Domain Review Stonnington & Boroondara - April 05, 2023

PEOPLE & PROPERTY OF MELBOURNE

STEFANIE JONES THE MAGIC OF MARY POPPINS

APRIL 5-11, 2023

ANTHONY CALLEA

HIS MELBOURNE

CHILD’S PLAY THE SCHOOL HOLIDAY GUIDE

CHEF’S SECRETS A HEARTY DISH BY NABIL ANSARI

STONNINGTON & BOROONDARA

C o mp i l e d b y H A I L E Y C O U L E S

The editor’s desk

“A spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down” is the very best parenting tip I’ve ever heard. I knew the phrase as a kid – perpetually playing a VHS tape of Mary Poppins, which my parents swore I’d wear out.

But it wasn’t until my own daughter started watching the film on repeat that I got the true meaning of the lyrics; kids need love (sugar) while you’re setting boundaries (medicine).

It’s why the story still resonates today, Mary Poppins the musical star Stefanie Jones says. I spoke to Jones about playing the world’s most-loved flying nanny for our cover story this week. Give it a read – spit spot! ●

FASHION WITH PURPOSE \ Witchery’s White Shirt

FOR THE KIDS \ Hyatt Centric Melbourne is running

Campaign this year has been designed in collaboration

a Family Fun school-holiday package until April 30. It

with P.E Nation’s Pip Edwards. You can buy the chic

includes special poolside movie screenings and ice-

shirt from April 11. ● witchery.com.au

cream afternoons in the lobby. ● hyatt.com

THE EDIT Things we love about Melbourne

OUR COVER \ Stefanie Jones. Photographed by Kristoffer Paulsen

MORE TO LOVE ONLINE Go to domain.com.au/domain-review General inquiries \ editorial@domain.com.au Editor \ Jemimah Clegg

Senior designer \ Colleen Chin Quan Graphic designers \ Emma Staughton, Nicole Gauci National magazine editor \ Natalie Mortimer Chief marketing officer \ Rebecca Darley Chief executive officer Domain Group \ Jason Pellegrino Real estate sales director \ Ray van Veenendaal \ 0438 279 870 ray.vanv@domain.com.au Retail sales \ retailsales@sales.domain.com.au

Is your mag missing? Distribution \ distribution@domainreview.com.au

REVIEW Domain Review is published by Domain Holdings Australia Limited and is printed by IVE, 25-33 Fourth Avenue, Sunshine VIC 3020.

All material is copyright.

2

DOM A IN REV IEW

SIMON SHIFF

Group picture editor \ Kylie Thomson

STONNINGTON & BOROONDARA

Editorial producer \ Hailey Coules

PERFECT PAIR \ Armadale’s High Street is now home

FRESH START \ Shane Delia’s Maha Bar has had a

to By The Glass, a wine bar with meticulously selected

revamp. Rebranded Maha North, the Collingwood

drinks and fancy food to match. It opens at 5pm from

favourite presents Middle Eastern-inspired dishes, just

Wednesday to Saturday. ● @bytheglassarmadale

like sister venue Maha East. ● mahanorth.com.au

Holiday high jinks

The Listies in Hamlet: Prince of Skidmark.

DANIEL BOUD

T

he short hop from Wile E. Coyote to Wagner may not be an obvious one. All the same, Emmy Award-winning conductor George Daugherty says his background in ballet helped prepare him to front the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra as they perform Bugs Bunny at the Symphony at Hamer Hall.

“For me, conducting a Road Runner cartoon is like conducting a ballet,” Daugherty says. “It’s all movement and music.”

And laughter, of course. Daugherty says these symphonic performances, where a full orchestra accompanies classic Warner Bros cartoons, have four elements — the music, the dialogue, the sound effects and the response from the audience.

They are perfect family events, where the joy comes from sharing timeless animation across the generations (complete with an enthusiastic laughter track) and maybe learning a thing or two about classical music along the way.

For many young viewers, the Looney Tunes cartoons — such as The Rabbit of Seville, which parodies Rossini’s famous opera — were their first exposure to the great composers.

“When I was a little kid, I thought that The Barber of Seville came from Bugs Bunny,” Daugherty says.

“When I first heard the actual Barber of Seville, I thought, ‘oh my god, they stole this from Bugs!’ To me, nothing is more brilliant than seeing Elmer Fudd and Bugs Bunny singing Wagner or Rossini.”

Bugs Bunny at the Symphony (April 27-29) is just one of the family-friendly treats Melbourne has on offer around the Easter school holidays.

Thanks to the Melbourne International Comedy Festival, there’s no shortage of shows to tickle those with smaller funny bones.

Wildhouse Circus: Party Pooper (April 7-16) makes its Melbourne debut after wowing Adelaide Fringe. Expect an energetic circus-style spin on the classic kids’ birthday party with all the hits – pin the tail on the donkey, pass the parcel and musical statues – performed by three very childish acrobats.

Other festival treats include Comedy Club for Kids (April 8-23) and Sean Choolburra’s Didj & Dance (April 7-23).

