17 Monck Place, Phibsborough, Dublin 7
Asking price: €335,000 Agent: Sherry FitzGerald (01) 860 3956
One of the most unusual houses featured on RTÉ’s hugely popular Home of the Year series is a former boiler repair shop at 17 Monck Place in Phibsborough, which has been imaginatively converted into a small contemporary home by a Dublin-based architect and fashion designer couple.
The former Mulvey Boiler Repair building featured in the 2020 series of HOTY which outlined how the couple had been resourceful in their treatment of a commercial building which in itself was always something of an oddity.
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The exterior of 17 Monck Place
The exterior of 17 Monck Place
The 625 sq ft two-storey building was constructed in the late 19th century to a rhombus shape. It passed through a number of different families for use as a spirit grocer and later an off license. Local families running the shop included the Kennedys, the Cunninghams, the McGinns, the McElhinneys, the Pruntys and the Humphries. All lived in an adjacent quarters as part of a bigger building which was later subdivided to leave No17 self-contained on its own.
The off license business closed in the early 1990s after which it became the Mulvey boiler repairs outlet. On the lookout for a home in the area, architect Dualta Jones and his wife, fashion designer, Francesca Griffin happened across it in 2016.
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The spiral staircase and office space
The spiral staircase and office space
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The dining area which looks out on to the garden at Monck Place, Phibsborough, Dublin 7
The spiral staircase and office space
The dining area which looks out on to the garden at Monck Place, Phibsborough, Dublin 7
As a commercial property no bank would provide a residential mortgage. “So in the first instance, our parents put forward the money for us. We paid them back later,” says Dualta.
Luckily for them during the processing of the sale the council changed the rules regarding conversion of commercial property to residential, which had until then required planning permission.
“In or around that time the council were putting through a planning exemption for commercial units on residential streets, that was allowing people to covert old shops without planning permission, that worked to our advantage. It didn’t help the initial purchase but it meant we didn’t need to apply for planning permission which could have cost us quite a bit,” says Dualta.
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The study from another point of view
The study from another point of view
The couple, who have two children, Lydia (3), and Ailill (1), transformed the building into a one-bedroom, two-storey home with an urban minimalist aesthetic.
For such a small space, they’ve made the most of it. “We tried not to subdivide it any more than necessary and thought through every detail.”
The structure of the premises was in good condition which meant that the conversion work took just six months to compete.
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Married couple Dualta Jones and Francesca Griffin with their two children
Married couple Dualta Jones and Francesca Griffin with their two children
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Another view of the kitchen
Enter the house from the front, and you’ll walk into an open-plan studio. The ground floor of the building also has a double bedroom and a bathroom. It was originally one big room with two sets of walls at the back and on either side, a small toilet and small kitchenette which were boxed out. Now a spiral staircase leads upstairs.
“There’s a change in height from the front to the back and at that point, we put up four plywood birch panels, which is now the start of the bathroom and the bedroom section,” says Dualta.
“The only wall that was actually built by us was the enclosed bathroom on the ground floor and it’s made of plywood, one of the cheapest materials available. “People said we were mad to use plywood, but I think it works quite well and fits with the overall style.”
While the house was already plumbed, there was no heating and gas had to be installed. The electrics also needed to be modernized. The bedroom at the back has a skylight above which brings in the light. There’s a curtained-off wardrobe here, fitted into the wall. Its odd shape is due to the existence of a gully outside. “The gully creates an angle in the roof of the bedroom, which made it too small to stand up in but was the same depth as a wardrobe.”
The couple also drew inspiration from Japanese design and spent hours trawling through books on small spaces. The spiral staircase leads to a bright and airy kitchen and living space upstairs. This has the original hardwood flooring.
The units are again made of plywood and they used white subway tiles, the same as in the bathroom downstairs, on the splashback.
While the overall look is minimalist and makes use of neutral tones, splashes of color are provided by the works of art on the walls and furnishings.
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Another view of the kitchen
Another view of the kitchen
There are glass sliding doors leading from the kitchen/dining room to a terrace outside. The perforated steel screens are a stand out feature that can be pulled back to reveal the front door or the big shop window and are a nod to the building’s history. You can see through them from inside but not from outside and they also serve to let in the light.
While Dualta works for architectural firm, Henry J Lyons, the couple also run a food business together called ‘Fuppin Delish’, making Mexican food with a strong Asian influence, for Humphrey’s Bar in Ranelagh.
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The study from another point of view
The study from another point of view
They’ve loved living in Phibsborough with its abundance of coffee shops. closeness to town and hipster vibe. But with the arrival of their second child they need more space and have moved out. They’ve been renting the house to a friend until recently.
“We’ve considered every possible scenario that would allow us to stay in the house, but it’s simply not possible with two kids,” says Dualta.
“To be honest it’s breaking our heart to sell it.”
Sherry FitzGerald seeks €335,000.
