"I could see the flagstones on the hall floor and sense the history coming from the old walls . . . we were completely sold from the start. And the wonderful thing was that although we loved old buildings, there was none of the hard work necessary as the house had been fully renovated when we bought it."

That was five years ago, when Niav and her husband came home from Australia with plans to combine a characterful home with her new millinery business. One of the three bedrooms functions as her studio, currently filled with bolts of fabric, colourful hat boxes, sketches and samples of her designs. It's one of the most charming places in the coachhouse, accessed through double doors with glazed insets, filled with additional light from skylights overhead and with a feature diamond-shaped window onto the balcony overlooking the courtyard garden.

The Coach House dates back to the late 17th century.

Niav has a copy of the deeds which record that the property was leased a century later, in 1788, for the princely sum of £10 sterling a year. It is one of the oldest buildings on Friary Walk, just off the main street in Athy, and the sympathetic restoration blends seamlessly with the original features of the house. Despite its age, the house is also bright, warm and welcoming, with natural daylight enhanced by the addition of several Velux windows and original timber floors stained and varnished back to a mellow sheen.

Accommodation throughout the 95sq m (1,022sq ft) of space is well laid out and additional storage has been added in several custom-made cupboards downstairs and builtin wardrobes in the bedrooms.

The entrance hall has Chinese slate flooring and Regency-style panelled doors.

Leading from here is the lounge, with an ornate fireplace, decorative ceiling coving, built-in display press, pantry cupboard and French doors to the courtyard.

In keeping with the vintage of the house, the kitchen has country-style pine presses with plenty of worktop space and the floor is laid with reclaimed quarry tiles. A door opens from here to the garden. One of the bedrooms is on the ground floor; it has an en-suite, varnished floor boards, fitted wardrobe and a pretty corner window.

The upstairs landing introduces the remainder of the bedrooms, with the main room defined by its original vaulted ceiling. Further along the landing is the millinery studio, as described. Custom designed double doors open from this room to the nursery . . . a perfect set-up for young working mum Niav. The nursery has another feature corner window similar to the downstairs bedroom. Next to this is a larger than average bathroom, with both bath and separate Mira shower, and again, excellent storage space.

These rooms form part of the new extension which was Niav's contribution to the story of the house . . . a light and airy space finished on the exterior in stone to blend with the original.

"I love the way the house heats up in about 10 minutes when we light the fire . . . the stone is so thick through all of the walls that once warmed they retain the heat for hours."

The very private gravelled and paved courtyard, surrounded by raised flowerbeds, is the perfect town garden and one of Niav's favourite spaces of all.

"I love to sit in the garden and look back at the house and imagine what it was like centuries ago, thinking about highwaymen and the people who lived here when it actually functioned as a coaching inn for travellers to break their journey."

These days, getting around is a much less complicated matter, she says. There is both the improved N7 road network and commuter train service to Dublin. For Niav, the location of the house in the heart of the town has been an added bonus, being just a one-minute walk from the Post Office and banks.

But now her growing business, plus the need for more space for 11 months old baby Luke, means the young family are on the move from their historic Co Kildare home.

"We will really regret moving on. The move means we will be much closer to my parents, which will be great for Luke. Another reason is that my millinery business has been so successful that I need more space."

Another new chapter in the life of the Coach House is about to begin.

Price: 340,000 Agent: Gunne Residential 045-895 440