ENTERTAINMENT There is plenty of fun ahead

for the whole family during the school holidays.

Wo r d s M Y K E BA R T L E T T

There’s more comedy at the Playhouse, as “kidult” duo The Listies – famous for bad-taste jokes popular with parents and offspring alike – offer a unique and very silly reworking of Shakespeare with Hamlet: Prince of Skidmark (April 11-15).

The core idea is that a pair of idiots (our heroes) attempt the impossible (staging a successful theatrical production).

We’re promised all the good bits from the original (ghosts, castles, sword fights) with bonus pillow fights, ninjas, pirates, aliens and ninja pirate aliens.

Previous runs have been a hit, so book early.

If the lure of the screen is stronger than the stage, the kids might enjoy a visit to ACMI’s free exhibition The Story of the Moving Image.

The interactive installation offers a journey through the past, present and future of screen entertainment, from shadow puppets, through

films to video games. Young visitors can try their hands at animation, film editing and sound recording or marvel at the original costumes from the recent blockbuster Thor: Love and Thunder Thunder.

Of course, the headline treat for young cinephiles these holidays is The Super Mario Bros. Movie (opens April 5), which – much like Bugs Bunny at the Symphony – promises to have crossgenerational appeal, particularly for anyone who has picked up a Nintendo controller in the past 30 years.

The cast, which includes Chris Pratt and Anya Taylor-Joy, looks promising and there’s some pleasing gender-flipping in having the princess rescue one of the plumber brothers, but it remains to be seen if symphony orchestras will be performing the catchy theme tune 80 years from now. ●

DOM A IN REV IEW

3

To the highest heights COVER STORY Mary Poppins star Stefanie Jones on

the enduring power of P.L. Travers’ classic story.

Wo r d s J E M I M A H C L E G G

I

n 2021, deep in the time of COVID restrictions, Stefanie Jones stood on a stage in London’s West End to audition for the lead in a show.

It was the last in a string of call-backs for the part, but this time she was in front of renowned theatre producer Cameron Mackintosh, and it was the start of something brewing, about to begin.

“I was certainly the most nervous I’ve ever been, especially when you’re that close to getting your dream role,” Jones says.

That role? Mary Poppins. Jones got the call that she would be Australia’s next practically perfect nanny on her return home to a locked-down Sydney.

Now, Jones is in Melbourne where Mary Poppins is full flight after its runs in Sydney and Brisbane.

The songs most would know and love from the classic movie are there, with new tunes propelling the story (written by Downton Abbey’s Julian Fellowes), which does differ from the film.

There’s a magical garden rather than a cafe run by penguins during Jolly Holiday and new, quirky characters in Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious.

There’s a new villain (more on that later), tapdancing (on the ceiling!) and, of course, flying seemingly with only an umbrella with which to soar.

Jones says she grew up watching the 1965 movie starring Julie Andrews, but when she saw the stage show for the first time, she was awestruck.

“When Mary flies over the audience at the end, I just thought ‘this is the height of music theatre for me; this is as good as it gets’,” she says.

The 31-year-old, who grew up in Brisbane and studied music theatre at the Victorian College of the Arts, says her love of Andrews as the title character has influenced her performance – but not so much so that she is a “carbon-copy”.

“On one hand, you want to give the audiences what they want and what they expect because there is an element of nostalgia attached to this story for so many people,” Jones says. “[But] I have all these other opportunities to make a certain scene or a certain song my own, because they haven’t been featured in the film.”

4

DOM A IN REV IEW

And that’s one of the reasons adults (as well as children) will get a kick out of the show; it’s not just a duplicate of the movie. The other reason? It tugs – no pulls – at the heartstrings.

“Even though people think, ‘oh Mary Poppins, gosh that’s old’, it’s a story about family and relationships and communicating,” Jones says.

“Those are the foundations of everyone’s happiness.”

The first book in the Mary Poppins series by Australian-turned-English writer P.L. Travers was written almost 90 years ago, but the themes of family, and parenting in particular, hold true today.

Australian theatre legend and mother of five Marina Prior says this is the true heart of the story.

“It says it in the opening phrases of the show,” Prior says, then she sings: “‘A mother, a father, a daughter, a son, their lives are unravelling … ’ That’s the essence of the story right there.

“It’s about them, and Mary Poppins being the agent of change to bring their unravelled-ness back together.

“That is universal and timeless.”

Prior played Mrs Banks in the 2010 tour of the show, and plays two parts in this production: the kindly Bird Woman and the villain Miss Andrew.

“I walk out, and if people haven’t bought a program, they say, ‘I didn’t know it was you!’ ” Prior will finish her run of shows in June, when Patti Newton will take over as the Bird Woman and Chelsea Plumley will play Miss Andrew.

Jones says she has loved working with Prior. ““Feed the Birds is one of my favourite numbers,” she says. “To share that song with Marina is especially wonderful because she really challenges me as a singer and she’s a beautiful actor.”

