Domain Review Stonnington & Boroondara - September 20, 2023

Non-Alcoholic

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National editor: Michael Harry  Melbourne food & drink editor: Audrey Payne  Studio and strategy director: Roya Lines  Group campaign manager: Emily Barlow

Broadsheet Editor: Jo Walker Assistant editor: Gitika Garg Design lead: Ben Siero

Design: The Company You Keep, Erin Callaghan Sub editors: Michelle Goldsmith, Miriam Kauppi, Barnaby Smith, Adeline Teoh, Annie Toller Writers: Holly BodekerSmith, Daniela Frangos, Alice Jeffery, Jenny Valentish Photographers: Tim Allen, Parker Blain, Jasmine Blom, Lauren Drzewucki, Holly Engelhardt, Laura May Grogan, Amy Hemmings, Casey Horsfield, Kaede James Takamoto, Kate Pascoe, David Roemer, Alivia Rose, Peter Tarasiuk, Lillie Thompson, Elisa Watson, Eve Wilson

Cover credits: Non CEO Aaron Trotman shot by Peter Tarasiuk

Broadsheet Media acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of Country throughout Australia and their connections to lands, waters and communities. We pay respect to Elders past and present and honour more than 60,000 years of storytelling, art and culture.

in our cover story), for producing non-alcoholic wine that’s about the taste and complexity that’s there rather than what’s been taken away. Made in south-east Melbourne and exporting to the world?

Melbourne: Level 4, 600 Church Street, Cremorne 3121, VIC Instagram: @domain.com.au Facebook.com/domain.com.au/

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Too often in Australia, giving up alcohol – whether for a lifetime or just an afternoon – is seen as deprivation. A second-best alternative consumers settle for rather than embrace. That’s why we rate Aaron Trotman’s company, Non (featured

We’ll raise a glass to that.

Jo Walker Broadsheet Editor

Neighbourhoods: Malvern

Back Chat with Angourie Rice

Property Listings

17

Feature: The Alchemist

Melbourne Maker

“That’s the beauty of stone and having a marble coffee table or console. It’s a work of art in the pattern, texture and detail.”

Melbourne Maker with Adele Cotruzzola

SNACK BAR STREET STYLE

Thelatestin Melbourne foodnews

by Gitika Garg Clarendon Street, South Melbourne

Named for the legendary pasta sauce, Puttanesca is Guy Grossi’s new Italian restaurant in the Clifton Hotel at Kew. Feast on woodfired clam pizzas, bolognaise jaffles and an Italian-style riff on the pub burger in a room adorned with Sophia Loren posters. 99 High Street, Kew / @puttanescaclifton

At Armadale’s newest buzzy spot Ruben’s Deli you’ll find a bagel bar with wine and bottled cocktails to take home, ready-made roasts, sandwiches, dips and salads. It’s a nod to New York with an ex-Cutler & Co chef on board. Kings Arcade, 978 High Street, Armadale / @rubens_deli

Two Nobu alumni have opened Ilza, a 25-seat Japanese spot on Little Collins Street. Head in for a casual night of snacky bites like hibachi-grilled yakitori and kingfish crudo along with Yuzu Margaritas, Basque cheesecakes and matcha tiramisu. Shop 5, 353 Little Collins Street, Melbourne / ilza.com.au

After a $5.8 million revamp and 10-month transformation, Kew’s iconic Studley Park Boathouse returns with a new restaurant, cafe and bar. Plus there’s live music every weekend, a pizzeria and a gelato cart. You can also hire a boat – just in time for spring. 1 Boathouse Road, Kew / studleyparkboathousekew.com.au

Score $10 pints of Furphy all day at more than 40 pubs across Victoria this month (including Grand Final day) using The Pass app. Favourites like Imperial South Yarra, The Espy, Garden State Hotel, Auburn Hotel and Village Belle Hotel are among the mix. Download the app for free from the App Store or Google Play.

Lygon Street institution Cafe Notturno has closed its doors after 45 years of trade on Australia’s most famous food strip. Now that the Italian stalwart joins the list of bygone diners, it’s hard to shake some melancholy. We’re losing something here – the cultural memory that’s part of our heritage.

