To the Manor born and so, so cosy

Rose Martin says this property could be just what the doctor ordered.

TUCKED into its own corner of a discreet estate on the Model Farm Road, Number 22 The Manor is a comfortable house, despite its almost 3,000 square feet of space.

Rich and luxurious in style, it has the kind of housekeeping standard that those of us of a sloppier nature admire — but without ever feeling uncomfortable.

This is usually a hard trick to pull off, especially when the oh-so-white and squashy couches evoke nightmares of spilt red wine.

Lamps are low and highlights are gold, white and black in this plush living room which wouldn’t be out of place in a five-star, country hotel.

The dining area, with its formal suite and mahogany drinks area, is on the opposite end of a room that runs the full length of the house.

Double doors lead through to a conservatory extension which overlooks the large, and leafy gardens.

The kitchen is very much of it’s time — fitted in pine ORM units, it has a massive dresser running across the length of the room which is full to brim with delft and other knick-knacks.

The stone-built fire breast at the other end completes the country kitchen look and makes this large room very cosy and relaxed. A new owner would only have to give the units and lovely dresser a coat of vanilla paint to bring the look bang up to date — an Aga in the fire-breast wouldn’t be bad either.

This unaffected cosiness is also the main attraction of the family room: fitted with high-quality chintz furniture, it’s finished with a range of mahogany furniture and built-ins, which gives a library touch to the room and makes it a fire-lit haven at this time of year.

Again, it has that burst of personality that only hand-chosen and collected pieces can provide. In this house, where there’s a wall or a surface, it’s filled.

And it’s all the more surprising that the woman behind the high-level maintenance is not beyond a bit of building work herself. She was responsible for taking down one of the house’s internal walls to create a larger and very sophisticated bedroom for one of the children.

It’s because of this intervention, (plaster was chucked out the window to be tidied up later), that the first floor has four, instead of the original five bedrooms. This single room is now a sleek coffee and cream retreat with a wall of mirrored robes and a low-key modern styling.

The attic conversion has the same clean lines: a full suite, including a sitting room/den, walk-in wardrobe, bedroom and bathroom, it’s an ideal teenager, or guest room and is finished in a bold, black and red colour scheme. Because the bed and black leather couch were hoisted up before the stairs was put in, they’re included in the sale.

The master suite, with its extra big bed and bank of fitted robes, is a complete contrast to the children’s room and is a bit of a Laura Ashley timepiece. It’s a fine room and comes en-suite.

The third largest bedroom is finished in French provincial style and is a real little girl’s room with it’s delicate cream bedroom suite and fine lace fittings. The fourth bedroom doubles as a study and three of the bedrooms share a large main bathroom. A guest suite is positioned off the main hallway.

Built in the early nineties, for what was considering the swingeing price of €150,000 for the larger house type, The Manor more than shows the capital appreciation of the Celtic Tiger years.

Number 22 hits the market with an undisclosed guide, but could be expected to make in excess of €1.6 million considering its location in an area highly prized by medical professionals.

Any of the larger estates in the western suburbs will have a smattering of consultants and demand for houses close to the city’s hospitals is always strong. All grist to the mill for this house sale then, which is being handled by Joe McCarthy and TJ Cronin of Irish and European.