When the owner of 1 Almeida Terrace in Kilmainham says the property reminded her of her granny’s house when she first viewed it, she means it in the best possible way. What drew her in was the sense of age and familiarity, and the way the original features of the 1898 property were still intact. It felt lived in and layered rather than overly restored, and that was the appeal.
“What appealed to me about the house was that feel of older warmth, so I didn’t do a lot of work at the start because I wanted to live in it as it was for a while. For me, the beauty of it is that it’s not perfect or ever will be perfect. It has been lived in for a long time. It was important that I kept the period feel and the original features.”
The house had already been extended by previous owners, so the footprint was in place by the time she moved in. Rather than carrying out an overhaul, the approach was more gradual, with a personal touch added to the interiors and upgrades where needed.
After a few years came new bathrooms and windows. During the work, newspapers from the early 1900s that had been stuffed around the old window frames for insulation were uncovered and replaced with more effective materials. Victorian-style radiators were installed throughout, and bespoke panelling was added to the hallway.
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The original front door remains in place and was restored along with the surrounding glasswork. In the kitchen, the exposed brick wall is also original to the house and acts as a link between the older part of the building and the extension added later. Interior designer Louise Johnston worked with the owner, helping her refine ideas rather than impose a particular style.
“She allowed me to play around with things and discover what I liked and didn’t like,” says the owner.
The property is now on the market through DNG, seeking €695,000. Following the upgrades, the 103sq m (1,109sq ft) house has a Ber of C3.
At the front of the house is a small garden with tiled pathway up to the door. Once inside, it feels bright with the light running straight through the house from the extension at the back and the windows from the return above.
The ground floor rooms flow into one another with the livingroom entered from the hall. It has a cast-iron fireplace along with a bay window fitted with a window seat. In the middle of the house is the diningroom, which also has a fireplace and leads into the kitchen through a brick archway.
The kitchen balances older details with more contemporary finishes. The original brickwork was kept when the extension was added and contrasts with the cleaner lines of the fitted units. There is a dark island in the centre, which is one of the owner’s favourite things about the house as it provides a communal space when she’s preparing food for friends before moving into the diningroom.
There is a bedroom and bathroom on the first-floor return, and two more bedrooms and a bathroom on the first floor itself. The new bathrooms are fresh and modern in contrast to the rest of the house.
To the rear is a compact south-facing courtyard garden. It is not a large outdoor space, but it catches the sun and works well for a morning coffee or sitting out on warmer evenings.
Almeida Terrace is just off Brookfield Road in Kilmainham, opposite the site of the new national children’s hospital. The area has changed considerably in recent years but still retains a residential feel, with a mix of older terraces and newer developments nearby.
Kilmainham Hospital, the War Memorial Gardens and the Phoenix Park are all within walking distance, while public transport links include several bus routes and the Red Line Luas stop at Rialto.
