Kinsale home for €1.275m is the height of boutique chic

HOTELS can live or die by Tripadvisor, the go-to online travel forum with user-generated reviews that can influence where and how we holiday.

What a relief it must be for those in the hospitality industry who escape the public flogging of a one-star review. Lord knows, one negative complainer can undo the praise of a multitude.

No such fate befell John and Jules Douglas, the couple selling Rincurran Mews House in Kinsale, when they ran a bijou guesthouse in a little French village at the foothills of the Pyrenees.

Called Le Trésor (The Treasure), it generated dozens of five-star reviews, with the hosts repeatedly complimented for their welcoming attitude, but also for the charm of their 16th century chambre d’hôte.

 Guests were effusive about the quality of the accommodation, the beautifully styled rooms and the unique pieces of furniture collected by Jules during her extensive travels.

“Oozing with understated style”, one review said, adding that it was “a very inviting home away from home”. “Classy, but not fussy,” said another, while yet more guests commented on the “chic and tasteful décor” and the “incredible attention to detail”.

Each of these endorsements could just as easily apply to the couple’s Kinsale home.

 The same magic touch that made Le Trésor a genuine treasure was applied at Mews House, where Jules’ guiding principle was not to create a showhouse, but a home that she would love and that the couple would enjoy living in, fitted out in a style both comfortable and inviting, but also classy and elegant.

Like Le Trésor, it’s awash with delightful “pieces”.

“Mews House is a blend of global treasures, with items sourced from places such as Sri Lanka, France, and closer to home in Newry, where a fantastic husband-and-wife team called “Soul Bespoke” crafted our dining table and John’s desk to our exact specifications,” Jules says.

She delights in discovering hidden gems, not necessarily expensive items, but objects that add to a home’s special flavour. One such item at Mews House is the stunning Indian door mirror displayed in the lounge.

“We discovered this antique door frame in the oldest part of Dubai and had it transformed into a mirror. It took some serious muscle to move it into position up the stairs!” says Jules.

A management consultant by profession – she took a five-year career break to fit-out and run the French guesthouse – she’s passionate about sourcing in two areas: discovering exceptional talent for the fast-growing tech sector “and finding beautiful interior pieces and finishes from around the world”.

Her passion transformed Mews House from a “functional” home to one they have relished living in.

To be fair, the house, designed by Paul Carpenter of Cooks Architects, had “excellent bones” to begin with, not to mention a slew of big windows with views to the splendid harbour.

To bring it to the standard that they wanted, John and Jules relied heavily on local craftsmen and tradesmen, for whom they have nothing but praise.

Glyn Morgan, the owner of GM Plumbing in Cork city, brought in a team to overhaul the bathrooms and lay limestone flooring (from Fossil Stone in Dublin, with sanitary ware by Lusso Stone). The design of the family bathroom secured GM Plumbing the title of Bathroom Designers of the Year (Bathroom Trade Guide Awards, Ireland).

The kitchen fitter, Danny, the couple say, was “a master of his trade”. 

The kitchen itself, from UK bespoke kitchen specialists Devol, is simple, but elegant. Itincludes a large, stylish island, marble worktops, a copper sink, oxidized cupboard handles and limestone flooring.

On the upper floor, under a double-height ceiling, it’s part of a much larger space, zoned into kitchen/living/dining areas. The dining table is close to the large wraparound windows that look towards the water.

“We can see everyone passing by, but an individual looking up can’t see us,” Jules says.

Off the living space is a west-facing balcony which John has used to cook-out on and which is ideally placed for the evening sun. New owners may opt for a second balcony – there’s planning permission for another out back, Jules says.

Across the landing, floor-to-ceiling windows run along the seaward-facing wall of a spacious, double-height lounge. 

This too is filled with eclectic items, such as the alcove shelving, repurposed from a 30-year-old wardrobe by Clarke Cunningham, a Co Down man and bespoke wood specialist.

Artisan ironworkers were brought in to build a new banister for the staircase linking upper and lower floors. 

“The two-man team from Leeside Forge handcrafted the railings based on our design, creating the central masterpiece of the house, a real statement piece!” Jules says.

The staircase leads down to an entry level hallway where reclaimed terracotta tiles are laid in a herringbone pattern. Sourced from Lubelska, a UK-based company with expertise in reclaimed flooring, the tiles add warmth and texture.

Bedrooms are either side of the hallway. Two of three have an ensuite and walk-in wardrobe. The third is currently being used as a home office.

John and Jules, who had also looked at property in Kenmare and Shanagarry - “somewhere with a fluid community” - had intended for Mews House to be their retirement home. They first viewed it on a torrentially wet December day when they visited Kinsale, with the intention of buying a Georgian property in the town centre.

“We sort of stumbled across it and when we viewed it, we realised the photos hadn’t really shown the orientation, or the flow of the house. I have to love a house when I walk into it, and I loved this one,” Jules says.

“Because we travel so much, we wanted a lock up and leave house, but it also had to be a home, one that we could enjoy and bring friends and family to, from both Ireland and overseas,” she adds.

A small, easy to maintain garden was part of the lifestyle plan and it’s just right for them: a lawn, slate and limestone paving areas for sitting out, a gravel driveway with offsite parking for two cars. They discussed installing a roof terrace too, in between the two house wings, but decided to leave it to new owners.

Mews House’ next set of residents won’t have to bother with improving energy efficiency. The house has a top-notch A3 rating – helped by a heat pump, heat recovery system, underfloor heating and a wood-buring stove. You wouldn’t expect anything less for a man of John’s background, whose passions include sustainable architecture and carbon dioxide removal.

Having bought Rincurran Mews House just over two years ago for €955,000, and having “literally, ripped out its guts”, the couple did not expect to be moving on so soon. However circumstances have changed, among them the arrival of a grandchild in Co Down, where John, also a management consultant, hails from. The thought of five-and-a-half hour car journeys to see family is not something they want to do longterm. And so they are selling up.

“It’s a real pull on the heartstrings to put it back on the market. It’s not an easy decision, but it’s the one we’ve arrived at,” Jules says.

Selling 209 sq m Rincurran Mews House is Ron Krueger of Engel & Völkers and he says it’s a “stunning contemporary home in a fantastic location”.

That location is the lofty Ardbrack enclave of The Paddocks, notable for its desirable homes.

The Paddocks is within walking distance of pretty Summercover, where you’ll find the Bullman bar and restaurant, as well as historic Charles Fort. It’s within a scenic stroll too of Kinsale town centre, via the Scilly Walk, along the harbour. 

Mr Krueger, who is guiding the property at €1.275m, expects interest locally, nationally and internationally. Kinsale, with its magnificent harbour and popular marina, has a track record of pulling in high-worth individuals. Already this year, the Property Price Register records eight house sales in excess of €1m in Kinsale. One of those, a contemporary bungalow called Over Yonder (featured in these pages) sold in Ardbrack for €2.9m.

Mr Krueger says Mews House is an ideal lock-up and leave pad, fully walled in, with an easy to maintain garden and electric gates.

“At the same time, it’s a fabulous home and could really suit a family with older kids,” the agent says.

Kinsale is just a 20 minute drive from Cork Airport. Beaches in the area included The Dock, Sandycove and Garretstown/Garrylucas.

VERDICT: A home to really treasure.