That feelgood factor is very much down to the owner, Glenna Lynch, whose professional touch is evident throughout.

Glenna is a design consultant who also runs two interiors' stores in Dublin.

"I like a house that is not cluttered, where the light and space shines through, but at the same time is not overly styled in a hard-edged, ultramodern way. A home should be comfortable and inviting, and if I had to define the look of the lodge, I would say it has a slight New-England style. The most striking thing about the house is the extraordinary amount of light. There are 10ft-high ceilings and we put in the tallest sash windows we could get to make the most of that light.

This makes every room feel welcoming and relaxed."

Also filled with natural light is the vast living/kitchen/diningroom which is adjacent to the garden room. The cream, hand-painted fitted kitchen has pale marble worktops, while the Belfast sink, wooden overmantle and wood burning stove adds to the farmhouse style.

The wide-plank French oak flooring that is a feature throughout the house looks particularly elegant in the large reception hall from where an elegant staircase ascends to upper levels. A guest cloakroom also has ceiling cornice similar to the hallway. The formal drawingroom is fitted with an antique cast-iron fireplace and there are three tall sash windows overlooking the gardens. Next to this is a large study with equally tranquil views. Beside the vast openplan kitchen is the utility room . . . a practical and surprisingly chic space with timber panelled walls.

There are four bedrooms on the first floor with the dualaspect master room adjoining its own en-suite and separate dressing room. The large main bathroom has a free-standing cast-iron bath, separate shower and part-panelled walls. Up on the second level are two further rooms: a family room and games room.

Outside, the grounds are as impressive as the home they surround. Over 1,500 trees and shrubs are reaching maturity and these frame several 'outdoor rooms' including a sheltered, tiled terrace stepped out from the garden room.

This leads on through a gravelled and paved bath with floral borders and onto a vast lawn culminating in the orchard and copse. Steps also lead down from the side of the garden to a peaceful deck.

Glenna and family are reluctantly re-locating to Dublin, fully aware that a more hectic change of lifestyle is inevitable.

"It will be difficult to replicate our lovely home and one of the things I will miss most are the sunsets which fill the house with an almost golden light."

Price: 775,000 Agent: Kehoe & Associates 053-9144 393