Read the full story for each dot point: broadsheet.com.au/melbourne/series/snack-bar

Name: Aliet Bior Age: 20 Occupation: Studying pre-law and business What are you wearing today? I got this skirt from Princess Polly – it’s one of my favourite stores. The top is from Glassons and the tote bag is from The Commons. I have my best friend coming from overseas and I got her these flowers because she deserves it. The boots I stole from my sister! How would you describe your style? My style in general is mostly flowy. I go with a breeze, which I think I got from my mum. She is more of a free-spirited woman – long dresses and lots of patterns are the things she wears, and those are the things I’ve been inspired to wear. Hence why I’m wearing this long skirt! I like to lean into my femininity

BUZZING SOUTH MELBOURNE

South Melbourne exudes historic allure with Victorian-era architecture. An eclectic mix of heritage homes, modern apartments and commercial spaces – plus lively markets, chic cafes and cultural vibrancy –makes it a hot spot for real estate investment and renters alike.

MEDIAN HOUSE PRICES

SOUTH MELBOURNE

1 bed unit, $428k 2 bed unit, $665k 2 bed house, $1.355m

Source: Data based on sales within the last 12 months

Photo: Kate Pascoe

Photo: Casey Horsfield

Photo: Amy Hemmings

Photo: Kaede James Takamoto

Photo: Elisa Watson

BACK CHAT Angourie Rice

Whether she’s on her way to the set or stage, Angourie Rice starts her mornings listening to a carefully curated playlist – made specifically for the day – through noise-cancelling headphones.

“If it’s Monday, I’ll listen to a song that has ‘Monday’ in the lyrics. Friday’s will include a song about Friday,” she tells Broadsheet It’s become a kind of morning ritual for the Australian actor, offering a moment of calm before jumping into script reads, rehearsals, film takes or whatever else the day has in store.

Rice has been acting since she was 11 years old. Her vocation first found expression in ads and film projects for uni students before she scored a lead role in the short film Transmission – landing her a Best Actor gong at the St Kilda Film Festival in 2012

Now 22, Rice already has a solid screen career. You might have seen her opposite Ryan Gosling and Russell Crowe in The Nice Guys, alongside Jennifer Garner in The Last Thing He Told Me , playing Betty Brant in Marvel’s Spider-Man franchise or perhaps on HBO series Mare of Easttown

Having found her place in Hollywood, Rice is currently working closer to home – on stage rather than screen. “It’s making me step out of my comfort zone a little bit and pushing me in a different way creatively,” she says before going into rehearsal for Melbourne Theatre Company’s production of My Sister Jill.

“The last two years have been a lot of packing and unpacking and arriving somewhere and knowing that I only have a set amount of time there, so it’s really nice to just be [in Melbourne] and not have to worry about any of that.”

It’s been nine years since Rice was last on stage, and these days prep for theatre “feels like a workout for the brain”, she says. “It’s a lot more about sustainability and being able to sustain your performance, not just

throughout the whole show for 90 minutes, but night after night.”

Unlike the film sets she’s become used to – where there might only be 30 centimetres between her and a camera lens – on stage, Rice must perform over distance, projecting all the way to the back row.

My Sister Jill follows an Australian family from the 1950s to the ’70s, navigating their relationships with a traumatised father back from fighting World War II. Rice plays Christine, the youngest child of five, and the only one who idolises her father and his stories of wartime heroics.

“Something that really struck me when reading Christine as a character is that she’s so vibrant and full of life … always playing games and playing pretend.” Rice talks a lot about reconnecting to the childlike sensibility of her character – though their games of choice might have differed. Christine opts for mock battles and warfare, while Rice’s childhood was spent playing pretend as a dancer, singer and actor.

Outside of work there’s a lot that keeps the performer busy. Rice spent much of 2020’s lockdowns writing a chapter a day of her first book Stuck Up & Stupid – a contemporary adaptation of Pride and Prejudice co-written with mum Kate Rice, an award-winning playwright – out in November. “I wanted to read this book, and it didn’t exist so we wrote it together.”

Her latest pastime is baking. She gets an app prompt on her phone asking, “Do you want to open your recipe book?” at exactly 11pm on each Sunday. It’s her usual time for whipping up bread and other baked goods before heading into work again the following morning – head full of Monday songs and ready to tell stories.

MTC’s My Sister Jill runs from September 23 to October 28 at the Southbank Theatre.