Unlike the Bird Woman, Miss Andrew is meanspirited and, in stark contrast to Mary Poppins’ Spoonful of Sugar Sugar, insists Brimstone and Treacle is how to make the children behave.

Many a parent will recognise this as a metaphor for the more gentle parenting of today versus the “children should be seen and not heard” attitudes of previous generations.

Mr Banks (played by Tom Wren) is the product of brimstone and treacle – his own nanny being the villainous Miss Andrew. But he is transformed through the story, seeing the importance of childhood and the impact parents and carers can have on the adults children become.

“It’s about an absent father who wasn’t given the right sort of love and support when he was young, transferring that into the next generation. It’s about breaking the generational curse, if you like, of bad parenting,” Prior says.

As I sat in the theatre with my four-year-old daughter and my own mother, I welled up as Burt (played by Jack Chambers) sang to Mr Banks: “You’ve got to grind, grind, grind at that grindstone, though childhood slips like sand through a sieve … ” That part gets Jones, too.

“I really think the hero, the protagonist of this story, is Mr Banks. It really is about him. It’s so evident in the books because P.L. Travers started creating this story in her mind as a little kid after her father died,” she says, referencing the movie Saving Mr Banks about Travers’ childhood and the adaptation of her books by Disney.

Once she packs away her umbrella later this year after shows in Adelaide and Perth, Jones will once again be up in the air – at least metaphorically.

“The tricky thing about this industry is that you can’t really plan too far ahead, and as someone who likes to be extremely organised – I guess I’m like Mary Poppins in that way – I have had to really try to relax that side of me and just sort of let it be.”

For now, she’ll stay until the wind changes. ●

Marina Prior as the Bird Woman.

MARY POPPINS \ Her Majesty’s Theatre, until June 18. ● marypoppinsmusical.com.au

“It’s a story about family and relationships … those are the foundations of everyone’s happiness.”

KRISTOFFER PAULSEN

STEFANIE JONES

DOM A IN REV IEW

5

MUSIC Maestro Chong Lim on 25 years since Kylie’s Intimate & Live tour.

GREG BRIGGS

Wo r d s LU K E D E N N E H Y

Step back in time N early 25 years ago, pop princess Kylie Minogue made a triumphant return to Australia for a concert tour after years of living in the UK. The Intimate and Live tour in 1998 saw Minogue sell out venues across Australia – including seven concerts in Melbourne at the Palais Theatre. It gave Minogue the respect she had previously lacked from Australian music critics.

Kylie the live performer had arrived and finally, aged 30, was getting the recognition she deserved.

Behind the scenes, the man who worked with Minogue and her UK team to make the groundbreaking concert happen was musical director Chong Lim. “She wanted the concert to begin in Melbourne because it was her hometown,” Lim says. “I was so excited because at that stage, if you remember, we

6

DOM A IN REV IEW

were still very rock-focused as an industry, and there were not many opportunities to work with an artist like Kylie.”

Lim was then best known as the man behind the famous John Farnham band, a brilliant producer of live concerts, events and music in Australia.

Sitting in a Richmond cafe, Lim recalls he first worked with Minogue in 1997, at the opening of Crown Casino. “After that, her manager Terry Blamey gave me a call and asked if I wanted to put the band together for the concert,” he says.

Lim used some members of the Farnham band, including backup singer Lisa Edwards and the late Stuart Fraser on guitar.

Minogue brought her UK music director Steve Anderson and a couple of musicians with her.

Lim says the band only rehearsed with Minogue for a week, and everyone nailed it.

“I would rehearse with the band in the morning and she would come around in the afternoon and sing the songs,” Lim says.

“Kylie is very conscientious, a hard worker and she does her homework.

“She is effortless on stage, but people don’t realise the hard work she does behind the scenes.”

Compared with the ritzy sets of a Kylie tour these days, the Intimate and Live tour was stripped back.

The set was based on the Impossible Princess album and Minogue was joined on stage by the band and only two male dancers, often wearing giant angel wings.

Lim believes this worked because it showed Australia she could really perform.

“It was a conscious decision to front her with a band,” he says. “Normally she might have been flanked by 20 dancers and musicians hiding behind a screen or something like that, but for this tour, everything was laid bare on the stage.”

Minogue came out on stage for the first concert on June 2, 1998, wearing navy blue pedal pushers

by Melbourne label Princess Highway, and the atmosphere at the Palais Theatre was electric.

The tour travelled around Australia and later the UK to incredible reviews.

Lim says it was a real privilege to see Minogue embraced by the Australian public.

He has since gone on to work with many huge names in the music business, including Robbie Williams last year at the AFL grand final, but says the Intimate and Live tour of 1998 will always remain close to his heart.

“I was so happy for Kylie … because she had worked so hard, and the band sounds great to this day,” Lim says. “I am so proud of what we all did.” ●

“Kylie … is effortless on stage, but people don’t realise the hard work she does behind the scenes.”

