Who needs screentime when the view out your window is of Dublin Bay and some of the city’s finest sunsets?
A modest façade belies the luxurious finish of this well-appointed two-bedroom, two-bathroom terraced house that extends to 162 square metres.
The luxe layout fronts onto the capital’s seafront and offers everything the super prime buyer is looking for, from location, shops, schools, hill walking, sea swimming, golf and fine dining.
Address: Shakespear’s Villa, 24 Strand Road, Sutton, Dublin 13, D13 E1E8
Asking price: €1.25 million
Agent: Gallagher Quigley
The house was remodelled in 2014 by Tyler Owens Architects.
The works included rewiring, replumbing and some reroofing.
Insulation and fabric upgrades have delivered a period shell that has a B2 Ber-rating.
But more than that, the house has been designed to make the most of its best feature, the views from its front windows that frame all of Dublin Bay’s landmarks, from the Ringsend chimney stacks at Poolbeg to Bull Island and its nature reserve.
On a clear day, the views take in everything all the way south to the meringue-stiff peak of the Sugarloaf.
As for the name of the house, Shakspear’s Villa, the owner doesn’t know its origins but describes it as a romantic setting.
And the view to the front has been the subject of many photos. It is, they say, “probably the best sunset in Dublin”.
The previous owner laid a lot of the luxurious groundwork, installing the flooring and the well-appointed kitchen and bathrooms.
From the richly stained parquet floor underfoot, the eye is drawn upwards through the glass balustrades of the staircase, deliberately opening the space to the view, the owner explains.
In summer at low tide a seal colony takes up residence on the sand bank and sunbathes, while at high tide, you can cross the road, descend the stone steps and be in the water in less than 30 seconds.
With a split-level ground floor layout, the first of the property’s two bedrooms is to the left and has full use of the adjoining bathroom.
A set of steps takes you up to the open-plan kitchen, dining cum lounge.
This is up a level from the entrance hall, a set of four or so steps.
All of this was floored in the same herringbone mahogany parquet, the kind that would have once made a mother superior smile.
Looking almost like the bridge of a ship, the kitchen has shaker door units and timber-topped counters.
The room opens out to a walled garden that is sheltered from the sea breeze, paved and planted with fruit trees that include a mature eating apple tree at its centre, along with a fig tree and a pear tree.
The paved area at the far end of the garden gets late afternoon and evening sun while the owner likes to sip their morning coffee on the patio.
Climb the stairs to the first floor, and there is a large workstation above the vaulted ceiling, a lofty look that continues into the living room, which overlooks the bay.
There is a bus stop across the road that will take you into town.
Or you could walk or cycle to the Dart at Sutton Cross.
You can also cycle almost all the way into town off-road on one of the scenic commutes in the city.
The start of Howth’s cliff walk is about a 10-minute stroll away to the east, while the village is about the same distance.
Howth village is a fine dining hub that is just a short drive.
So is Deer Park Golf Club.
The principal bedroom has a sloping roof and is set at the back of the house.
There is a shower room adjoining it.
The owner is, they say, “giving it up reluctantly” but has taken “an opportunity abroad that is too good to turn down.”
Agents Gallagher Quigley is seeking €1.25 million for the property.
