Domain Prestige - July 19, 2023

WARMTH

& SOUL

By KATE FARRELLY

Chandler

Brisbane 598 London Road

$20 million

6 6 8 NATALIE MORTIMER

Expressions of interest

Agent: Queensland Sotheby’s International Realty, Tyson Clarke 0407 034 803

As you may have spotted last week, Prestige editor Josie is currently undertaking some vital research across the glistening seas of the Mediterranean, leaving me the delightful task of showcasing the finest luxury homes in the country over the coming weeks. To kick off my interim tenure we have a very special cover property. While the term “breathtaking” is often overused in real estate, Stonebrook undeniably lives up to the description. The expansive barn-style residence boasts a sleek black exterior and rustic stone walls, but its true brilliance lies within. Inspired by diverse cultures from Africa, New Zealand and Singapore, the interior features a remarkable billiards room reminiscent of the iconic Writers Bar at Raffles. Not only is Stonebrook a pinnacle of design, it also holds recordbreaking potential; experts are predicting a sale price above $20 million.

OUR COVER

598 London Road, Chandler

Listed by Queensland

Sotheby’s International Realty

PAGE 4

Editor:

Josephine Huynh

Editorial producer:

Hailey Coules

Group picture editor:

Kylie Thomson

Senior designer:

Colleen Chin Quan

Graphic designer:

Emma Drake

National magazine

editor:

Natalie Mortimer

Group content director:

Mark Roppolo

Chief marketing officer:

Rebecca Darley

Chief executive officer:

Jason Pellegrino

Residential sales: Queensland

Amanda Vaughan 0413 370 004

New South Wales

Joe Pinneri 0408 694 223

Victoria, Western Australia, South

Australia, Northern

Territory & Tasmania

Ray van Veenendaal 0438 279 870

New development sales:

Ivan Curic 0413 498 156

Media sales: Sam Hill 0438 348 998

Contact: editorial@domain.com.au

Expected to challenge Brisbane’s record sale price, the Sumich Chaplin-designed Stonebrook is a stunning two-hectare retreat complete with a pool and spa, custom fire pit, basketball halfcourt, dressage arena and golf driving range. Inside, you’ll find three incredible living spaces –each with a fireplace and soaring ceilings – a home cinema and a self-contained guest wing.

CAROLA RIPAMONTI

Sorrento

Gold Coast 13 San Remo Boulevard

$9 million

5 7 4

Private sale

Agent: Amir Prestige Group, Marc Keswell 0477 000 619

Boasting sensational northerly views over the river, this impressive home offers a pool and pontoon, plus more than 900 square metres of accommodation. Highlights include double-height ceilings, a floating walkway, a tiered home cinema and a main suite with an office and balcony.

Leabrook

Adelaide 37 Tusmore Avenue

$3.3 million 5

Private sale

Agent: Ouwens Casserly, Angela Stentiford 0407 899 796

Beautifully presented inside and out, this single-level bluestone villa blends historic charm with modern elegance. There’s a Carrara marble kitchen with a walk-in pantry at the heart of the home, a formal lounge upon entry and casual living spaces spilling out to a full-width deck and solar-heated pool.

Birchgrove

Sydney 32 McKell Street

$4.8 million

Auction: 2pm, July 22

Agent: CobdenHayson Balmain, Matthew Hayson 0411 519 190

Fronting waterfront parkland with direct access to Mort Bay and the ferry wharf, this three-storey residence features an integrated sound system.

by DANA TOMIC HUGHES YELLOWTRACE

An homage to the wonderful women of textile design

Design history, architecture and a deep love for textiles converge in this early 1900s apartment in Trieste, a northern Italian maritime gateway city with significant Austro-Hungarian and Slovenian influences.

Andrea Marcante and Adelaide Testa – the design and architecture duo behind Marcante Testa – were approached by a couple living in Munich who wanted to split their lives between Germany and Italy.

“She was born in Trieste and moved to Munich over 30 years ago to work with premium textiles, while he is an artist and a Munich native,” Marcante explains.

The client’s strong links to textiles were the starting point for the architects, who looked to Anita Pittoni (1901-1982), an unsung textile artist and Trieste native, for inspiration.

“Anita Pittoni was a very creative personality,” Marcante says. “She left her mark in the textile field linked to architecture.”

With strong links to fashion, interiors and furniture, Pittoni’s creations were often featured in the 1930s by Gio Ponti on the pages of Domus With the property’s heritage bones no longer holding any traces of the original construction, Marcante Testa set out to improve the flow of the 180-square-metre footprint via internal circulation delivering dual connections of the rooms to the original corridor and each other.

