Pilot View

Careful interventions preserve and enhance the character of this iconic 1970’s apartment building in Dalkey.

The development comprises four blocks of 4-storey apartments. Our clients – retired couple who wished to downsize from a larger home in a rural area outside Dublin – acquired a duplex apartment occupying the third and top (roof) levels. The unit was spacious, but required substantial renovation work and a full thermal upgrade to improve energy performance. The aim was to maximise sunlight and sea views and take full advantage of the three balconies – two facing the sea and one facing Dalkey Hill. A strict requirement was that all of the work had to be carried out in cooperation with surrounding residents and the management company.
Our approach was to work with the unusual angles of the plan and section, which are a distinctive feature of these buildings. A key move was to make a more flowing connection between the double height living room and kitchen/dining room. We created two openings – divided by a wall clad in Connemara marble – with sliding oak screens, to provide the option of separating the two spaces. A stove on a slate plinth in front of the stone-clad wall creates a centrepiece in the room. An oak bench in the dining area has views towards the living room and out to Dublin Bay.
Partition walls were reconfigured to create a new main bathroom on the lower level and an en suite on the upper level – the master bedroom suite.
We designed bespoke oak joinery throughout to provide essential storage space and to minimise clutter, including a dressing table with a hatch overlooking the living room. The study on the lower-level doubles as an informal living area and guest bedroom, by pulling down a wall bed concealed in a built-in cupboard.

Project Type Renovation and Energy Upgrade
Location Dalkey, Co. Dublin
Size 134m²
Status Completed 
Contractor Dartmouth Building Works Ltd
Photography Ste Murray