How a dream home in the country can be both modest and amazing
IF there is such a property as a dream home then what would yours look like? A penthouse in New York? A ramshackle redbrick in Hampstead, London? Or a country house closer to home?
Of course, the words dream and home often imply multi-million euro palaces but there’s no reason why the home you hanker after needs to be that big or that vulgar.
Take Mellowbrook, a four-bedroom bungalow near Dublin’s border with Wicklow. The home is quietly impressive inside and out – and does not shout its wares at you like a market stall grocer.
With 4,000 sq ft of floorspace, the home is about the size of three semis. Its wide front, full of glass, lets in plenty of daylight to brighten up the large amount of space inside.
At first glance, the outside of the home looks simple and solid, designed along clean lines and built without any fussy touches. Inside its finish appears eyecatching and understated.
The property is very much a family home to be lived in and enjoyed. In many ways, you could argue a dream home isn’t a home until there are the right number of people living there.
Too few, and any home is unbearably lonely. Too many, and any home is unbearable full stop. In many ways, you see, one man’s dream home is another’s emotional or physical prison.
Mellowbrook is a home meant for a larger family. Outside, there are two acres of grounds as well as tennis courts. Imagine having that on your doorstep in the fine weather we’ve been having lately.
MEADOWBROOK is in a rural setting but is also close to the coast as well as transport links into Dublin and beyond — an important consideration if you’ve a touch of wanderlust or like to be far from the city but not too far.
Agents Sherry FitzGerald say the house enjoys excellent views and is private and secluded, essential for those who put a premium on their peace and quiet.
They say: ‘Nestling beneath the slopes of Carrickgollogan with its forestry walks, Mellowbrook enjoys a backdrop of mature trees and heather, with open vistas to the front eastwards over the rolling countryside to the Irish Sea.
‘Despite its rural tranquillity, the location is exceptionally convenient, local amenities within easy reach include schools, shopping in Shankill village, churches, and DART services in Shankill and Bray.’
The agent say the home is ‘internally very well-proportioned, with a versatile layout of bright and airy rooms, many of which offer pano- ramic views out to sea and from Bray Head to Dalkey.’
Mellowbrook is ‘complemented by a high level of finish and glorious sunny mature gardens’.
‘Many secondary schools within easy reach make this a great location for a growing family, with sporting and leisure amenities around: tennis, sailing, pony trekking,’ the agents say.
Golfers can enjoy tee- off at Dun Laoghaire’s new course at Ballyman, as well as Old Conna, Woodbrook and Carrickmines courses nearby, they say.
At almost €1.5million, this dream home comes at a price few can afford but still — what a home.