1950s Rathfarnham five-bed maximised with modern, minimalist style

Address: 9 Riverside Drive, Rathfarnham, Dublin 14

Price: €2,750,000

Agent: DNG Terenure

From the outside, 9 Riverside Drive looks like a typical 1950s suburban build with its arched porch and front garden, overhung by mature trees.

But on entering the five-bedroom detached home in Rathfarnham, prepare to be wowed by its sleek and modern interior.

The owners bought it in 2007 and tasked Lisa McVeigh of DMVF Architects with redesigning it in 2015. “The house was very dated and had a typical 1950s layout with individual rooms, coming off a narrow, dark hallway,” she says.

Her remit was to extend it and create an office, another livingroom, a guest bedroom and a gym. “They wanted open-plan living, but flexible spaces that could be also be closed off, and they wanted it to be airy and bright.”

As it’s particularly wide for a suburban home, the extension could be designed as a U-shape with a sheltered courtyard and a pergola in the middle, and arms on either side. One arm is an office and the other a second sittingroom. “The courtyard is used from about March or April all the way to November as it’s sheltered on both sides and gets the sun all day,” she says.

In the winter, the owners often light the outside fire and use heated blankets; in the summer, it’s sometimes used for movie nights.

It’s accessed via floor-to-ceiling sliding glass doors in the open-plan kitchen/diningroom, which has an industrial feel, with plain blue units, an island and marble countertops.

In fact, most of the house has a minimalist feel with furnishings that are a combination of modern and mid-century styles. “It’s a carefully considered house,” adds McVeigh. “Details such as a beautiful bronze handrail by Bushy Park Ironworks on the staircase really make it.”

The master bedroom has a walk-in wardrobe and an en suite bathroom, and there are four more double bedrooms. The attic has also been converted into two rooms and a bathroom.

[ Extended Rathfarnham six-bed with multiple living spacesOpens in new window ]

A Lutron system controls the lighting; downstairs, the blinds are also controlled remotely.

Now extending to 355sq m (3,822sq ft) with a B Ber rating, it’s for sale through DNG Terenure, seeking €2.75 million.

The 85ft garden has been planned to take advantage of the sun. It has a tree house, mature trees and flower beds. Located in leafy Rathfarnham, it’s close to all amenities and within walking distance of the Castle Golf Club.