Slice of magazine life at a secret address

CHAPELIZOD/ €1.375M:A super-smart duplex penthouse at one of Dublin's last secret addresses overlooks the Liffey on the city side of Chapelizod.

WHAT HAPPENS when you love where you live but want more living space? The usual option is to up sticks and start again. Natasha Ryan and her husband stayed put, ripped up their space at 18 Salmon Pool, Chapelizod Road, Dublin 8 and started again.

Set on the banks of the River Liffey, surrounded by mature trees and sandwiched between the Phoenix Park and the War Memorial Park, who would want to move? "We wanted more room and when the adjacent apartment came up for sale we leapt at the chance to build out and up," says Ryan. Now the couple are selling up and building a house nearby.

The duplex penthouse is on top of a typical apartment block with box bay windows overlooking the river. That's where the comparison with ordinary apartment experiences ends - thanks to the seamless job executed by architects Fitzgerald Kavanagh and Partners.

This property has a wealth of high-end fixtures and fittings including one of the property's talking points, an engineered glass sliding door between the hall and the living rooms. A wall-hung staircase with LED side lighting also helps set the tone. The interior is strong and sleek looking and unlike anything else in the building.

The nearly 186sq m (2,000sq ft) two/three-bedroom property is for sale through Sherry FitzGerald for €1.375 million. With most properties costing an average of €10,764 per sq m (€1,000 per sq ft) to build, number 18 Salmon Pool comes in at an average of €7,405 per sq m (€688 per sq ft). When you consider its high-grade finish, this represents excellent value for money.

A wide open space houses the kitchen, dining and livingrooms, which all enjoy river views. The sittingroom overlooks a salmon weir and provides a running water soundtrack. A double-fronted fireplace divides the library from the rest of the open-plan space.

Located on the city side of Chapelizod, this is one of Dublin's last secret addresses and is vastly underrated as a place to live.

The black granite kitchen has Gaggenau and Neff appliances and comes with its own L-shaped pantry, offering oodles of additional storage hidden behind a closed door. There's also a large utility room akin to those in most upmarket homes.

The bedrooms overlook the Phoenix Park. Both doubles have en suite bathrooms. There's Philippe Starck for Duravit sanitary ware and Dornbracht taps throughout. The single third bedroom is now a walk-in wardrobe - a space any female purchaser would hate to lose.

The second floor is decadently described as a wellness room. It includes an infrared sauna hidden behind a second set of glass sliding doors while the rest of the mezzanine is used as a chill-out space and has treetop views across to the park's Wellington monument. Non-sauna fans might consider converting it into an en suite bathroom and installing the main bedroom up here. By doing this you would have a property with enough bedrooms for families with children. This is an extremely well-designed apartment wired for sound throughout. Aesthetes will love this slice of real-life magazine living.

18 SALMON POOL CHAPELIZOD ROAD, D8

A two/three-bedroom duplex penthouse was created by combining two apartments. The nearly186sq m (2,000sq ft) apartment has a sauna, wellness room, loads of storage and views across the Liffey and Phoenix Park.

Agent: Sherry FitzGerald Lewis Beirne