CHONG LIM

CHEF’S SECRETS

Ansari describes the vibe as “energetic”, the kind of place you can pop in for a drink at the bar before heading out, or settle in for a meal with mates.

Beyond sourcing the best produce for Firebird, Ansari wants people to have fun with their food.

That might mean ordering the $59-per-person set menu with unlimited fries and oysters (the record is held by a group who ate four dozen each), or digging into playful desserts.

Ansari recommends Firebird’s ode to Vietnamese coffee: a hot-cold combination of a condensed milk parfait and hot chocolate mousse with buckwheat and puffed rice on top and popping candy on the bottom for explosive crunch. ● FIREBIRD \ 223 High Street, Prahran. ● firebirdmelbourne.com.au

Chicken heart skewers

Daring dishes Firebird head chef Nabil Ansari gets adventurous.

Wo r d s S O FIA L E VI N

N

abil Ansari wants more people to eat offal.

The Firebird head chef joined Commune Group (also New Quarter, Moonhouse and Tokyo Tina) in September, but only recently overhauled the menu to include a “skewer of the week”. When we speak, it’s chicken hearts.

“People expect them to be minerally or the texture to be no good, but we soak them overnight in milk … there’s not much prep involved at all and you end up with a delicious piece of meat,” he says.

The rotating skewers are Ansari’s way of introducing inquisitive eaters to something new by providing a small taste.

For many, it will be the first time they realise how tender beef intercostal can be, all sweet and sour from a palm sugar and tamarind glaze.

On other weeks, offal might be replaced with skewers such as octopus slow-braised in Vietnamese bun rieu (a traditional crab noodle soup).

Most recently senior sous chef at Sunda in the CBD, Ansari’s command of ingredients can be

traced back to his first kitchen job after he moved to Melbourne from Saudi Arabia to be a chef (he dropped out of aviation school to do so).

He dived into the deep end at The European, where he mastered basic stocks and sauces. From there he worked at Hotel Windsor, before cooking under Khanh Nguyen for four years at Sunda and learning South-East Asian flavours.

Ansari’s experiences converge at Firebird where, in his first head chef position, he marries Vietnamese-leaning cuisine with its colonial French influence. Perhaps the dish that best exemplifies this is the smoked, dry-aged duck, inspired by Khanh’s dish at Aru restaurant (part of the Sunda and Hotel Windsor family).

Every morning before service, Ansari and his team throw wood on the hearth and smoke the ducks for four hours. The result is crisp, glossy skin with soft, pink flesh still intact.

They’re also marinated in Vietnamese five spice, lemongrass, and orange and mandarin peel. As for that French influence, it’s in the accompanying duck jus and orange vinaigrette splashed over radicchio.

Firebird is a change of pace for Ansari. Here, the walls are vibrant with projections and artwork, and while the music won’t drown out a conversation, it won’t exactly appease your grandparents, either.

with smoked salt and lime Makes 25 skewers Ingredients Chicken hearts: 1kg chicken hearts 2l fresh milk Marinade: 100g fish sauce 90g sugar 100g lime juice 10g long red chilli, blitzed 20g shio koji

Smoked salt: 100g Olsson’s smoked salt 5g Vietnamese five spice 5g raw sugar 10g lime zest 3g black pepper, crushed

Method ■ Prepare the chicken hearts a couple of days ahead.

■ First, make an incision in the middle of each heart and gently fan out. Trim the excess fat at the top and remove any blood vessels. Soak the chicken hearts in fresh milk for 24 hours.

■ For the marinade, combine all the ingredients in a bowl and mix well. Marinate the hearts for a minimum of six hours.

■ For the smoked salt, combine all ingredients in a bowl and mix well.

■ To cook, skewer the hearts by fanning them on the skewers to ensure they cook evenly. Grill the skewers on charcoal or a wood barbecue, or sear them in a heavy, cast-iron pan. They’re best medium-rare, which takes about a minute cooking time on each side.

■ Serve hot with smoked salt and a fresh lime wedge on the side.

DOM A IN REV IEW

7

MY MELBOURNE

I

n his memoir, Behind the Voice: Dietro la Voce, Melbourne singer-songwriter Anthony Callea takes us on a personal journey of his rise to stardom and self-discovery in a no-holds-barred expose of how he navigated the past 20 years of his career. From childhood entertainer to being crowned runner-up on Australian Idol in 2004, his single The Prayer became one of the fastest-selling singles by an Australian artist at the time. He continues to sell out shows, including show-stoppers at The Palms at Crown, and if you’ve been to one of his shows, you know he loves to have a good old chat with his fans throughout. ●

Anthony Callea The singer-songwriter shares his secrets of life in the city.

New obsession

Wo r d s JA N E R O C CA

E-SCOOTERS Let’s just say I have surprised myself with the love JOHN TSIAVIS

I have for electric scooters all around Melbourne.

I’ve got little legs, so they don’t like walking too far.

