Cool cottage refurb in the heart of Dundrum for €685,000

Down a lane just off the main street of Dundrum village sits number 2 Pembroke Cottages, nestled between two identical facades. These charming, historical cottages were built to house employees of the Pembroke Estate in the late 1800s, which was Co Dublin’s largest family-owned estate at the time.

The estate extended through southeast Co Dublin from Merrion Square in the city along the coast road to Blackrock, inland through Mount Merrion to Dundrum, and beyond to the Dublin Mountains. These cottages are part of three developments of estate cottages; the others are located in Booterstown and on Ballinteer Road.

The Dublin-born owner, who works in tech, bought this property as a renovation project for €413,000 in 2018, according to the Property Price Register. He developed an interest in house design from watching property programmes on TV and gained hands-on experience renovating his previous home in Walkinstown. He’s proved his design chops yet again here, creating this modern, stylish home that still retains its period character.

The cottage, extending to 77sq m (829sq ft) with a D1 Ber, was first gutted, insulated, rewired and replumbed before the cosmetic upgrades began. It is pretty from the kerb with a modern black front door with original sash windows either side, painted dusky grey.

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The entrance hall offers a surprising sense of space as the owner extended upward into the attic, creating high ceilings. The first thing you notice is the original exposed-brick arch at the end of the hall, leading to the kitchen. Light herringbone parquet underfoot allows the period feature to shine and a feature picture wall extends all the way up to the roof of the cottage.

The herringbone floors continue into the livingroom off the right of the hallway. The owner was delighted to find the original brick chimney breast hidden behind a 1980s marble fireplace, and the rustic feature now takes centre stage; it houses a wood-burning stove, which sits on black and white geometric tiles.

The room benefits from a sash window with its original shutters, painted in the Farrow & Ball shade Railings. The walls are painted in Stiffkey Blue by the same company, creating a luxurious and moody ambience. The ceilings are high and the owner likes to get the tallest Christmas tree he can possibly fit in here, much to the dismay of his nearest and dearest.

The kitchen-diner sits to the back of the hallway in an extension believed to have been added in the 1950s or 1960s. The theme of the exposed brick continues here with the arched wall; this is complemented by black and white geometric tiles and wooden kitchen units and an island painted in Farrow & Ball’s “bright avocado” Yeabridge Green, displaying a modern take on 1970s style. The countertops are treated oak, a white metro-tiled wall forms the splashback and the owner had dark-wood floating shelves custom made for the space.

In another design flourish, the subtle pink of the ceiling is brought down a few inches on to the white walls, tying in with the shade of the dining chairs and framing the space. The washing machine and dryer are hidden behind cupboard doors.

The room gets light from a window and French doors, which leads on to the south-facing terrace, paved in granite, to the rear. There is plenty of space here to enjoy the sun and the owner uses it for barbecues and sitting outside for a coffee or napping in the hammock. There is also a parking space to the front of the cottage, with an EV charging point.

Back inside, there are two double bedrooms on the ground floor; floored in bouncy grey carpet with white walls, one looks out to the front while the other faces out to the back terrace.

Upstairs, there is a cute window seat to the right of the landing beside which is storage in the wall that was once part of the attic. The attic space to the other side of the staircase to the front of the home has been converted into a home office with an exposed brick wall at its centre, a Velux window for light and under-eaves storage.

The main bedroom is to the back of the first floor in the existing extension, with a modern en suite shower room. The main shower room is also part of the extension; it is designed with a pop of green on the wall, geometric tiles underfoot and a Crittall-style shower partition. The owner had bespoke cottage-style doors made for these rooms, which add character.

Pembroke Cottages are in an enviable location less than a minute’s walk from the village centre, replete with cafes and brunch spots, and a three-minute walk from Dundrum Town Centre, the popular shopping destination that recently welcomed the country’s biggest Penneys store. The city centre is just 20 minutes away via the Luas green line from the village.

Now looking to take on a joint renovation project with his partner, the owner is placing this gorgeous home on the market through Sherry FitzGerald, seeking €685,000.