What do Henry Matisse and Father Ted have in common? Nothing, unless you are one of the owners of Clareville, he chose a knock-out blue for the main bathroom inspired by French artists, and he used a hand-held kitchen mixer to reproduce this shade worthy of an episode of Fr Ted. However, the hostess worked as a nurse on the set of the popular Channel 4 sitcom after she signed up to work as an agent after returning from nursing in Australia many years ago.

The Matisse blue in their bathroom — and the freestanding bathtub itself, bought from a recycling yard and brought to a body shop to spray the perfect color — is just one of a series of eye-catching works around their home. Various Limerick/Irish artists’ works adorn the walls, and recently, Sligo woman Heidi Wickham’s "Dalmatians", "locked" purchased, from Kilbach Gallery at Coclere’s brilliant loop head .

With a keen insight into art and interior design - perhaps influenced by her time as a nurse at the Limerick School of Art and Design - the woman in this house did not hesitate to create her own bathroom The color, mixed with the kitchen mixer until she finds the correct color, the same as one of Matisse's blue nudes. She has the support of her husband.

"I don’t like the colors we bought, so I thought I could mix several colors with a hand blender, and my husband said, “Go ahead.” The result was great, so we painted the bathroom with it, and then threw the hand blender in Out of the trash can," she said with a smile.

The second bathroom is more beautiful and large in size, and there is another claw-foot freestanding bathtub, this time painted to match the Victorian black and white tiles and beautiful fireplace.

There are fireplaces throughout the house-bedrooms and reception rooms. It is now a very spacious walk-in closet, which used to be a nursery and even has a fireplace.

The vendors have very fond memories of bringing the newborn home to the warm and comfortable room upstairs, where the fireplace is lit during the day.

Nowadays, with climate change on the agenda, the fireplace upstairs is purely decorative and is one of the many lovely original features of an ancient residence designed by British architect William Clifford Smith, who also designed it Probably the only listed sports building in Ireland, the amazing Shannon Rowing Club.

After winning the international competition, Mr. Smith was commissioned by the clubhouse, which was completed in 1905. He decided to stay in Ireland and be responsible for some of the most high-profile buildings in Limerick, such as the Bell Table Art Center. He boarded Ennis Road for a while and was praised for the construction of Clareville, which Irish architecture described as part of the development of Lansdowne villas in the early 20th century, which symbolized "the wealth of the urban middle class at the time."

Sherry FitzGerald’s sales agent Ailbhe O'Malley said that this is of course a pair of conjoined in a lovely environment. Buyers are actively looking for these Edwardian red bricks. About There are more than a dozen.

Ms. O'Malley is directing the price of a 300-square-meter, three-story semi-detached Clareville at 895,000 Euros. She said that many buyers insist on buying houses on the specific section of Ennis Road, where there is a high demand for red bricks.

"This particular place is perfect for families. Sometimes the reception room is good, but the bedroom is not good, and vice versa. But in the case of Klevell, no accommodation is affected. This is a unique opportunity to buy a large house," Ms. O'Malley said.

She added that like many late Victorian and Edwardian houses, the design incorporates a lot of architectural details. She pointed out that Klevell retained the original window sashes, door leaves, side lights and ceiling lights.

The current owners have lived in Clerville for 23 years and they describe it as "the home of their dreams". The owner of the house is from Limerick, only 400 yards from where he lives now. His wife was also from Limerick, but later moved to Dublin.

"I live in a lovely old house in Ranelagh, which is also a red brick. When he wanted to go back to Limerick, I said I would, provided that he could find something equally good. He did. "

The house is in pretty good condition-it has been rewired and refurbished by the previous owners around 1995. A few years later, when the current owners bought it, they also carried out some renovations, restored the very beautiful wooden entrance porch, replaced the inner door, and installed a new kitchen around 2005.

“The original kitchen was beautiful at the time, with lots of pine trees and exposed walls, but we updated it about 15 years ago,” the owner said.

The previous owner also expanded the kitchen. The current owner has started to make the most of natural light, adding a series of roof skylights and double doors in the large rear deck area, creating a relaxed transition between indoor and outdoor dining.

The original kitchen area is another exquisite space, proud of the refurbished Aga.

"It is a gem, located in the center of our house, and a workhorse. It will never let us down. The food is always delicious," said the woman in the house.

The flow between the rooms downstairs is very good. You can see the formal dining room directly from the main reception room in front through the interconnecting double doors, which is now more like a youth gathering/music space, and then into the kitchen.

The reception room is a typical old house: high ceilings, cornices, marble fireplaces, log floors. 

The corridors are also very beautiful, with original tiles and high ceilings.

The owners said that they have remodeled the house over the years to meet their needs. The former playroom is now an office, and the dining room has been moved to an extension of the kitchen to provide young people with their own space. As mentioned earlier, a nursery makes way for a walk-in closet.

The owner said that Clareville has been great for entertaining for many years-thanks to the interconnected reception room and kitchen, and a sizable outdoor deck. It has always been the background for communion, confirmation, birthdays, and even weddings.

A "double size" back garden is a huge asset. When they returned from Co Clare summer vacation in the past, the owner of the house even created a mini beach for the children to replace the real thing. Ms. O'Malley said that the size of the back garden provides possibilities for future development (depending on planning permission) if the new owner wishes, especially since there are already separate vehicles that can enter the back garden via Farranshone Road.

In fact, the current owners say this is something they have considered (shrink to their own back garden), but they have decided to oppose it. Ms. O'Malley said that other people nearby had already built the back.

She is also keen to point out how convenient Clareville is for everything: within walking distance to well-established primary and secondary schools, including JFK, Ardscoil Rís and Villiers. The owner said that nearby sports facilities include the Limerick Lawn Tennis Club and Tormond Park, and the scoreboard can be seen from the top bedroom. They added that there is also enough space for friends to park their cars in the rear on the race day.

The space in front is also very good, with a long, well-manicured lawn to ensure that the house is far away from the road. The owners hope that their next home will be as convenient as this city and a lovely residential area.

"This is a great family home, great for entertaining. We used to have as many as 30 people at the Christmas dinner, and there were 90 to 100 people at the party, so we would miss that kind of thing. But now it's someone else's turn," they Say.

Ms. O'Malley believes that the other person may be another family, either a local who wants to make a transaction, or a buyer returning from abroad, or a person who wants to move from Dublin to Limerick.

"Currently, families who wish to move back from Dublin are very active in the market," she said.

VERDICT: A beautiful red brick with a lovely atmosphere of the times in a selected block. It has all the characteristics of a first-class family home.

Our Covid-free newsletter brings together some of the best content from irishexaminer.com, selected by our editors, and sent directly to your inbox every Monday.

Lunch time summary of key content on the Irish Examiner’s website. Shipped at 1 pm every day.

Our Covid-free newsletter brings together some of the best content from irishexaminer.com, selected by our editors, and sent directly to your inbox every Monday.

© Irish Examiner Ltd, Linn Dubh, Assumption Road, Blackpool, Cork. Registered in Ireland: 523712.