The owners of 34 Glengarriff Parade in Phibsborough bought it in 2016 and carried out a renovation so thorough that little beyond its facade remained. One of the owners, a home design hobbyist, enlisted the help of his builder father and carpenter brother to make his vision a reality.
What they have created is a considered and stylish home, with period features reinstated wherever they had been lost over the years. It has the benefit of feeling cutting edge in terms of its design, while also having a period elegance.
The owners enjoyed the project so much that they also renovated a holiday home – Mountain Cabin – overlooking Keel Lough on Achill Island. They are now hoping to move on to a new project, placing this 88sq m (947sq ft) two-bed – plus converted attic – home on the market, seeking €695,000 through Sherry FitzGerald.
As part of renovations, the owners extended to the rear of the property, creating an open-plan kitchen/living/diningroom to the rear. Polished concrete floors add warmth and texture to the space, as does an exposed brick wall backdrop in the dining area – constructed from bricks salvaged from elsewhere in the home.
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The kitchen features green units, a textured metro-tile splashback, quartz countertops and a central island/breakfast bar with a sink, standing at which you face the rest of the space and the rear courtyard garden. There is recessed lighting overhead and three bulb pendant lights illuminating the island area.
The space is flooded with natural illumination from a large central roof light, casement windows in the side wall, and floor-to-ceiling glazed sliding doors to the rear.
Stepping outside, the rear courtyard garden is west-facing, bordered by high, dark wooden fences with a built-in bench and a plant bed to the rear, as well as a storage shed and wood store. The patio is floored with white geometric-patterned tiles, making it a comfortable space that connects well with the interior. The high stone walls of Mountjoy Prison’s perimeter are beyond the back wall.
Back inside, a livingroom to the front of the house has a deep bay window with built-in shutters, and 12ft-high ceilings with reinstated coving. It features a salvaged Victorian fireplace and the interior scheme has been complemented by a basket chandelier. This room is used as a second bedroom in some homes, and the selling agent has referred to it as such.
Off the ground-floor hallway is a handy utility room with built-in storage, and there is a small WC under the stairs, bordered in rich orange panelling.
Upstairs, the main bedroom sits to the rear, colour drenched in a calming shade of dusty pink. It has a good-sized en suite shower room featuring rich navy-blue tiling around the shower.
Stairs lead up to the converted attic room, with fresh, textured carpeting, under-eaves storage and an angled roof light. The current owners have a bed in here – although its ceiling height is too low to deem it a bedroom; it would also make a great home office. It is accompanied by a small shower room on the landing, featuring turquoise tiling around the shower and a roof light to the clouds above.
This renovated and extended home is in a great location, a short walk from both Drumcondra and Phibsborough villages. Although the street is just off the North Circular Road it is surprisingly quiet, inside and out, with a sense of peacefulness complemented by the considered palette of its interior.
