{"id":331764,"date":"2026-03-06T08:58:14","date_gmt":"2026-03-06T08:58:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/331764\/"},"modified":"2026-03-06T08:58:14","modified_gmt":"2026-03-06T08:58:14","slug":"energy-efficient-former-show-house-in-harolds-cross-transformed-into-a-family-friendly-space","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/331764\/","title":{"rendered":"Energy efficient former show house in Harold\u2019s Cross transformed into a family friendly space"},"content":{"rendered":"

There are big advantages to buying a show house, even if you don\u2019t take the furniture\n<\/p>\n

Asking price: \u20ac825,000<\/p>\n

Agent: DNG (01) 490 9000<\/p>\n

\u200bBuying a show house at a new scheme can prove a wise choice, given that you can get top class soft fittings and furniture that has usually been coordinated by an interior designer or stager to optimise the look.<\/p>\n

But even if you don\u2019t opt to stump up for the furnishings and fittings, there are still advantages to be had, as one Dublin-based couple discovered when they acquired their A2-rated home four years ago.<\/p>\n

\u201cShow houses give you a template to work from,\u201d says Muireann O\u2019Keefe, who bought a modern four-bed terraced home at Harold\u2019s Cross in Dublin \u2013 then the flagship home in a pocket infill scheme when it was launched four years ago. \u201cYou already have an idea of what you want to do, when you see them.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"The<\/p>\n

The exterior of 17 Greenmount Terrace,\u00a0Harold\u2019s Cross, Dublin 6W<\/p>\n

Greenmount Court was transformed from a car garage into three new terrace homes, designed by Kildare-based architect Patrick Kerr. All are laid out over three floors in a small cul de sac in Dublin 6W.<\/p>\n

O\u2019Keefe, who works in financial services, and her husband Paddy Murray, who is in the executive education sector, chose to purchase the house without interiors and furnishings for \u20ac795,000.<\/p>\n

\"Paddy<\/p>\n

Paddy Murray and Muireann O’Keefe. Photo: Barbara McCarthy<\/p>\n

\u201cOurs is the corner house \u2013 it\u2019s the biggest of the three at 1,507 sq ft. It was \u20ac840,000 with the furniture, so we went without, but we inherited the colour palates, the carpets and the built-in kitchen and storage space.\u201d<\/p>\n

The couple, who have two young children, said they were looking for a home that was easy, safe, low-maintenance, child friendly and not too difficult to look after.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

The anthracite kitchen of 17 Greenmount Terrace has lots of hidden storage<\/p>\n

\u201cHaving a turnkey home means you don\u2019t have any unexpected surprises,\u201d says O\u2019Keefe. \u201cYou know what you\u2019re getting. Also the enclosed yard was a draw, as it means you have a safe area for children to play.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe got most of the big stuff like couches and beds from EZ Living. But with everything, we mixed and matched. That was the fun part. When you don\u2019t have any structural work to do, or nasty surprises, you can focus on decor,\u201d she adds. Because the house has underfloor heating, they weren\u2019t burdened with radiators, making design easier.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/p>\n

The dining area off the kitchen at 17 Greenmount Terrace,\u00a0Harold\u2019s Cross, Dublin 6W<\/p>\n

\u201cWe got lots of items like chests of drawers and the drinks cabinet in April and the Bear, a furniture and design shop in Rathmines,\u201d she adds. \u201cThrows came from John Hanly and Co \u2013 an Irish woollen mill established in 1893 in Ballyartella, Co Tipperary.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe makes high-quality cashmere, lambswool and merino scarves, throws, and fabrics. Side tables for the upstairs bedrooms came from Foxford Woolen Mills.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"The<\/p>\n

The living room space with floor to ceiling glazing at 17 Greenmount Terrace,\u00a0Harold\u2019s Cross, Dublin 6W<\/p>\n

O\u2019Keefe says the couple upgraded the wall paint throughout the house when they moved in: \u201cWe really liked the original green and grey palate, so we had it repainted in the exact same colours as before.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe also did some redesigning with the help of Christine Delaney, who has a design company called Clarion Designs. She helped with design aspects, placing art, furniture and refreshing everything, so it\u2019s like a brand new house.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"The<\/p>\n

