Rathfarnham five-bed with clever design for €1.05m

This is a house that manages to be both coolly stylish and a living, breathing family home. Not an easy combination; that it comes together here is thanks to the vendor’s passion for houses, a sympathetic architect, a talented interior designer and a “fantastic” builder.

Vendors Deirdre and Joe, after 10 years living in and raising a family in Overton, agree they have “put a lot” into the refurbishment and revamp of what was a traditional, early 1940s semi-detached. The result has given it a whole new look as well as up-to-the-minute living spaces.

The house they bought in 2007 had a small rear extension, floor space of 137sq m (1,471sq ft) and cost close to €1 million. The house they are selling has a floor area of 242sq m (2,600sq ft) and, through agent Sherry FitzGerald, an asking price of €1.05million. It now has five bedrooms (two en-suite), a drawingroom, playroom, utility, open kitchen/dining/familyroom and bathroom. The rear, private and sheltered garden – a good 21m long (70ft) – is integral to the style of these houses.

Working on Overton was, Deirdre admits, "a lovely project. We lived here for a while to get a feel of the house. The builder, Build Pole, did all the work in 2009. Liam Brennan did the original architectural design and Patricia Fitzpatrick of No 8 The Living Space did an interiors redesign on the living areas and bedrooms two years ago."

The remake involved double-fronting the house by building over the garage, converting the attic and extending to the rear. The large rear extension has created a sweep of L-shaped living space with a wall of window overlooking a garden raised to the level of the house. Interior highlights include a feature wall of American Barnwood between cubed shelving, a 9ft high ceiling and extra large centre isle in the kitchen area. A palette of muted greys and stone colours make a strong style statement.

A utility room in an inner lobby, where there is also a small office space, is impressively storage-fitted. A front playroom has been given a bay window to create symmetry with Overton’s other bay windows. The travertine-tiled hallway, extended into the original arched porch, has a feature, arched front door. The front-facing drawingroom, where the colours are taupe and white, has a wide bay window and fireplace of Kilkenny slate.

The main, rear-facing bedroom has a grey, washed oak floor and en-suite shower room. Other bedrooms are front-facing, two of them with bay windows. The large attic conversion, another L-shape space, is currently a bedroom with sitting area and en-suite shower. There is off-street parking to the front.