W H E R E T O L I v E \ CO v E R S T OR Y
A house with 1930s origins has been transformed into a 21-century version of everything a resort-style residence needs … and then some, writes MARIA HARRIS.
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ike many projects, it started off small and then grew. At first the owners just wanted to renovate the kitchen and bathrooms of their 1930s house. Then they opted to go all the way. To bring their house into the 21st century, they called in architect Phillip Mannerheim, well known for his houses in the eastern suburbs. The house, set on 1672 square metres of land, has been totally rebuilt and extended so that it could almost qualify as a suburb in its own right. Accommodation includes formal dining and sitting rooms, five bedrooms, four bathrooms (including two en suites) and a luxurious stone-finished kitchen/meals and family area. Resort-style amenities include the gas- and solar-heated swimming pool, north-south mod grass tennis court, roofed outdoor entertainment area, gym and luxurious home theatre. Apart from taking children to school, going shopping or heading to the airport, there is probably no need to leave this property at all. It pretty well has everything. Its 1930s origins are there in the steeply gabled roofline and the large, elevated porch entrance, but for the rest this house looks new. A path leads through manicured gardens to the front door of the huge, rendered house. With its long list of features and inclusions, nothing has been overlooked in the quest for luxury and liveability. Heavy double doors open into an entry hall, with the formal dining room and sitting room off to the left-hand side. A custom-designed gas fireplace is a feature of the sitting room. Double doors off the entry also open to the one downstairs bedroom with its en suite and built-in wardrobe. On the way to the informal family area you pass a huge laundry with a powder room. The informal living zone is the heart and soul of this house. Huge windows look out to the swimming pool in the back garden and the tennis court at the side. In the luxurious kitchen, CaesarStone benchtops are packed with the latest Miele appliances, including an integrated dishwasher, fridge and freezer. There is instantaneous hot water and chilled, filtered water. The light-filled living area has polished floorboards, an island bench lit by three overhead lights and an array of new white cabinets on two walls. At the end of the kitchen, a sliding door opens to a butler’s pantry with wraparound bench space and sink. Past the kitchen, the informal meals area and living room have a wall of built-in storage. Windows, framed by expensive curtains in neutral tones, look out to the private, hedged gardens, tennis court and swimming pool. Double glass doors open to the outdoor entertainment area, which is where the family “lives” all through summer, says the owner. Bi-fold doors open the area out to the swimming pool on one side and – on the other side – to a deck that looks out to the tennis court. On a hot day, this is a real “pass the gin and tonic” spot to watch the family and friends battle out the best of three sets. Still in this part of the house, off the meals area is the home theatre, with dark-grey walls and tiered seating, and offering grand viewing. Upstairs, three bedrooms and a retreat occupy the front of the house. Heading down the hall past the
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JELLIS CRAIG, 9810 5000 53-55 Wills Street, Kew Price: $6 million + Expressions of Interest: Closing August 26 at noon Fast facts: Architect-extended 1930s house, 2010 renovation, grand en suite, dressing room, designer gas fireplace, home-theatre system includes projector and 100-inch screen, four plasma TVs, surround-sound speakers, powder room, study, outdoor entertainment area, wired Foxtel internet, built-in surround-speakers in ceiling of family room, outdoor entertainment room, CaesarStone kitchen, Miele appliances, bar fridge, solar/gas-heated pool and spa, laundry chute, mod grass tennis court, close to Kew Junction, schools and access to the Eastern Freeway and CBD.
KEW \ 7 kms from the Cbd How this suburb has moved: down by 30.8 per cent in the quarter to June 2011.* REIV stats
“A StunnInG ExAmPLE oF CLASSIC ARCHItECtuRE WItH ExEmPLARy APPoIntmEntS tHRouGHout.” PEtER VIGAno – AGEnt study, you arrive at double doors, which open to the parents’ suite. This luxurious area starts off with a huge dressing room/walk-in wardrobe, which opens into the grand en suite. There are taupe-coloured walls, contrasting white ceilings, twin vanities and classically styled white cabinets as well as a freestanding bath and oversized shower. The end of the hall opens into an opulent bedroom with a sitting area. Expensive curtains frame the windows. Bi-fold, white-painted timber-framed glass doors open to a supersized wrought-iron-trimmed balcony that overlooks the tennis court and garden. \
mharris@theweeklyreview.com.au august 24, 2011 \ The weekly review 37