Beautiful blend of old and new

THAT was then and this is now.

In December 2003, Farrandene, just off the main Cork/ Killarney Road at Farran, made the Christmas cover of this supplement in a seasonal array of lights. Its Victorian style, inside and out, was more than a match for the season of good will.

Now all’s changed, changed utterly, and a bit of a beauty is born. Farrandene has been give a strong lash of a neutral paint brush and the difference is marked.

Where once there were dark wood windows, there are now matt white frames and the kitchen is a symphony of creams with striking black and white tiles.

One of the living rooms retains that old fashioned feel, however, but it’s more Edwardian in its colour palette which matches cream with a sumptuous red rug.

Elsewhere, the main living rooms have been updated on a techie level: surround sound, and wiring for the flat screen TV and black box have all been chased inside the walls creating smooth clean lines.

New wooden floors have been laid in place of carpet and the curtains and Roman blinds were all sourced and made in New York, at a fraction of the price quoted here — which was a staggering €15,000. So pick a season, take your measurements and hop on a plane is the advice of the vendor.

A two-storey house, it’s a substantial property with an unpredictable layout. Apart from the main house, with four living rooms alone on the ground floor, it has a big conservatory addition, which has to be a major selling point of this detached property. Then, there is a detached cottage with glass walkway that could house guests or function as a home office, or in line with recent trends, a nanny flat. Either way, this space has immense potential.

And there’s the acre of gardens, which includes stands of mature trees and in particular, a weeping cedar that offers shade to the glass-topped conservatory.

The back of the house has a big, teak deck, which is suspended out over the garden at the rear and faces over private woodland.

This is a superb entertaining space and made of top quality materials so its durability is guaranteed. It’s finished off nicely with some white and soft blue garden furniture from Meadows and Byrne’s new collection.

There’s a collection of jungle jim stuff for children in this part of the garden as well, and the tree-lined boundary makes it safe and secure.

The upper floor has been changed around under the present owners, but it still provides four substantial bedrooms with a large dressing room/ nursery and en suite bedroom in the master suite. The main bathroom is a Jack and Jill to two of the double rooms.

There are so many twists and turns, little features and extras that it’s hard to log them all, which in a roundabout way means this property has to be viewed to be appreciated — cliché or no.

It’s on the market with joint agents, Sherry FitzGerald and Sherry FitzGerald Hinchion, for offers in the region of €800,000.