Words by Gitika Garg

Photo by David Roemer

HOME OF THE WEEK

An Edwardian surprise package

Words by Joanne Brookfield

Period homes have undeniable charm and character; however, the way we live and what we want in a home has changed considerably since each one was built.

The Edwardian era, named after King Edward VII, who reigned from 1901 to 1910, inspired a dominant architectural style that lasted from the turn of the century to the beginning of World War I.

This means any Edwardian property is at least 100 years old. In the case of this one, a pretty single-fronted timber weatherboard with bullnose verandah trimmed with decorative timber fretwork, the perfectly preserved facade is very much a time capsule.

Once inside, however, there is very little remaining from that era. Some cornices and an open fireplace are little tells, but thanks to a comprehensive renovation and extension, this is very much a contemporary home designed for living in this millennium. The ceiling audio is a good example.

On the ground level, running off the long entrance hall, which is naturally illuminated with the inclusion of a series of fulllength windows, are three bedrooms (two

with built-in wardrobes) and a shared central bathroom with bath, rain shower and heat lamps.

At this juncture, you can ascend the floating staircase or continue into the open-plan living zone. If you head upstairs, you’ll find the expansive and exclusive main suite, which for parents will almost feel like having their own apartment, as there’s a transitional space before getting to the bedroom door.

The main bedroom has its own balcony for enjoying a quiet sundowner or morning coffee, while billowy sheers add to the soft, dreamy feel. There’s also a very generous, fully fitted walk-through wardrobe, with glass fronted doors on either side and at least a dozen drawers, providing abundant storage.

Glide through here to the fully tiled en suite, where a standalone bath awaits for a relaxing soak. It’s set against a gunmetal-grey metallic feature wall, which complements the soft grey streaks within the marble vanity, which is fitted with two basins.

Back down on the lower level, it’s a similar soft palette, with a calacatta marble island bench as the centrepiece of the kitchen,

which is also equipped with an integrated fridge-freezer and Asko dishwasher, plus an assortment of Miele appliances.

A skylight brightens things there, while the bifold doors let light into the lounge and dining sections. Push them open, and the paved entertainer’s yard becomes one with the floor plan.

As a reminder of the history of the property, secure parking is via the rear lane, although adding a front driveway and crossover has been formally approved.

Malvern

5 Horace Street

$2.875 million

4 2 2

Private sale

Agent: Kay & Burton, Oliver Booth 0413 975 723

WHAT THE AGENT SAYS

“The home is bathed in natural light, within walking distance of shops and cafes and offers everything a family is looking for.”

NEED TO KNOW

The property last sold in June 2021 for $2.825 million and the highest recorded house price for Malvern (past 12 months) was $6.9 million for 7 Sorrett Avenue in February.

RECENT SALES

$3.57 million

56 Horace Street, August $3.45 million

27 Horace Street, Nov 2022 $1.52 million

21 Horace Street, Sept 2022

Oliver Booth Kay & Burton

Six Planters That Give Indoor Greenery a Home As Stylish as Yours

By Jo Walker

ASOBIMASU CLAY KAIKETSU PLANTER – $125$185 Designed and hand-thrown in Melbourne by maker Kate Brouwer and her small team of potters, the Kaiketsu planter is simultaneously understated and playful. Featuring classic stoneware with a white matte, green velvet or textured crater glaze, its wavy design invites trailing stems to interact with clay curves. asobimasuclay.com

CAPRA DESIGNS ARCHIE POT – $69 Aussie homewares label Capra Designs has a track record of designing just as much for function as for form. The Archie pot features an arched base for its water tray – great for protecting household surfaces – and it’s made from colourful, terrazzo-effect, hand-poured resin. Available in eight colourways. capradesigns.com

LIGHTLY TONE PLANTER – $132-$230 Handmade in powder-coated spun metal, Aussie label Lightly’s Tone planters come in playful Two Tone finishes and striking monochromes, and are designed for indoor or outdoor use. Conceived to explore “kinship and ritual”, the planter’s form mixes organic shapes with mod sensibilities, providing a sense of harmony and balance. lightly.com.au

SPECIAL STUDIO LULU PLANTER – AROUND

AU$70 Shaped something like an artfully scrunched paper bag, the Lulu planter from Special Studio is 3D-printed in New Zealand from 98 per cent recycled waste plastic in a range of pastel colourways. The studio aims to recycle more plastic locally and build bigger products with the materials it diverts from landfill. achomestore.co.nz