[My husband, Tim Campbell] and I have definitely

3

3

3

Offering peace and beauty in the heart of Brighton, FiftyTwo Black is a collaboration of worldrenowned designers including Nicholas Day and Jack Merlo, with New York’s Gregory Tuck and Meg Sharpe. With graciously house-like proportions, this unique collaboration has been designed with a private and elevated lifestyle in mind. RH branded furnished residences, the first in Australia. Only one available, enquire now to move in within 4 weeks.

CONTACT Alex Bragilevsky 0478 401 247 | Kelgend Winters 0439 434 449 www.fiftytwoblack.com.au

8

DOM A IN REV IEW

“There is also a great lobby bar inside the NEXT Hotel in Little Collins Street that makes great cocktails.” rocked up to the Village Wine Bar in Albert Park on

Restaurant

e-scooters on a few occasions and I went to the

made frequent purchases here. There is also a great lobby bar inside the NEXT Hotel in Little

Australian Open with my brother – and scooted

ENTRECOTE, SOUTH YARRA

Collins Street that makes great cocktails. For me,

home afterwards. Beats a cab or an Uber queue.

I was never a fan of French cuisine until I ate at

it’s either a cosmopolitan, Belvedere martini with

Entrecote. They know how to read their customers

a lemon twist or espresso martini.

Way to spend Sunday

to ensure it’s a personalised experience and the food is exceptional. Owners Jason and Brahman

Live music venue

ENTERTAINING AT HOME

have created a dining experience like no other, and

I love to host and entertain at home. We are lucky

in their words, it truly is #FrenchF**kingFabulous.

THE PARIS CAT JAZZ CLUB, MELBOURNE CBD,

to have the most amazing views of the Melbourne

I’ve never been a snail-eating type of guy, but this

AND THE PALMS, CROWN MELBOURNE

city from our apartment and I love having friends

is the only place I will eat snails, or as the fancy

I’ve watched a few performances at Paris Cat over

over. The problem is I can’t cook, and when I say

people like to call it, escargot.

the years. It’s a great venue that showcases local

can’t – I mean I don’t like cooking. I can outsource, so you’ll find me running around South Melbourne

Shopping trip

Market finding what I need. I also call Kyle at

musicians – some of whom are my friends – and many international acts as well. You’ll also find me spending a lot of time at The Palms at Crown

LaManna asking him to make me up last-minute

HARROLD’S AND NEXT HOTEL

Melbourne. I have played eight concerts there this

charcuterie boards. Sunday afternoons are spent

I love browsing the luxury department store

year already. The venue and audiences have been

on the balcony with good tunes, cocktails and a lot

Harrold’s on Collins Street – yes, browsing, unless

so good to me over the years and the team at Palms

of laughs and inappropriate conversations.

there’s a sale on. I’m sure Tim would kill me if I

is like family. ●

Explore our place

FOOD, TOURS & FUN!

Menzies Malvern Open Day Bring your family and invite a friend – we’re opening the doors for you to explore!

Find answers to your questions as you stroll through our welcoming spaces, chat to happy faces, view homes and see why Menzies Malvern gives residents reasons to smile. You won’t want to miss it! Scan the QR code for more details.

Thursday 27 April 10am -12pm

retirementbylendlease.com.au | 1800 550 550 Menzies Malvern, 1306 High Street, Malvern DOM A IN REV IEW

9

Johanna Elliptical Table & Otway Armchairs designed by Justin Hutchinson for Kett

Luxurious furniture from leading designer brands for indoors and out.

Create a seamless flow throughout the home with designer furniture from iconic brands like Tribu, Dedon, Kett & more.

Exclusive to

coshliving.com.au

600 Church Street, Richmond Ph. 03 9281 1999 337 Bay Road, Cheltenham Ph. 03 9532 0464

A DV ER T IS IN G F E AT UR E

HOME DECOR

The rise of Australian-made ‘slow furniture’

Erskine Sofa & Coffee Table.

Below, Otway Trestle Table & Johanna Armchairs by Kett.

T

hese days, we have all kinds of movements designed to help slow down our fast-paced lives.

There’s the slow food philosophy, with a focus on seasonal, local, organic produce, slow medicine, where doctors spend a little more time with each patient, and slow fashion, the opposite of fast fashion.

NOW, MEET SLOW FURNITURE

Slow furniture is a philosophy that represents both a rejection of modern throwaway culture and a return to traditional craftsmanship.

CJ Cornish is the marketing and merchandising manager at Melbourne luxury furniture retailer Cosh Living, where slow furniture is front and centre. She says the concept is all about “thoughtful materials and thoughtful purchases”.

“For us, slow furniture taps into the ideology of ‘buy once, buy well’,” explains Cornish. “We represent a curated selection of brands. Each has a commitment to quality and timeless design. It is furniture

designed for longevity, not seasonal trends. We encourage our clients to buy from the heart and for the long term.”

Cornish has noticed that clients are more conscious than they used to be about where their furniture is coming from and the story behind it.

While Cosh stocks European furniture, it also has an in-house label, Kett, which is devoted to creating made-to-order slow furniture that captures the Australian way of life.

“Kett uses traditional techniques.

