The rooms in this light-filled Phibsborough home each have a different colour scheme
Asking price: €595,000
Agent: HJ Byrne (01) 286 2113
Scroll through any property website, and chances are the majority of the home interiors you come across will be bland.
The trend for grey and black, or beige and white interiors, has led to a plethora of samey-themed rooms that can look dreary, lack personality, and – let’s face it – are unlikely to age well, in homes across the country.
The exterior of 17 Kenmare Parade, Phibsborough, Dublin 7
Number 17 Kenmare Parade is an exception, however. The interior of the two-bedroom Victorian mid-terrace home in Phibsborough is anything but ordinary, and reflects the slightly eclectic taste of its owner, Katy Falkingham. “I just couldn’t live in one of those bland houses, but I didn’t have a plan for the interior design here,” she says. “I simply love colour and I wanted to make the house feel warm and vibrant.”
The former accountant from Lancashire in the UK bought the 958 sq ft redbrick house – which was built c.1890 – in June 2008, at the height of the economic boom, after moving to Ireland. She was attracted to its proximity to the city centre. “The street had a traditional feel which also appealed to me,” she adds.
While it appeared to be in good repair and passed a structural survey, she realised, on moving in, that there were some structural issues. “Not long after I arrived, I fell through the ceiling in the landing as the floorboards were completely rotten,” she recalls. “I got a terrible shock.”
Katy Falkingham in the sitting room at 17 Kenmare Parade, Phibsborough, Dublin 7. Photo: Bryan Meade
While she survived the fall with minimal injuries, she had to then have the floor of the landing repaired. “It made me realise it needed a lot of work,” she adds.
All of the floorboards have been taken up and replaced with new ones because of their condition. The ceiling in the hall was also repaired and the house was insulated throughout. The attic, now used for storage, was partially floored. In addition, the original staircase and the sash windows were restored.
The hallway and living room of 17 Kenmare Parade. Phibsborough, Dublin 7
A wall between the kitchen and the dining room was done away with to make a spacious open plan room at the back.
Upstairs, there were four bedrooms, but these were made into two big rooms. “I was living here alone with two cats and had no need for all of the rooms, so I decided to have the walls knocked in at the front and the back, to create two big double bedrooms instead,” she says.
The kitchen and dining area of 17 Kenmare Parade, Phibsborough, Dublin 7
Her bedroom in the south-facing room at the front also serves as a study. “There’s a chair which my cat Boo Boo, a black street moggy that I rescued, likes to sit in. He gets offended if I sit there,” she laughs. “It’s a light-filled, beautiful room. The doors have crystal door knobs which create a prism when the sun shines through.”
The kitchen’s double doors at 17 Kenmare Parade, Phibsborough, Dublin 7
Originally, Falkingham worked for a number of theatre companies as a freelance accountant, but when the financial crash happened, she started a charity called Phibsborough Cat Rescue, rescuing cats. “We rescued about 7,000 cats in total. I’ve always loved cats and I found it very rewarding,” she says. “It’s folded in recent years, but I hope to start it again somewhere else.”
The kitchen of 17 Kenmare Parade, Phibsborough, Dublin 7
When it came to the fixtures and fittings, she sought to be as sympathetic to the Victorian era as possible. In the sitting room, for example, she had a company called Dublin Mouldings on Parnell Street make the ceiling rose and install coving which came from Dublin Castle.
“The lampshades too, although not original, are of the Victorian period,” she adds. “And there’s a Victorian-style radiator in the hallway.”
One of the bedrooms at 17 Kenmare Parade, Phibsborough, Dublin 7
Every room in the house, save for the kitchen, has a cast iron Victorian fireplace, which she shipped over from the UK. “The original ones had been ripped out in the 1980s, can you believe?” she says.
Each room has a different colour scheme and this is part of the house’s charm. In the sitting room, for example, she chose to paint the walls Moroccan Velvet by Fleetwood.
“You might think that the red walls would make the room feel smaller, but in fact they don’t,” she says. “They create a lovely warm atmosphere. When the fire is on and the candles are lit in the evening, it feels very snug.”
Decor in one of the bedrooms at 17 Kenmare Parade, Phibsborough, Dublin 7
The upstairs bathroom, which has a standing bathtub, has white walls with pops of colour in the form of artwork and other decorative paraphernalia.
The kitchen/dining room has been painted pale green – and here, there are Art Deco style windows, made by a Dublin artist. Double doors, which open to the back garden, let in the light.
The bathroom of 17 Kenmare Parade, Phibsborough, Dublin 7
A lot of work was carried out on the north-facing back garden. “I built the raised flower beds and planted all the flowers myself, and I’m immensely proud of them,” she says. “A raised plinth with winding steps was also added behind the kitchen. I love to sit out there in the summer time. It’s really very peaceful.”
Despite its quiet location, the house is just a 10-minute walk away from the village of Phibsborough. It offers easy access to Dublin city centre too, on the Luas, which has stops in Phibsborough and in Broadstone, and numerous bus routes on nearby Dorset Street. Drumcondra train station is also an eight-minute walk away.
The garden of 17 Kenmare Parade, Phibsborough, Dublin 7
The house is also a two-minute walk away from the Blessington Basin and Royal Canal Park.
Phibsborough has become increasingly gentrified in recent years and has a strong community spirit. “I’ve gotten to know some of my neighbours over the years and they’re a friendly bunch of people,” says Falkingham.
Despite enjoying her time here, she’s now planning to move back to the UK. “I’ve had a fantastic time in Ireland and I’m very grateful for it,” she says. “But I’ve been thinking about moving home for a while now.
“I plan to downsize and Boo Boo will, of course, be coming with me,” she adds. “I will, however, miss this house terribly. Let’s hope the right people buy it and look after it as it deserves.”
HJ Byrne seeks €595,000.