CITTA RISE PLANTER – $189-$289 Family-owned NZ design company Citta champions ethical, minimalist decor with a sense of humour. The Rise planter’s simple form suits a range of living spaces and can be used indoors or out. Sustainably made from reinforced crushed limestone, it comes in medium, large and tall iterations – all with a pleasingly flared base. cittadesign.com/au

MR KITLY X DECOR PLANT POT – $9.50 TO $38

There’s a reason Richard Carlson’s 1987 self-watering plant pot design for Decor has been revamped by Melbourne institution Mr Kitly in various sizes and exclusive colours year after year. Moulded in BPA-free plastic, it’s light, functional, modern and charming – and it makes plant care easy and mess-free. mrkitly.com.au

Photo: Alivia Rose

Photo: Eve Wilson

THE ALCHEMIST

Words by Jenny Valentish · Photos by Peter Tarasiuk

For Aaron Trotman and the team at Non, conjuring favours on the fy is a necessary and rewarding part of pioneering the non-alcoholic beverage sector.

Aaron Trotman goes by “CEO” but only because his preferred title, “The Firefighter”, doesn’t really fly in hifalutin business circles.

It’s apt, though, because the heavenly aromas wafting through Cheltenham’s Non HQ – roasted pear and cherry, a cinnamon perfume, an invigorating orange-based stock – belie the hectically rapid learning curve behind them.

As Aaron tells Broadsheet, “The ‘non-alc’ category has been around for a while and may seem like it’s growing out of control, but it’s still only five past midnight.”

Aaron introduced his wine-alternative brand Non in 2019 with no experience whatsoever in the drinks industry. And yet his seven variations have been eagerly adopted by some of Melbourne’s most agenda-setting venues, including Hope St Radio, Old Palm Liquor, Supernormal, Cutler & Co, Ronnie’s at Rialto, Ritz-Carlton’s Atria Bar and Neptune in Windsor.

Non’s origin story begins a few years earlier when Aaron and his wife Miranda Trotman embarked on an exploration of the world of fine dining. Miranda is a non-drinker, so bartenders would create elaborate concoctions to complement the complex dishes –and something clicked for Aaron.

“I thought it was a real shame that these drinks live and die in these places because they’re not in a bottle. Someone needed to do that,” he says. “I didn’t have any market research or really know anything about the drinks category.”

But Aaron did have a background in the cosmetics industry, specifically creating hair products and shampoos – first alone in his kitchen, then scaling up under the guidance of his mentor, the late Richard Gonano, the cosmetic chemist behind brands including Aesop and Kevin Murphy.

“He was really instrumental for me in learning about blending essential oils and how to create scents and fragrances, and then how they reacted in the product,” Aaron says. “I learned about formulations and bringing a product to market, and how the ingredient percentages change drastically as you scale up.”

Following a near-identical path, Aaron started his foray into beverages in his kitchen. Instead of following the formula of alcohol-free wines – which strips out the alcohol, and with it, much of the flavour – he took more of a perfumery approach, cooking layers of flavours into the verjuice base sourced from chardonnay grapes from Barossa Valley. That’s the process his team of alchemists

(among them, chefs, bartenders, food scientists and winemakers) continues now, only on a much larger scale.

“I think if I had come from hospitality, Non probably wouldn’t exist because I just had so much blind faith,” he says. “I didn’t have the experience of taking something that’s in a pot and scaling it up into a 7500litre tank, and so I had no idea how hard it could be.”

Around the time that Aaron was launching his bold endeavour, there was a surge of “sober pride” on social media. Converts to an alcohol-free life gave themselves prefixes such as “AF” or “Sober”, and increasing

In the earliest development phase, Non aimed to come up with wine-like products that could fool people in a blind taste test. Then the team decided that creating a stand-in for those desperately missing it wasn’t the goal.

“We offer an alternative for an occasion, or for exploration and exciting your palate,” Aaron says. “It’s aspirational, but that’s the kind of place I want to sit in.”

To achieve this, he set about assembling a crack team from different backgrounds with the goal of creating a combined skill set that could explore new frontiers. In his previous endeavours, both as a DJ and producer, and

energy, being vegan-certified, gluten-free and halal, shipping carbon-neutrally and having 75 per cent less water wastage than conventional beverage manufacturing.

