Dish of the day: With its menu of period features, a restaurant had all the ingredients for metropolitan living
Address: Erne House, 24a Erne Street Upper, Grand Canal Dk, D02FT92
Asking price: €750,000
Agent: Moovingo
A former Trinity College student who lived in a house two streets away during his college years bought this former restaurant about a decade ago.
“I wanted my own front door and to be as central as possible."
Situated just metres from Pearse Street, a short walk from his alma mater and Grand Canal Dock, the property fitted his requirements.
Built in the 1860s, it had ceiling heights of over four metres and some lovely features.
The dining room was upstairs and ran the width of the house.
It remains a fine room and is where he put the open plan kitchen and living room, framed by three eight-over-eight timber sash windows that create a lovely sense of balance.
At one end, he’s installed a beam above the kitchen and removed much of the existing plaster to reveal the yellow brick.
The kitchen cabinets are now a soft grey and have oak countertops.
With no above-counter units, it delivers a sleek and uncluttered look to the space.
All that is on view is a pair of floating shelves that create a punctuation point. A large form splashback in industrial stainless steel doffs a cap at the property’s former life.
At the other end is the living area where the seating is set around a wood-burning stove.
The arch brick surround of the chimney breast has also been revealed, echoing the curve above the front door fanlight below.
A set of stairs takes you up half a flight and down about the same number of steps out to a very private, west-facing roof terrace.
A Coca-Cola sign that used to hang outside the eatery’s front door adds personality and can be illuminated.
The C3 Ber-rated two-bedroom, two-bathroom house, which extends to 100 square metres, has been gently modernised with its rich heritage still visible.
It’s a place to live la dolce vita, with all Dublin’s centre has to offer on the doorstep.
There are two double bedrooms at entrance level.
The principal has an ensuite bathroom, and the main bathroom is to the rear of the second bedroom.
These were in what was a single-storey extension to the rear of the property.
This is a sleek, masculine space with dart tiles around its separate shower stall and a freestanding bath at its centre.
A sunburst mirror hangs above the bath. Each is lit by a rooflight above. There’s also a utility off the main bathroom.
He used the space above the bathrooms to install the roof terrace above.
There are bare brick feature walls in the accommodation, too. One still has the smoke and soot residue of 165 years of history.
The property is seeking €750,000 through agents Moovingo.
