Landscape that time forgot

Tommy Barker assesses a remote property in Co Clare which makes the most of amazing views.

This stunning property at Fanore, Co Clare, is clearly architect-designed, and quite expensively realised, with a suite of beautifully detailed touches.

THERE’S a lot more going on behind and within this Fanore, Co Clare, bungalow than you’d imagine at first glance.

First up, it is bigger than its front stone facade suggests, and has 2,500 sq ft of space to play around with. And, then, there’s a successful blend of traditional shapes and forms, but also contemporary airiness, brightness, style and comfort.

Location is Dereen West, on the way out towards Liscannor from Fanore along the wild Atlantic shoreline, and this 2005-built home is well-placed, but also a well-insulated, spot, from which to ocean gaze.

In fact, its front box bay window to the fore is the very spot to do this, complete with window seating, cushions and even a telescope right now for boat, bird, seal and dolphin watching.

Owned by a Dublin family, and used as a holiday home, this new to market offering is clearly architect designed, and fairly expensively realised, right down to subtle design touches like thick rope edging used as a feature where the solid, reclaimed French pine floor boards meet the walls and act as a sort of skirting.

Selling agent for this Dereen West home is Danielle Kavanagh of Sherry FitzGerald McMahon, who raves about its design, atmosphere, setting and difference.

She seeks offers around €495,000 for the spot, on a c0.65 acre site with both hard and soft landscaping – and that works out at about €200 per square foot, for a very well-specified, four-bedroomed modern build.

Effectively a large, H-shaped home, it has a big, high, glazed ceilinged link section in the middle, making for a bright, open and airy place in which to cook and commune.

Kitchen units are in pale hardwood, the floor is a rich French pine, and there’s a large sliding door access to a sheltered decked seating and al fresco eating area, with BBQ.

This house’s real scene stealer and space provider is the 28’ by 17’ living room, with a high feature stone chimney breast and solid fuel stove.

This room also has high pitched white ceilings, protruding bay window with built-in seating, as well as a corner window for extra view catching: in fact, window placement, sizing and detailing is one of this house’s strong suits, looking in some case like a picture frame on a wall, with the view beyond being the all-appropriate picture.

Other strong architectural inputs and design stamps (architect was Paul Stafford in Lisdoonvarna) include the evident use of beams, mix of natural materials (including slate floors) essential simplicity, the rope edge floor finishes, vaulted ceiling and light wells, and just breaking up the house’s relative bulk, by fashioning it in appropriate-sized and shaped sections.

Extra attention has been paid throughout to lighting, and even sound, with most of the inside and lots of the outdoors wired for sound – even down to the lower garden BBQ patio.

Ms Kavanagh adds that “the same precise attention has been applied to the landscaped gardens, gravelled driveway, barbecue area and enclosed private decking,” most of it is in hard landscaping, which yet is easy on the eye and easy to keep while in absentia.

Rooms here also include a utility done in similar fashion to the kitchen, a first floor office with elevated perch views, a compact, triple aspect sitting room, and four bedroom, all doubles, with the master bedroom en suite, with a very attractive mosaic tiled shower.

This Dereen West home has underfloor heating, run from an oil burner in the detached double garage to the rear.