Bespoke textiles are the cornerstone material of the apartment, brought into an architectural dimension thanks to a collaboration with textile designer Aleksandra Gaca, with the materials produced at the famed Dutch TextielMuseum.

Fabric panel screens divide the living spaces; the bedroom features a textile datum acting as a belt around the room’s perimeter; fabriccovered wardrobe doors can be seen in the dressing room, and textile covers even dress the radiators in the living room.

“As theorised by Anita Pittoni, the project becomes perceptible and comprehensible not

CAROLA RIPAMONTI

COURTESY OF JONES

only through the sense of sight but also by touch, triggering direct contact between work and maker, work and user,” Marcante says.

References to the past continue via wallpaper from Rasch Contract (based on a Bauhaus design), handles by Walter Gropius, lamps by Adolf Loos produced by Woka Lamps Vienna, and pieces by Eileen Grey, courtesy of Classicon.

The apartment’s ceilings, a key area of research for Marcante Testa as one of the most neglected features of a home, have also been specially designed, calling into play 1920s works by Josef Hoffmann.

“This is the first project in which we have experimented with our decorative research on every ceiling in the house. We believe the ceiling is a highly symbolic space,” explains Marcante, referencing an article by the American psychoanalyst James Hillman stating that “happiness begins in the ceilings”.

“To convince the clients about the ceiling frames, we had to make one at our expense to show them the final effect,” he confesses. “Afterwards, they appreciated it, allowing us to proceed with all other rooms.”

In true Marcante Testa style, this interior doesn’t just reflect the past but remains balanced through various contemporary dimensions. The sober, monochromatic colours of the living and kitchen spaces give way to

pastel tones in the bathroom and bedrooms. Unexpected chromatic accents introduced via custom furnishings and blue curtain rods deliver visual continuity while inserting elements of “intentional discontinuity”.

“We love that this house tells the story of a city and of the still underestimated extraordinary female figures linked to textile design, such as Anita Pittoni, Gegia Bronzini and Maria Lai,” Marcante says.

yellowtrace.com.au

“The project becomes perceptible and comprehensible not only through the sense of sight but also by touch.”

BOWRAL

Much like affluent Londoners escaping to Surrey and New Yorkers flocking to The Hamptons, the Southern Highlands serve as the ultimate city escape for Sydneysiders, with the charming town of Bowral at its heart.

Defined by winding country roads leading to historic cottages, estate homes and hobby farms, often adorned with English-style gardens, Bowral is the belle of the region’s ball.

It’s here where each season announces itself so vividly. Spring bursts with a vibrant parade of tulips, while winter whispers of cosy nights by the fire. Autumn entices leaf-stomping adventures, and summer invites a frolic across green grass.

Highlight of the Highlands

According to DiJones Real Estate Bowral regional partner Sarah Burke, the town’s appeal lies in its blend of country, coast and urban lifestyle, giving residents the best of all worlds.

“Being just an hour-and-a-half drive south of Sydney, the perks of the city are never too far away, and the same goes for the stunning beaches of Jervis Bay, reachable in equal time,” Burke says.

“The country brings fresh air, green landscapes, community bonds and charming towns.”

While the housing boom in regional NSW has lost steam, Domain’s latest House Price Report shows Bowral’s median price continues to grow.

PAULINE

It sits at $1.6 million, up 12.7 per cent year on year and a staggering 68.4 per cent in five years.

“The natural beauty of Bowral – coupled with excellent schooling, hatted restaurants, beautiful wineries, and boutique shopping – continues to attract holidaymakers and, increasingly, convert them to full-time residents,” Burke says.

Bowral in full bloom

Michelle Clayton, a Bowral native, found her way back to the town after leaving in her early 20s. She started a family and bought Blooms of Bowral, a florist established over 30 years ago.

“I find the people of Bowral and its surrounding suburbs very friendly and supportive, and I couldn’t think of a better place to raise children and run a business,” Clayton says. “It’s wonderful to [have] fabulous coffee shops, amazing restaurants and independently owned stores.”

Bowral’s ability to draw back those who have left, like Clayton, speaks volumes. The town’s wild wonders that were always there, combined with new delights, continue to enthral both old-timers and newcomers.

“In my downtime, I love to explore serene spots like the nearby Berrima River and Nellies Glen in Robertson,” Clayton says. “My new favourite restaurant is Leila’s at The Grand, also owned by a long-standing local family, further highlighting Bowral’s enduring appeal.”

YOU MAY LIKE ...

