Arguably the most unique and authentic Georgian accommodation Dublin has to offer is in the old home of Sam Stephenson, Dublin's most famous and highly controversial modernist architect. He strikingly renovated two Georgian mews in the early 1960s as a private home. They are now connected via a small but beautiful garden to the grand house they once served. Together they form a one-in-a-million guesthouse a short walk from St. Stephen's Green, which gives you a choice of bedroom styles: sublime Georgian elegance or serene cool modern. Exhausted but exuberant after a grand renovation, owners Deirdre and Noel Comer are gracious hosts who serve made-to-order breakfasts at refectory tables in the balcony dining room (try the homemade cranberry bread). The white-tile sunken living room, with its black leather sectional sofa and modern artwork that includes a David Hockney print, may make you think you're in California. If that essay in Wallpaper doesn't send you, you'll be happy enough ensconced in one of the period-style guest rooms, one of which—No. 21—has a ceiling so lofty and corniced even a royal would feel at home. Pros: the king and queen of guesthouse hosts; serene decor and art; best breakfast in the city. Cons: a few rooms can be a little noisy; no elevator; a little tricky to find.
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