Deep down and funky

Rose Martin ambles through are modelled old farmhouse which blends solid country with a touch of the quirky.

SIT in the conservatory of this house in Ballinhassig, even on an overcast April day, and you won't ever want to leave.

It's heaven the peace comes dripping slow (even with the birds singing outside) and while the city roars along some 10 minutes away, all is still in this quiet country lane.

Ardfield, Ballinhassig, on the perimeter of Cork city (three miles from Wilton, is new to the market this week and is an unusual property in many ways.

Although it looks modern at first glance, it was built two centuries ago as a farmhouse but was remodelled in 1990 by the vendors to an architect's design and specifications.

So, along with the old hedgerows and a range of white-washed outhouses, this former cottage has a new roof, modern insulation and almost 1,900 square feet.

This provides enough room for five bedrooms, a strikingly different kitchen/dining room, music room and living room, as well as the large west-facing conservatory.

Painted blue outside and with the conservatory dropping dramatically from the roof line, this house has instant kerb appeal.

And you know its going to be different when you approach the fuchsia-coloured half-door. Funky and country this house could start an interior design trend all on its own.

Everywhere you turn there are paintings, objets d'art, and collectables set against a backdrop of vivid colours, yet it still manages to come across as a laid-back family home.

The bones are good: there's plenty of space and all the rooms connect to each other, which makes it a great party house, say the vendors.

You can easily see why. The kitchen is truly the heart of this home: it rises all the way to the apex, is lit by Velux as well as deep-silled windows and has a mezzanine overhead.

The main staircase is to one side of the room and on the opposite side is the working half, which, with its shiny Smeg stove, gives just the right 21st century oomph to the down-home pine fittings.

The dipped and stripped cupboards flanking the scrubbed deal table were all retrieved from a farmhouse down the road and two perfect wardrobes in the master bedroom were also part of the same hoard.

Kitchen units are artfully fitted in a pine that now looks more like mellow chestnut and the worktop and drainer for two Belfast sinks is in solid teak.

A door to the west leads on to the 20' by 10' conservatory which is built in double-glazed cedar and carries the heady perfume of a flowering jasmine. This room can be used all year round, despite the glass roof, because it has a wood-burning stove in the corner.

After the brightness of the conservatory, the living room is a cosy space with its understated cast iron and antique pine fireplace, maple floors and sheeted ceiling.

Double doors lead into the music room which soars to double height and has a quirky collection of antiques. One in particular stands out: a wicker scales from a GP's surgery that must have weighed over a hundred babies. The music room, in turn, leads back into the entrance porch (where the utility is tidily to one side) and around again to the kitchen.

On the opposite side of the house are two of the house's bedrooms, with a full bathroom in between.

On the upper floor, the master bedroom is not en suite but is designed around a suite of rooms including a full bathroom with roll-top bath and walk-in dressing room, presently used as a bedroom. It has a separate doorway from the mezzanine and its own vestibule with an impressive array of bookshelves.

The bedroom itself has light on three sides and wonderful garden and countryside views. Simply dressed, it's a generous size and has access to attic storage which runs the length of the house.

A second double bedroom on the opposite side of the mezzanine is also well lit and has more than enough space for an en suite bathroom, if required.

The gardens at Ardfield are at two sides of the house: the main entrance has a large, gravelled forecourt with lyrically trellised out offices ranged around a smaller lawn. The old farm boundaries are augmented with new dry stone walling and at the back of the house, on the conservatory side, is a large, private garden bounded by mature trees.

A brightly coloured playhouse with slide and swings makes it ideal for small children, who can be watched from the conservatory.

Old apple trees, a flowering mimosa, a range of fruit bushes and other shrubs are all part of the package, as well as a built-in brick barbecue.

And for all this, €395,000-plus is the guide price given and even though it's a cliché, this is a house that has to be seen.

Jennifer Bermingham of Noelle Morrison and Associates and Henry O'Leary, of Henry O'Leary Property Partners, are joint agents for the sale, and virtual tours can be had on www.hol.ie.