Special effects in £2m-plus home with panoramic views

It would be hard to rival the view from Padua on Killiney Hill Road. The panorama of the bay, with views of Sorrento Terrace and Dalkey Island, goes some way to explaining the £2 million-plus guide price set by Hamilton Osborne King prior to its auction on April 19th.

The scale of that view is matched by the seven-bedroom period house, built around 1840, which is in good decorative order. Completely modernised and refurbished in 1986, it stands on three-quarters of an acre with its own gate lodge, outhouses and tennis court.

Wide granite steps lead to the enclosed porch and lofty hall. The reception rooms flanking the hall are dominated by bay windows encompassing the view. Both sumptuously decorated, they offer a contrast of moods, daytime in the gilded drawing-room to evening in the dining-room's shades of deep pink and green, a grandeur accentuated by Adam-style fireplaces.

By contrast, the kitchen, adjacent to the dining-room, is a bright, informal room featuring limed oak cupboards, Corian countertops, and brick finish. Light fills the glazed breakfast area which takes full advantage of the view. The rounded conservatory beyond this adds to the impression that the space is continuous with the garden, and the fine granite terrace opening behind the kitchen. A feature here, as in the downstairs bathroom, is hand-painted tiling by Musa Engelbrecht.

Hand-painted murals create a surprise effect elsewhere in the house: a cloakroom next to the family room on the return has been transformed into a rustic bower by J A Rensch, who is also responsible for the marbled decor in the hall and a trompe l'oeil medallion above the front door.

Ancient Egypt is evoked in a child's bedroom. These effects are confined to areas of the house that do not share the sea view.

Such distractions are not required in the bedrooms above the reception rooms, or in the playroom/bedroom and library at garden level, all of which have bay windows. But the best viewing point is the balcony above the hall door where the added height extends the vista to Bray Head and Killiney Hill.

The gate lodge has a claim on the seascape, from a cleverly extended kitchen/ dinette, and the bedroom. A bathroom and living-room complete the lodge, which is secluded from the main house and has a separate pedestrian entrance to Killiney Hill Road. The main house is well protected from neighbouring houses and the road, being set on a slope and surrounded by mature trees. The outhouses, which retain the original cobbles, could be converted to a garage or a games room, adding another dimension to this large, versatile house.