Beauty writer’s slick makeover
Description: 11 Braemor Road, Churchtown, Dublin 14
Three-bed mid-terrace set in a quiet cul de sac
Agent: Beirne & Wise
ALANNA GALLAGHER
In August 2014 former model turned beauty writer Ruth Griffin bought 11 Braemor Drive, a mid-terrace property in a quiet cul-de-sac off Braemor Road, paying €385,500 for the three-bedroom house. It was in need of modernisation so she extended and upgraded it, installing new electrics and plumbing, and she recruited her father, retired architect Paul Griffin, to help her reimagine it. “He chalked out each space so I could literally see how big it would be”, she explains. Griffin put her kitchen where the sitting room originally stood because she felt if she put in to the rear she would only live in that part. Now it overlooks the good-sized front garden and its location means she can keep an eye on her kids playing to the front or rear.
Just three years after completing the extensive renovations she has decided to sell. The property, which now measures 121sq m (1,302 sq ft) includes an attic room and is asking €625,000 through agent Beirne & Wise. This represents an increase in value of just over 40 per cent in that period. Griffin sourced many décor ideas on online app Pinterest, and then tracked down less expensive options locally, such as the Cash & Carry white gloss units in the kitchen. She also bought some pieces from Phoenix Interior Design.
The ground floor is now entirely open-plan with no walls dividing the kitchen, dining area and lounge. The dining area is lit from above by roof lights, and dark wenge flooring knits the dining and kitchen areas together. The living room area is marked by pale carpet with a large L-shaped sofa facing an insert fire. Upstairs there is a shower room and three bedrooms, all of which are doubles.
