Address: 5 Goldsmith Street, Phibsborough, Dublin 7
Price: €750,000
Agent: Kelly Bradshaw Dalton
View this property on MyHome.ie
When the owner of 5 Goldsmith Street in Phibsborough, Dublin 7, bought the house in 1992, the area wasn’t quite the vibrant hub it has since become. But it was the central location and the beauty of the period homes and redbrick streets that drew him in.
“Phibsborough was very different at the time. It was interesting to watch the transformation, but I always knew the strength of the area,” the owner says.
“There were fine public buildings and all of the infrastructure was there. We did enter a bleak period for a bit though when houses were bought, and windows ripped out and were done cheaply, losing a lot of the character. But thankfully that’s all changed and people are prepared to put the work and money into the houses.”
Number 5 was in need of renovation when first viewed, which formed part of its appeal.
“I was looking for a house near the city centre and something with period detail that needed work. What appealed was the simple plan – three up and three down. The house is about 1890, but the detailing is sort of earlier in feeling and not fussy like the later Victorian stuff.”
Works were carried out in two phases. The first addressed essential repairs to make the house comfortable, including floors, electrics, plumbing and damp-proofing. A decade later, a more considered architectural intervention followed, focused on improving flow, enhancing natural light and introducing contemporary detailing.
The colours used throughout the house are natural and calming. A fine example of this is the hallway, where Farrow and Ball’s Mouse’s Back sets a tone for the rooms that lead off it.
“The colours I like to live with are almost non-colours,” says the owner. “They have a very natural base and respond very well to light. They are easy to live with and sit well with natural materials.”
Hallway 
Livingroom
Extending to 120sq m (1,292sq ft) and with an E2 Ber rating, the house is now on the market through Kelly Bradshaw Dalton seeking €750,000.
To the front is a small railed garden, where two silver birch trees provide a degree of screening from the street. Inside, the hall opens to a livingroom on the right, while an original arch frames a view through to the kitchen and rear garden.
The livingroom features original cornicing and custom-designed bookshelves. Double doors connect it to the diningroom, where an extension has created a cosy nook with a window looking out to the back garden. Both reception rooms have solid oak flooring, and the diningroom retains its original fireplace.
To the rear, the kitchen is fitted with a combination of walnut and painted units, topped with marble. The floor is laid with original quarry tiles uncovered during renovation beneath a layer of lino.
Double doors lead to a southwest-facing garden arranged over two levels. It is planted with clematis, ferns and wisteria, with a crab apple tree as a focal point.
Upstairs, a guest bedroom on the return overlooks the Royal Canal Bank Park. The principal bedroom is positioned to the front, with sash windows and a subtle warmth coming from the paint that is Joa’s White by Farrow and Ball. The bathroom, also with an original fireplace, is cleverly split to provide space for a dressingroom on one side.
Goldsmith Street sits just off the North Circular Road, within walking distance of the city centre and close to a range of transport links, parks and local amenities.
Diningroom 
Kitchen 
Main bedroom 
Garden