All the timber tables are made by hand,” says Cornish. “All the upholstery, staining, finishing … when we talk about handcrafted, we really mean handcrafted.”

Kett design director Justin Hutchinson says designing for sustainability and taking responsibility for the entire lifespan of a product have been part of his ethos since the start of his career.

“What occurred to me early on was you could design products that were

IN PARTNERSHIP WITH

coshliving

not influenced by trends or fads or fashion but had a timeless sentiment,” he says. “And so taking a reductionist approach and trying to design classic pieces that people would see not only expressing a contemporary, forward-thinking environment but also that would have longevity. So, something that had an heirloom-type status where it might be passed from one generation to the next.

“I think that very much ties back to the idea of a slow furniture movement in that it’s not about rapid consumption. Most of our challenges with areas of consumption are things that have a very, very short lifespan.

For example, a coffee cup. You essentially use it once, and it goes straight into the bin.”

To this end, Kett is currently working on an innovative new sofa system called Feathertop that can be continually refurbished and reinvigorated instead of cast aside due to wear and tear. Hutchinson and his team are exploring elements like removable covers and repairable components that will give the product a long and healthy life.

Slow furniture is more sustainable than its fast counterpart both because it’s less likely to wind up discarded and headed for landfill, and because it’s made without toxins and with natural, local materials that create a smaller carbon footprint.

Kett uses “quintessential” Australian materials like wool, timber, leather and natural stone in its furniture. “Because ultimately,” says Hutchinson, “it’s like going out to a good restaurant: the quality of the produce is what makes the dish.”

Explore Kett’s slow furniture in Cosh Living showrooms all over Australia. In Melbourne, these are located in Richmond and Cheltenham. ● JANE HONE

DOM A IN REV IEW

11

FEATURE HOUSE BALWYN NORTH \ 448 BALWYN ROAD 4

3

4

It’s the little things that make this house the pinnacle of family living. Well, “little” is in the eye of the beholder, but its standout features include a home gym, wine cellar, office and wine fridge.

It all adds up to a substantial offering for a family wanting to spread out over four bedrooms and almost as many bathrooms across two floors.

The fresh facade turns heads from the street, but it’s when you walk through the tiled open entry – accessible via the covered front porch – that the property’s real luxuries begin to reveal themselves.

The downstairs bedroom hosts a huge walk-in wardrobe and luxurious rain shower en suite. That wine cellar, gym and study are all down here, as well as a lot of space for storage thanks to two storage rooms and under-house storage. The double garage is also easily accessible from the house.

Head on up the stairs, taking note of the feature lighting along the way, to find the large open-plan lounge room, which is the house’s central living hub. This is where the family can hang out to their hearts’ content, with the adjoining open dining room and kitchen overlooking the rear terrace.

The kitchen delivers stone detail, a double Blanco sink, a Fisher & Paykel double-door fridge and freezer and stainless steel ASKO appliances. A gas log fireplace and bar with a Liebherr wine fridge complement the downstairs cellar.

There are three more bedrooms up here, all with built-in robes, and one has an en suite. The central bathroom has a double vanity and is next to the powder room, and an

FINAL WORD

elevated rear terrace leads down to the landscaped garden.

This is a quiet, leafy suburban pocket that nonetheless

“TWO WORLDS PLEASANTLY COLLIDE AS A STYLISH RENOVATION MEETS

offers easy access to Melbourne’s enviable lifestyle. A local

1970S DESIGN! COMPLETELY RESTORED THROUGHOUT, GIVING YOU A

shopping strip, Greythorn shopping village and Westfield

LUXURIOUS HOME THAT PRESENTS AS BRAND NEW, AND PROMISING

Doncaster are all nearby, as is the greenery of Koonung

EXCEPTIONAL SPACE AND AMAZING VERSATILITY.” TONI EL-HELOU – AGENT

Creek Reserve. Buzzy brunch spot Cafe Matta is just down the street and is sure to become a new local Saturday morning favourite. ● ANDERS FURZE property@domain.com.au

Agent: Biggin & Scott Boroondara, Toni El-Helou 0408 512 554 Price: $2.95 million-$3.2 million Private sale

