The owners of 1 Norfolk Road, a lovely example of an Edwardian redbrick synonymous with Phibsborough, had a busy week when they bought their home in 2004: two days after they got the keys they were married, and two days after that their first child was born.
From New Zealand, one of the owners moved to Ireland for work in 2000 and met her now husband, and after the couple spent time living in London and Amsterdam, they settled in Dublin.
“We had always dreamed of bringing up the kids in New Zealand, and the Covid lockdowns gave us an opportunity to reconsider our lifestyle, and we decided to return to live in my home country,” she says. Therefore, this three-bedroom end-terrace home – extending to 146sq m (1,572sq ft) with a C2 Ber – is on the market through Sherry FitzGerald, seeking €865,000.
“The area itself is the thing I miss the most about Phibsborough. The street is full of families and in summer there is a street party where everyone brings out tables and food is shared, instruments are played, people sing and kids play.”
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Norfolk Road is a short walk from Phibsborough’s main thoroughfare – which offers plenty of pastries, pubs and restaurants – and Bang Bang cafe is just down the road “with the best coffee ever”, the owner says. It is just five minutes from Cabra Green Line Luas stop and 20 minutes from the Botanic Gardens.
When they bought the house there was no floor in the front room, just bare dirt, the original sash windows had been replaced with single-glazed aluminium windows, there was no heating, and the only shower was in a lean-to behind the kitchen. “But we were happy, and we hung blankets in doorways to warm the rooms up,” she says.
“Finding good builders during the boom was challenging, but eventually we engaged an architect and builder to renovate the entire house and add the kitchen extension on the back.
“We moved in with my husband’s parents for what was meant to be six months, and 1½ years later, our house was finally ready to move into.”
Number 1 and its neighbour vary slightly from the rest of the redbricks on Norfolk Road as they feature bay windows to the front angled to a point. It now has double-glazed sash windows to emulate what would have originally been in place. The blue door of 1 Norfolk Road opens into a small porch, with its second front door – adorned by detailed stained glass in hues of blue-green and brown – opening into the hallway.
The hallway conveys the era of the property with high ceilings and decorative coving, complemented by Minton‑style geometric tiles. The livingroom sits to the front, with a southerly aspect, and features an original marble fireplace and walnut floors. The floor is currently rocking a cowhide rug – a funky touch by interiors stylist Jean Hughes, who prepared the house for sale. The space flows into a diningroom that also benefits from the original fireplace and looks out to a small central courtyard, allowing for a dual aspect in the connected reception rooms.
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Towards the rear of the house is a cosy living area with a wood-burning stove; it sits alongside the central courtyard. Passing through this space, you reach the airy kitchen extension. It features a large central island and navy units. The space is bright thanks to a large angled roof light overhead as well as southerly light from the central courtyard and glazed doors out to the back garden. There is also a utility space and a WC off the kitchen. There is underfloor heating to add warmth throughout the ground floor.
The back garden provides a manageable space for children to play and for dining outdoors and has a built-in wooden flower bed/bench on the rear wall.
Back inside and upstairs, a small bedroom, which would also make a great home office, is located on the return, along with the bathroom where there is a free-standing bath. The main bedroom is a generous double that occupies the width of the house to the front, while there is a second good-sized double to the rear.
There is also access to a large attic space for storage or potential conversion, subject to planning permission.
