Splashing out in style in Dublin 6W

Harold's Cross: €1.2m: A refurbished Victorian redbrick uses pale and bold colours to good effect, writes Alanna Gallagher

Number 412 Harold's Cross Road is a tastefully presented Victorian redbrick situated at the Terenure end of Harold's Cross.

It is for sale by private treaty through Felicity Fox, for €1.2 million.

The two-storey property has been completely updated. The interior is feminine in feel - pale and interesting throughout, with the occasional splash of colour.

The entrance hall's monochromatic black-and-white checkered tiles give way to a blood-red carpet runner on the geisha white-painted stairs.

In contrast, the reception room is very simply furnished and lets its original fireplace, shutters and floorboards do the talking.

Although it's to the front of the house, it is far enough off the road to eliminate the busy sounds of the bus corridor. Downstairs, to the rear, is the diningroom, decorated with dark-stained floors and mahogany furnishings. The mood here is vintage chic with a lace tablecloth dressing the dining table.

The adjacent country-style kitchen on the return is small. Its galley layout features a bank of fitted units complete with solid beech worktops and a Belfast-style sink opposite a free-standing pine dresser.

There is also a Rangemaster cooker. The space under the stairs, while plumbed for a toilet, is used for storage.

Amalgamating the kitchen and diningrooms into a larger open-plan unit would diminish the size of the back garden but would considerably brighten up the rear of the house.

Upstairs on the return is the main bathroom. It's a grown-up affair, with a roll-top, free- standing, clawfoot bath, as well as separate shower cubicle. The entire suite is Victorian in style: the toilet has an overhead cistern with pull chain.

Its black and white marble floor contrasts with the terracotta red of its walls. A separate toilet and storage cupboard are nearby, as is one of the home's three double bedrooms.

The main bedroom is an exercise in clean, calm restraint. The simple room spans the width of the property. Its most striking feature is the Venetian-style gilt mirror that sits atop the fireplace.

A chaise longue and blackout blinds instead of curtains keep the space clutter free.

The third bedroom is upstairs, under the eaves. The room is painted a pale cornflower blue with white floorboards.

The property, while in walk-in condition, is low on storage space. Both front and back gardens have been professionally landscaped by Dermot Strong Designs and require very little maintenance.

There is also electric-gate rear access with off-street parking for two cars in a space cleverly hidden behind a wall of clematis.