her home reflects its Aladdin's cave style: it is decorated in warm colours, rich fabrics, and lovely objects - a lamp with a deep yellow shade here, a Chinese lacquered chest there - are everywhere.

It would suit a family - Ms Campbell raised five sons here - but could also be run as a guest-house or health farm. Its accommodation includes seven bedrooms, of which three are en suite and a leisure area which includes a swimming-pool, the sauna, shower and toilet off it, and above it, a large pine-panelled attic games room.

Accommodation downstairs includes another games room, a vast drawingroom, a large kitchen with an electric Aga, an island unit with polished black granite worktop and a conservatory-style bay window opening on to the back garden.

A jewel-like family room, painted a deep green and hung with velvet curtains, opens off the kitchen.

The main bedroom upstairs has the same kind of style: painted deep red, it is a comforting retreat with enough space for sofas, a dressingroom and an en suite off it. French doors open from it on to a balcony.

There is a patio at the back leading up to a rockery; a lawn slopes up beyond it, and there is another lawn sloping down at the front of the house.

Ticknock is only about seven miles from St Stephen's Green, and as long as you have a car, it is easily accessible to shops and schools in south Dublin.