But expansion overseas created more curly conundrums. While Non’s current international focus is the US, the brand has also expanded into Japan, Singapore, Malaysia and New Zealand, and is making forays into Hong Kong, China and Korea. Each country has its own rules.

“Non is a food product because there’s no alcohol in it, but it’s not really in a category, so there’s also not a set category when customs consider what the regulations are,” Aaron explains. “In Japan there’s a limit on the sulphites you can have in a non-alcohol drink, which is different to Korea. In the UK, instead of saying ‘salt’ on the label, you’re meant to say ‘sodium’. Indonesia is probably the most intense – there are so many layers to it.”

Visitors to the Cheltenham Non HQ can experience the full range of seven flavours for themselves by booking a tour on the first Friday of every month in what’s billed as the world’s first cellar door for non-alcoholic beverages.

“You get a flavour workshop by the liquid team,” Aaron says of the tour. “It’s designed for you to understand how everything that we put in there is the sum of its parts. You see all these ingredients in a little container in the kitchen and then we explain that we now use 50 kilograms of that. In the tasting room, you’re going to see how the drinks change and pair with food. The idea is that everyone walks away with a newfound appreciation of the effort and detail that goes into this.”

Choosing his favourite, Aaron says, is like trying to choose a favourite child.

numbers of alcohol-free products hit the market. Aaron thinks the sobriety wave might have peaked now, with moderation being more commonly cited.

That’s not to say that interest in alcohol-free drinks is dropping. According to the International Wine and Spirits Record, noand low-alcohol beverages grew by more than seven per cent in 2022, surpassing US$11 billion. It’s small wonder that alcohol companies are cashing in, developing alcohol-free versions of their biggest hits.

“I think some of that super-sober stuff is slowing down because it’s a little bit out of reach for people,” Aaron says. “The conversations now are more: ‘This is what I would have when I don’t want a drink’, or ‘This is how I’m cutting back’.”

in cosmetics, Aaron had been a “lone wolf”, he says. “I’d never had staff before, so having business mentors has helped me learn on the job day by day as new problems come up.”

Non’s leadership arm includes the former head of marketing for non-alcoholic gin Seedlip; a national sales manager with a beer background (“really important for Non because beer is so aggressive – it’s fighting for shelf space all the time so you need that hustle and grind”); and an operations manager from Milwaukee Tool. “I saw the cultural fit of what these guys could bring into the business and that’s more important than them knowing about the drinks industry,” Aaron says.

The ability to problem-solve on the fly is key. First, there were all the boxes Aaron wanted to tick off: using 100 per cent green

“One of the reps described Non 7  as ‘Melbourne in a glass’. It’s got cherry, cold-brew coffee and garam masala, and Melbourne is such a great place for infusions and new ideas with food, so we flexed that in our creation of that product. And then Non 4, the beetroot and sansho, is polarising and a challenge to get your head around – and I like that!”

When we talk, Aaron is about to leave for New York to be the “hype man” for reps over there – another role that’s entirely new to him. If he’d known how much Non would ask of him, would he still have embarked on this mission?

“Yes, I love it,” he says in an instant. “I just jumped off a cliff and I built the plane on the way down – and I’m still building the plane!”

One of the reps described Non 7 as ‘Melbourne in a glass’. It’s got cherry, cold-brew coffee and garam masala, and Melbourne is such a great place for infusions and new ideas with food, so we flexed that in our creation of that product.

WINDOW SHOPPING

Malvern

By Audrey Payne

There’s no shortage of serenity in the leafy south-eastern suburb of Malvern. But there are enough restaurants, wine bars and bakeries on strips like Malvern Road and High Street to create a real neighbourhood buzz.

Start on Malvern Road and visit low-key cafes like Thread for roti wraps, or Neon Tiger for staples like French toast and chilli scramble. Or the slightly larger Clubhouse for brunch in a golf-inspired space. There are cosy stores including the Aura Home outlet, where covetable labels like Maison Balzac and Yamazaki can be found, while neighbouring florist Flos Florum is a great spot for fresh blooms and buds.

Glenferrie Road is home to restaurants like Spanish spot Remy Bar de Tapas y Vino and the underrated Sichuan Legacy, where the panda decor (which includes paintings and statues) is as cute as the food is spicy. Frozen yogurt shop Yo-Chi is a favourite student hangout, as is Melbourne’s first self-serve acai spot, Blitz Bar.