Hover your camera over the code to see Domain listings in Balwyn North

12

DOM A IN REV IEW

KEW \ 28 MILLER GROVE 4

3

4

Junction, public transport, Yarra River trails

MALVERN EAST \

A timber servery window is a nod to that

and quality schools. The house is adorned

74 NIRVANA AVENUE

past, separating the downstairs living from

with stained glass windows, plantation shutters and a security alarm, and the

This renovated 1910 Edwardian-Queen

total land size is approximately 797 square

Anne family house has four bedrooms

metres. ● ANDERS FURZE

the gourmet kitchen, which features stone

3

2

3

benches, a breakfast island, and a butler’s pantry with a bar fridge and laundry

A renovation has seen pale hardwood

facilities. Two of the upstairs bedrooms

and a contemporary al fresco living

floors and a predominantly white interior

feature walk-in wardrobes, with this level

area. The kitchen features upscale Miele

scheme – including plantation shutters,

also including a study space. The property

appliances and white cabinetry, and leads

painted brick fireplaces, an all-white

also features a garden shed, auto gates

out to a north-facing deck for outdoor

kitchen and other joinery – create an

and off-street parking for three. ●

entertaining. Other features include a

inviting, light-filled home with a very

formal entrance, marble fireplaces in

JOANNE BROOKFIELD

contemporary feel. The building itself,

the main bedroom and lounge, hydronic

Agent: Marshall White,

solid brick and drawing on English-style

Agent: Marshall White,

heating, air-conditioning and a lock-

Andrew Gibbons 0407 577 007

architecture from the 1930s, is double-level

Daniel Wheeler 0411 676 058

up garage with driveway parking. The

Price: $3.695 million

and features vaulted ceilings upstairs, with

Price: $1.8 million-$1.98 million

property is conveniently located near Kew

Private sale

leadlight windows and ornate ceilings.

Auction: 11.30am, April 15

GLEN IRIS \ 54 CELIA STREET

A highlight is the large covered entertaining

BALWYN NORTH \

that is on a separate title (so there are

deck, which flows from the open-plan

1 TURNLEY STREET

no owners’ corporation fees). Zoned

4

2

2

living (which includes a strikingly glossy monochromatic kitchen with an Ilve

for prestigious Balwyn High School, the

4

3

2

Renovated and extended, this single-

upright oven, Bosch dishwasher, and

level home successfully combines the

fridge-freezer), and is ensconced by

Capturing a contemporary aesthetic with

enduring elegance of its art deco origins

established landscaped gardens that

a facade combining brick and charred

with modern updates, such as a servery

create a verdant sanctuary. ●

timber, it’s clear why this luxurious home

window and bifold doors (with retractable

JOANNE BROOKFIELD

shopping centres and public transport all located nearby. ● JOANNE BROOKFIELD

was a finalist in the 2022 Master Builders

fly screens), to create a timeless abode.

Awards. Designed and built by Bluestar

Set on approximately 650 square metres,

Living, the first impressions are matched

there’s ample space for four bedrooms,

location is also a winner, with cafes, parks,

by interiors that are similarly stylish and

a separate laundry with an AEG washing

Agent: Shelter Real Estate,

functional for a family. Key boxes are

Agent: Fletchers,

machine and dryer, a sky-lit home office

Mike Millington 0411 300 205

ticked – generous room sizes, high ceilings,

Jason Salan 0417 664 431

and, outside, a workshop fitted with a sink,

Price: $2.15 million-$2.35 million

multiple living zones, including a north-

Price: $2.2 million

plus plenty of off-street parking.

Auction: 10.30am, April 15

facing al fresco area – at this property

Private sale

DOM A IN REV IEW

13

14

DOM A IN REV IEW

DOM A IN REV IEW

15

16

DOM A IN REV IEW

PENTHOUSE 700 ORRONG ROAD TOORAK

A 3 B3 C 3 D 1

NoNo

Private Sale Viewing Wednesday & Saturday 1-1:30pm Kay & Burton Peter Kudelka John Bradbury

0418 319 439 0413 772 778

Kay & Burton Lachlan Fox Will Hocking

0419 833 768 0451 065 565

KAYBURTON.COM.AU

DOM A IN REV IEW

17

King & Heath

2a Backwater Court, Paynesville 4

4

5923m2

Price: $2,400,000 Lake Gallery On the Amazing Gippsland Lakes Why not have a sea change and a tree change, with views of the water on a beautifully treed block? This property, which offers both lifestyles, also allows you to earn an income from well-appointed, comfortable, and delightful bed and breakfast units. (Or could be additional accommodation for visiting family or friends). The home has been created with it's own art gallery, and looking through the house you feel a sense of openness and contrast with the view out to the water and trees. The main bedroom looks out to the water with a large walk-in robe and private access to the ensuite. A jetty berth is included and is located at the water's edge just a short walk from the house.

First National King & Heath Paynesville | 03 5156 6766 pville@kingheath.com.au | www.kingheath.com.au

4 B 3 b 2 c

­­

­

18

DOM A IN REV IEW

networkclassifieds.com.au

Trades & Services V

• Pet doors • All glass replacement • Emergency replacement

• Shopfronts • And more!

We specialise in pet doors in single and double glazed glass for pets of all shapes and sizes.