The seating area next to the courtyard at 17 Greenmount Terrace,\u00a0Harold\u2019s Cross, Dublin 6W<\/p>\n

The general style of the house is simple, she says: \u201cWhen you enter, there\u2019s a guest WC just before you come into the living space, which runs all the way from the front to the back of the house. It\u2019s dual aspect. You get the sun in the kitchen in the mornings.\u201d<\/p>\n

The anthracite toned kitchen, utility room and the fitted wardrobes were custom made by BeSpace, a Dublin-based joinery company. \u201cThe wardrobes are designed around the space,\u201d says Murray. \u201cThe layout doesn\u2019t feel over-designed. There\u2019s a lot of things you can hide in the storage.<\/p>\n

\"Seating<\/p>\n

Seating at 17 Greenmount Terrace,\u00a0Harold\u2019s Cross, Dublin 6W<\/p>\n

\u201cIt has a heat pump from Samsung\/Joule, mechanical ventilation units to all wet areas and kitchen, and wall, floor and roof insulation. Areas within the houses are zoned and can be heated independently of each other, so your bills are really low. Because the windows are triple glazed, you don\u2019t hear a peep from the neighbours.\u201d<\/p>\n

The doors and windows are by Architectural Glazing and Maintenance. \u201cDownstairs, they\u2019re ceiling to floor and we have sliding doors opening from the living space to a 12.5 sq m courtyard and a door for access, which is handy if you want to bring out tools and the bin,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/p>\n

The staircase at 17 Greenmount Terrace,\u00a0Harold\u2019s Cross, Dublin 6W<\/p>\n

\u201cWe didn\u2019t really have to do much in the courtyard. There\u2019s some fake grass already here, so we added tables and chairs. It\u2019s a great place to keep kids\u2019 toys and also a safe place for them to play.\u201d<\/p>\n

The downstairs area has a utility room that houses the air-to-water heat pump and laundry appliances.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/p>\n

The master bedroom at 17 Greenmount Terrace,\u00a0Harold\u2019s Cross, Dublin 6W<\/p>\n

Upstairs on the first floor is the main bedroom and \u2018winter garden\u2019. \u201cIt\u2019s a really big room. We also have a sun room, where we put our laptop and desk, for working from home. It gets both morning and southern light. The house has four bathrooms in total,\u201d says Murray. They are all fitted with sleek black Sonas hardware, concealed cisterns, walk-in showers, heated towel rails and porcelain floors and tiling.<\/p>\n

The next floor includes two en suite bedrooms and a separate study, he adds: \u201cThis can be used as a home office or adapted as an additional bedroom if needed.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"One<\/p>\n

One of the bedrooms at 17 Greenmount Terrace,\u00a0Harold\u2019s Cross, Dublin 6W<\/p>\n

The couple furnished the children\u2019s rooms with pieces from Mamas & Papas, adding a personal touch through hand-stencilled designs.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen we bought the house, we just wanted something practical,\u201d says Murray. \u201cIt\u2019s a home suitable for families who want an easy, intuitive house that\u2019s cheap to run. Houses like that are hard to find, so we\u2019ll have our work cut out.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s also close to trendy yoga studios and close to town. We\u2019re looking for something bigger, with a bigger garden, not too far from here. We\u2019re going to miss the house, because we made it into a home with our style.\u201d<\/p>\n

DNG seeks \u20ac825,000.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/p>\n

The courtyard garden of 17 Greenmount Terrace,\u00a0Harold\u2019s Cross, Dublin 6W<\/p>\n

News in 90 seconds – Friday, March 6 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"There are big advantages to buying a show house, even if you don\u2019t take the furniture Asking price:…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":331765,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[31],"tags":[307,304,305,306,308,23159,93,61,60],"class_list":["post-331764","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-arts-and-design","tag-arts","tag-arts-and-design","tag-artsanddesign","tag-artsdesign","tag-design","tag-dublin-property","tag-entertainment","tag-ie","tag-ireland"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/331764","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=331764"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/331764\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/331765"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=331764"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=331764"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=331764"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}