Bowral

Southern Highlands

1 Hammock Hill Rise

$3.5 million

4 4 4

Private sale

Agent: Henderfield Southern Highlands, Paul Macefield 0413 443 786

Indulge in the luxury of this energy-efficient, custom-built home, with its striking weatherboard and Colorbond facade, expansive gardens and impeccable design.

Each season holds its own delights in Bowral, just a 90-minute drive south of Sydney.

This Southern Highlands town attracts visitors and residents –and makes it difficult to stay away for long.

By

MORRISSEY

Hover your camera over the code to see Domain listings in Bowral

Short-term rentals, long-term success

switching to a corporate rental with a threemonth – or longer – lease.

By SUE WILLIAMS

Short-term letting was once the golden goose for property investors, but many are now scrambling to make sure they don’t have too many eggs in one basket.

At a time when cash-strapped Australians are cutting back on holidays and weekends away, the vacancy rates for homes let on short-term platforms like Airbnb and Stayz are rising in various locations, and income is plummeting.

“In some areas, bookings are as much as 25 per cent down,” says buyer’s agent Scott Levoune, founder of Wealth Through Property.

“Then, in places like Batemans Bay on the NSW South Coast, the nightly rates are dropping, from $250 to $200, because of both the lack of demand with the rising cost of living and interest rates, and [market] over-saturation.

“I think the problem is that, in the past, many people just bought property, put it up for shortterm rental and hoped for the best, rather than doing all the necessary research into the location and market, and treating it strategically as a proper business to ensure good returns. Now, many are struggling.”

But there are still ways to make short-term rentals work in the longer term. Levoune suggests re-pricing the rent dynamically by season with reference to what’s being charged by hotels, motels and other accommodation, dropping prices overall, making sure you’re on all booking platforms and adopting a more affordable “book direct” deal.

“We’re also seeing a lot of short-term rentals moving into long-term residential rentals, often because rents have gone up so much it’s now a viable alternative,” she says. “But we’re also seeing a lot being sold off as, even though rents have increased, they haven’t risen enough to make up for the hikes in interest rates.

“Prices are recovering in a lot of areas, so we’re seeing people going more for capital growth than rental yield, too. The message ... is that you should carefully consider all your options.”

Moving from short-term rentals to the longer term can be attractive for many, says Adriana Dendrinos, licensee-in-charge and head of the leasing and property management division of Richardson & Wrench Hurlstone Park.

“But property owners have to make sure they’re on top of the different regulations and laws governing residential leases, including their length and the requirements when they want to put up the rent or give notice,” she says.

“They should also start thinking about that now to be ready for the January market when so many people are looking for new rentals.”

Another option is shifting to another space in the short-term market. Kasey McDonald, director of the Property Management Training Academy and Queensland state manager of CoreLogic, says this could be as simple as

However, Dendrinos adds, “if they want to stay in the short-term market, there are things they can do to improve their chances of a better return and more business, like making sure a property is in good condition, improving the facilities and presenting it in its best possible light with great photos”.

Buying a property and putting it on Airbnb is not the fail-safe option it once was, but there are still ways to make it work.

“We’re also seeing a lot of short-term rentals moving into long-term.”

Short-term letting rates are dropping in many areas, such as Batemans Bay on the NSW South Coast.

Commanding

Land: 2400sqm

Spectacular landholding presents a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, to acquire one of the few direct beachfront blocks in Byron Bay.

Showcasing panoramic views over Julian Rocks to Cape Byron, ‘Bluewater’ comprises six luxury holiday cottages nestled amidst stunning landscaped grounds. Step down onto the sand, stroll to celebrated local restaurants, or explore the heart of Byron Bay just 4 minutes away.

For more information:

Kim Jones - Principal @ Kim Jones Property 0414 629 924 | kim.jones@smileelite.com

kimjonesproperty.com.au

1-3 Don Street, Byron Bay

a breathtaking oceanfront position in exclusive Belongil Beach, Byron Bay

4

BEROWRA WATERS

Designed to deliver an authentic Australian experience, surrounded by native bushland and the commanding presence of the Hawkesbury River, Marramarra Lodge is a truly unique, 8.75-acre parcel of tidal river frontage, that's only accessible by water, seaplane or helicopter. Regarded for its exclusive location, elegant dining, breathtaking nature and rich early history – it's an intoxicating combination for a sensory escape. Less than an hour's drive north of Sydney and the only property of its scale within New South Wales.

30a 18b

FOR SALE

TIM ANDREWS 0412 663 065 tim.andrews@ljhooker.com.au

DOUGAL MILLER-SNEDDON 0423 138 180 dougalmillersneddon@ljhooker.com.au

LJ Hooker Terrigal terrigal.ljhooker.com.au