25 years $50 of experience

BATHROOM REPAIRS/RENOVATIONS TERMITE & WOOD ROT REPAIRS • DOOR & WINDOW REPAIRS/REPLACEMENT•DECKS GENERAL MAINTENANCE • LICENSED & INSURED

V

Concrete Products & Services

Plain & Coloured, Driveways, Steps, Verandas Shed/Garage Slabs, Maintenance & Plumbing

12571590-AV41-22

Ring anytime: 0418 596 381

BAKLAVA AND GOZLEME COOKING CLASSES

V

Garden Services

7 May, 7pm - 9pm 12 May, 7pm - 9pm 14 May, 7pm - 9pm

$75 / Class. Call 0403 046 680 to book

Specialist in • Lawn mowing • Edging Pruning / Hedge Trimming • Regular Maintenance • Rubbish Removals • Tree Lopping • Gutter Cleaning

TRUE COATINGS DOMESTIC | COMMERCIAL | INDUSTRIAL

12593627-AI11-23

Call Joe 0498 375 094 - 7 days

12467127-DL43-20

• Renovations • Repairs & Maintenance • Renderer of Fencing • Roof Painting • Driveway Painting • Fence Painting • Wall Paper

0419 548 931 Con

AMAZING GARDEN SERVICES

12590097-JW14-23

• Painting • Rendering • Interior or Exterior • Feature Walls • New Homes

All aspects of the garden covered.

12454160-SN32-20

Take away 1kg Baklava!

Let us tidy it for you.

AUTUMN 2023 ELECTRICAL SERVICES

GARDEN MAINTENANCE

J.L Hutt Electrical Specialising in all

Gardens By Glen 30+ years experience

electrical installations: Extensions/

in all aspects Horticulture and Plants.

Refurbishments, Stove/Oven/Hot Water Repair, Switchboard upgrades, House Rewires, TV/Phone/Data, Safety switches. Free quotes. 24 hour service.

Melbourne’s most trusted gardening services provider • • • • •

Lawn mowing Edge trimming Pruning Hedge trimming 8FFE SFNPWBM

• • • • •

1SF TBMF HBSEFO NBLFPWFST /FX UVSG JOTUBMMBUJPO * / ,%*#ŏ * ŏ,( *0%*#ŏ Leaf blowing and vacuuming Removal of HSFFO XBTUF

www.musthm.com

$BMM PVS GSJFOEMZ UFBN UPEBZ

Garden Planning. Garden Renovations.

1300 687 846

Regular Garden Service Calls. High

• Full Insurance • 100% Computer leveling • Building permit supplied • Since 1999 • Pump to be used Call Sam for a Free Quote 9324 8575 or 0409 237 487

Tree Lopping/Surgery

DAWSONS $20 MILLION INSURANCE

TREE SERVICES

• LARGE TREE SPECIALISTS • HEDGE TRIMMING EXPERTS • STUMP GRINDING • MULCH AVAILABLE • CONSULTING ARBORIST • No Fuss • No Mess • No Stress

9720 5111 Windows

Friendly, reliable service.

Obligation free quotes.

Commercial and domestic.

Cobwebs, sills and screens included.

All work guaranteed.

Credit cards accepted.

V

Adult Services

ESCORTS R US

V

Contact: Jason 0411 300 772.

Contact: Glen 0408 456 988.

RELIABLE HANDY MAN Call Andrew 0419 627 637 aimebuild.com.au

Mention this ad for $10 discount New Ladies from 5pm www.escortsrus.com.au

9775 3210 swa224c

12577486-AV46-22

Handy Persons

pressure cleaning.

TO ADVERTISE ON THIS PAGE PHONE 1300 666 808

The best Reblocking & Underpinning

Ladies Welcome.

Garden Maintenance. New Gardens.

gardensbyglen@gmail.com

Reblocking/Underpinning

CAM'S WINDOW CLEANING

Lic 17824. www.jlhuttelectrical.com.au

Voucher off your next plumbing service

EXTREME REBLOCKING

V

Hours of Operation Mon-Fri: 8am – 8pm | Sat: 10am – 4pm | Sun: 10am – 5pm Phone: 0422 221 553 | Email: truecoatings@hotmail.com | Website: truecoatings.com.au

THE LOCAL DIRECTORY

• Blocked Drains • Roof Plumbing • Gas Fitting • Gas Compliance Checks

Francene 0467 688 004 • Natalie 0467 688 035 www.gippsgroup.com

V

GARDEN A MESS?

at Glen Waverley Community Centre

• Quality Services • Free Quotes • Maintenance • Hot Water

V

SABINO - SPECIALISING IN ALL CONCRETE WORK

Call for a free measure and quote melbourneglassandpetdoors 03 9801 8977 | www.melbglassandpetdoors.com.au

Plumbing

12593673-RR11-23

Servicing all Metro Melbourne

V

12495465-DL22-21

12464182-CG43-20

IF IT’S GLASS, LEAVE IT TO US!

Carpenters

12496966-LB23-21

Glass/Glazing

12509895-HC36-21

V

Employment

V

Free Call Cameron:

1800 010 250 or 0419 501 025 12589723-ET07-23

Auto Services/ Repair

OCR

Old Cars Removed WE PAY YOU

$$$

For Any Old Car TODAY

0425 702 776

12589182-FC06-23

LMCT 10227

FREE CAR REMOVAL Pay up to $600 for all

complete cars dead or alive!

0422 108 512 Also Towing Service Available

12593193-AP11-23

12493026-AV19-21

LMCT 10268W

See demand for your home

Download the app