There are sea views, and then there are sea views that make you feel as though you are almost floating on the water. At Ballinamona in Co Wexford, the owner says that on some days, sitting in front of the curved floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the sea, it feels as though she is on a boat.
The elevated position of the house, combined with the expansive glazing in the reception rooms, creates an illusion of being closer to the sea than you are. The house is still close enough to the coast to stroll down to the beach in minutes.
The owner describes the house as “a little piece of heaven”. The outlook is never quite the same, changing from morning to night and season to season, while she says the sound of the sea lapping against the rocks provides a soothing backdrop.
The 17-acre site just outside Kilmuckridge is approached by a winding driveway that climbs towards the house. Despite its substantial 615sq m (6,620sq ft) of living space, the property sits comfortably within the coastal landscape, with its design making the most of the aspect and the surrounding grounds.
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Inside, the house is divided into two distinct wings. To the right of the entrance hall, the bedrooms are arranged in a long, straight line, while the living accommodation extends to the left, where curved walls and windows draw the eye to the sea.
The main reception room has full-length windows framing the coastline and a marble fireplace with a wood-burning stove for cosy evenings. Beside it, a smaller livingroom opens into the large kitchen which underwent a full makeover in 2023. It has been designed with quartz worktops and bespoke coral-blue units, with an island at the centre, a separate breakfast bar and a dining area positioned in front of a curved window. There is also a more formal diningroom, along with a utility room, boot room, walk-in pantry and storage room.
There are five bedrooms in total, all with en suite bathrooms, while the principal bedroom also has a walk-in wardrobe.
The lower ground floor has been set out as an entertainment space with a games room and home gym. From here there are sliding doors out to the front of the property and an external staircase to the gardens.
Outside, there are a variety of spaces to suit different occasions and times of the day, from the sunken seating pit at the rear to the glass-fronted deck at the front. There is also a substantial building at the back of the house, which the owner modestly refers to as her ‘husband’s shed’, built in 2019. It is used as a garage and workshop, but could lend itself to other functions.
The house was built in 2005, is A rated and comes with a range of additional features, including air conditioning in the living spaces, a heat recovery ventilation system and 18 photovoltaic panels, along with additional solar panels. There is also fibre broadband, and a dedicated home office just off the entrance hall.
The owner took up sea swimming a few years ago and loved that she could stroll down to the beach for her daily dip. Last year, the locals got together and put forward a proposal for a shelter for the swimmers – and the council delivered last March, to the delight of the community.
After 21 years of loving life at Ballinamona, the owners have decided to move on, with the house now on the market guiding €1.5 million through joint agents Sherry FitzGerald Country Homes and Sherry FitzGerald O’Leary Kinsella.
