Light-filled Brittas Bay home with sea views proved inspirational for artist owner

Asking price: €995,000

Agent: Sherry Fitzgerald Catherine O'Reilly (Angela Horan, 01 404 66466)

​It's a fact that artists are influenced by their environment. So when artist Sally Mina came across Ardeash, a four bedroom, split-level home in Ballincarrig, Co Wicklow, she knew it was right for her.

Sally grew up in Wicklow town but lived in Colorado, USA, for 22 years before returning home two years ago with her husband Chris Mina, a tech leader from Saratoga Springs, New York, and their two daughters Charlotte (10) and Fiona (7).

"On a sunny day, it looks like Napa Valley," she says. "We're also less than a minute's walk from Brittas Bay and you can literally hear the waves crashing from our house. We walk our dog, ­Pipette, on the beach every day."

"We bought the property because of its location and beautiful views," says Chris. "It's surrounded on three sides by fields, with cows and thoroughbred horses grazing and views of the Dublin and Wicklow Mountains in the distance. The other side slopes down to the sea. You feel like you're above everything, looking down and seeing the seasons unfold."

The idyllic setting has affected Sally's mood. "I don't feel stressed living here. Maybe it's the sea air, but I've never had sleep like it," she adds.

It has also had an impact on her paintings, colourful abstract impressionist works she sells at sallymina.com. "My latest series has definitely taken on more of a sea theme, and that is directly related to our location."

You can see the sea from the driveway of the 1,755 sq ft house, built in 1980 and extended 20 years ago. It's been further renovated since the family moved in in 2022.

They replaced all the doors and the windows with triple-glazed ones by K&K Windows. In the kitchen, which was small and dingy, they knocked down two walls and did away with a utility room to make one big open-plan kitchen/dining/living room. There's a pantry wall, with spice racks and shelving, on one side.

In addition, they added an island and light grey units with a quartz splashback and countertops, all by Remo Kitchens. They also extended the existing wooden floorboards in the dining section into the kitchen.

The sitting room, which they call the glass room because it has three walls of floor-to-ceiling windows, leads into an equally light-filled dining room. There's another reception room in the form of a cosy TV area.

This opens to a decked patio at the back, which can also be accessed from the kitchen. "The house lends itself well to entertaining, as the rooms lead into each other," says Sally.

In the four bedrooms, they painted the walls, installed new blinds, replaced the carpets and added new light fixtures. The bathrooms needed little work, as the last owner had recently renovated them.

When planning the decor, they drew on the advice of interior designer Niamh Dowling. "In fact, we designed pillows to match some of my key paintings," says Sally, who moved to the US when she was 19.

She worked as a makeup artist and later started her own makeup company, Alchemy Face Bar, which still exists in the US.

"Makeup was a passion of mine, but I always painted on the side. You could say that I'm self-taught," she says.

She still paints 45ft murals in the Alchemy Face Bar locations. Most of her work, however, is paintings, which she's sold around the world including Australia, Paris, Singapore and the US. Since returning to Ireland, she's also attracted more Irish customers.

She works from a studio in a steel shed which she and Chris installed outside, having knocked down an old garage. It's divided in two and also offers an outdoor office for Chris which doubles as a gallery for Sally.

"It's sound-proofed, so Sally can blast music as she's painting and I can make video calls for work, in peace," says Chris.

The house is at the end of a cul de sac of four houses, and has a curved driveway, overhung with rhododendron bushes, leading to it. Originally, there was a mish-mash of stone and terracotta tiles outside, which has been replaced with granite and gravel.

The mature garden, which wraps around the house, has a 40-year-old magnolia tree, apple trees, wisteria and rose bushes. "It's like a botanical garden. It's just beautiful," says Sally.

The house faces east at the front but gets the sun all day, as it's not overlooked. "It's a giant suntrap all year round," says Chris. "Even in the winter, we feel the heat and the sunlight."

When you walk into the hallway, you face a floor-to-ceiling glass wall which allows views of the back of the house. "There, you've got gorgeous scenery in the background, a patio with garden furniture and a barbecue area," says Chris. "It's the perfect place to watch the sunset."

Ardeash is approximately an hour and 15 minutes from Dublin city centre on the N11, and there's also a range of amenities close by. Wicklow town and Arklow are both a 10-minute drive, and Brittas Bay National School is a five-minute walk.

The family are leaving Ireland sooner than anticipated due to Chris's job and family commitments in the US. While they love America, they'll miss Ireland. "I've enjoyed living closer to my family and reconnecting with friends, but I lived in America for over 20 years and I love it too," says Sally.

Chris is also nostalgic about leaving. "It's bittersweet for me. I absolutely love living here. Believe it or not, I've felt more at home here in the last two years than ever before," he says.

They will miss the house, too. "It's a unique house in a beautiful setting," says Sally. "We hope the right people buy it and love it as much as we have."

Ardeash has an asking price of €995,000 ­with Sherry Fitzgerald.