High-tech comforts in Stoneybatter square

• Published date: 01 December 2022

Arguably the most interesting thing about 34 Halliday Square is that it is a relatively new home with high-tech comforts nestled in the corner of a square of mainly period properties. It was built as part of the neighbouring Palatine Square development somewhere around the late 1990s, says Chris, who owns the 69sq m (743sq ft) two-bedroom home with his wife, Fiona. When the couple bought the house in 2017 - for €300,000, according to the Property Price Register - they carried out some refurbishment work, mainly in the kitchen and bathroom. Chris's dad is a kitchen and bathroom designer and the fact they had an expert's knowledge regarding the latest innovations is evident

The contemporary eat-in kitchen is to the left as you enter the end-of-terrace property. The high-gloss handleless fittings in dark grey are sleek and have the gadgets to match: including a dishwasher door you press to open, slide-and-hide oven doors, pull-out cabinet shelves, an angled extractor fan and a wide chrome sink with an orange tap. Deceptively, for a smaller kitchen, there is an abundance of storage; white high-gloss units on the right of the room contain a large pantry as well as the fridge-freezer, oven, microwave and deep drawers for pots. There is also a door to a storage space, which houses the hot press, hidden behind the unit.

The kitchen has a decent-sized dining area, which looks out on to the front lawn. Although the property doesn't have a back garden, Chris says that is often the case in Stoneybatter and most people sit in their front gardens during the summer. There is also a small patio area to the side of the lawn where the owners have a small table and chairs, a bike shed and a bench. It is nestled close to the corner of the square and so there are few passersby to interrupt your sunbathing, Chris says. The front garden is northwest-facing and, he says, it gets sun from about 11:30am until 8pm in the summer months. There is also a driveway for one car and wiring for an electric vehicle charging point.

To the right of the entrance at the foot of the stairs is the livingroom, which is a generous size and has an open fire and white built-in wooden shelves to the left of...