The TV presenter Brendan Courtney designed the private, penthouse-level apartment, which has river and landmark views and includes a sybaritic bathroom with a bath on a stage.
Low-rise Dublin looks great from a height. TV presenter Brendan Courtney, who had spent time in London and Cape Town, could see the potential in his two-bedroom, top-floor apartment when he first viewed it in 2010.
Set atop a boutique block of just eight units, the bones of the apartment were good, but the finish needed attention.
Address: Apartment 7, 34 Usher’s Quay, D08 NY20
Asking price: €520,000
Agent: Owen Reilly
Accessed from Usher’s Quay, Courtney’s two-bedroom, two-bathroom, penthouse-level apartment is in a building that is managed by the owners through a limited co-op.
It means the owners get to decide how the communal areas look, and by managing it themselves, it means that the charges are €3,000 per annum, which, considering it has a lift, compares competitively with larger developments where the management is often outsourced.
He bought the large C3 Ber-rated property about 15 years ago, and his father, a builder, and mother helped with the extensive upgrades done since then.
One of just two units on the top floor, it extends to a generous 95 square metres.
The layout divides the accommodation from the open-plan living area.
Both bedrooms are effectively en-suites.
The principal bedroom has a shower ensuite, and Brendan installed a door from the second bedroom to the main bathroom so that guests staying could enjoy the privacy of their own bathroom.
This second bedroom has views onto the River Liffey and is a space that the Keys to my Life presenter uses as a dressing room.
The main bathroom is a sybaritic space with a freestanding bath set on a raised dias, “like a stage,” he explains, of his decision to put the double-ended design on a raised plinth.
It features a rainwater shower overhead.
But the real talking point here is the large open plan living room, accessed via a set of Crittal-style doors.
Here, the key feature is the glazing, a large bank of floor-to-ceiling glass frames the view across the rooftops.
These open out to a balcony overlooking a quiet courtyard that feels far from the frenetic pace of the quays.
The only noise here is birdsong from a nearby aviary.
The area is zoned into kitchen, lounge and dining areas and features a mix of vintage and modern furniture.
The warm wood of the dining table and chairs contrasts with the concrete look of the tiled floor underfoot.
The white kitchen is pared back and set in an L-shape, and has below-counter units and open shelving above.
The same large-format grey tile that floors the space is used as a splashback to knit the look together.
“It has a New York loft feel,” he says.
This is helped by the removal of overhead pendant lighting in favour of spots and ambient light sources.
Their locations were mapped by his father and can be reinstated, should the next owner wish.
In addition to the balcony, there is a communal roof terrace that is shared by the owners of the eight units.
From here you can see the Guinness Storehouse, Temple Bar and the Wellington Monument in the Phoenix Park.
He has thrown joint Pride and birthday parties from this shared space, inviting all the neighbours to these mid-summer bashes.