If you’re looking for something to pick up before heading to Malvern Public Gardens, visit Stocked Food Store for a solid takeaway salad or Little Sister for Middle Eastern-style pastries and hot coffee. Then pop into independent booksellers Jeffreys or Readings – or one of the good-old-fashioned newsagents nearby – which all have extensive magazine selections.

The Station Street block between Malvern Central and Malvern Station is home to Societe, a cocktail bar with a European touch, and Essie Wine, a slick wine bar and bottle shop.

For a Parisian feel, visit Millstone Patisserie (opposite the Doll Hospital) on the mostly residential street Claremont Avenue. There are as many chairs on the footpath as there are inside, and pastry chef Alice Wright produces classic fruit-forward bakes like passionfruit sponge cake, lemon tarts and strawberry-jam-filled brioche doughnuts.

Behind Millstone, and a block down from Essie and Societe, is Master of None – a hole-in-the-wall espresso shop and cafe with an industrial vibe. It’s the perfect place to stop by before hopping on the train or tram.

NEED TO KNOW

Malvern boasts charming Victorian homes on spacious lots – a rarity in Melbourne’s urban enclaves. Families flock to enjoy the excellent local schools and green spaces. House hunting is competitive due to limited rentals, demanding vigilant marketmonitoring for a slice of suburbia.

Average Age

40

Median Weekly income $2,101

Owner 69% Family 52%

Renter 31% Single 48%

Clockwise from top: Little Sister Malvern, photo Laura May Grogan; Clubhouse meal, photo Holly Engelhardt; Essie Wine, photo Tim Allen; Blitz Bar, photo Amy Hemmings

WHAT THE AGENT SAYS

“Malvern boasts tree-lined streets, historic architecture and a vibrant community. Its residents passionately advocate for heritage preservation and cherish the area’s unique character and sense of unity. Its parks, cafes and schools make it a desirable and family-friendly neighbourhood.”

MEDIAN HOUSE PRICES

Median price houses $2.850m

Median price units $710,000

Distance from CBD 7km

Clockwise from top: Clubhouse frontage, photo Holly Engelhardt; Master of None, photo Jasmine Blom; Malvern Gardens and Town Hall clocktower, photos Kate Pascoe

Abby Innes Marshall White

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

Adele Cotruzzola

Words by Holly Bodeker-Smith · Photos by Lillie Thompson

Adele Cotruzzola has always been drawn to marble. “From a young age, I was obsessed with the marble paper we used for crafts in primary school,” she tells Broadsheet. Family visits to Italy (she has Sicilian heritage) only strengthened that. “My love affair with marble really started with travelling to Italy and seeing the architecture – even the floors over there are often all natural stone.”

Cotruzzola has recreated some of this grandeur with her furniture label Just Adele, which sells Italian-inspired pieces made from natural stone sourced in Melbourne and Italy. She launched the label four years ago to bring a slice of Italy into Australian homes (and create a great excuse for regular trips to Europe). Cotruzzola personally sources blocks of onyx and marble, which are crafted into ready-made and custom pieces such as side, dining and coffee tables, plinths, consoles, vases and other bespoke numbers.

The unrepeated nature of marble and onyx means no two Just Adele pieces are the same. Cotruzzola loves that every piece has its own distinct patterns and colours – and often swaps around the marble wares in her own home to revamp her space. “Natural stone has a lot of texture throughout, and every slab and piece is so different and unique,” she says.

The aptly named Tiramisu coffee table, for example, is crafted from a creamy slab of onyx that has layers of brown, grey and black rippling through it, showing off distinct mineral layers that have formed over time. Meanwhile, the curved Sofia side table comes in a rich rosso (red) and shows intricate waves of crimsons, browns and oranges stacked in a symphony of colour.

Regardless of the colour or material used, each Just Adele piece is eye-catching enough to stand out in a space. For this reason, Cotruzzola says most items don’t need to be overly styled. “That’s the beauty of stone and having a marble coffee table or console,” she says. “It’s a work of art in the pattern, texture and detail.”

That’s especially true of her latest range of vases, Casa Collection, which is the first line to be exclusively sourced and made in Italy. “I worked with local makers and artisans to source each block individually for the vases,” Cotruzzola

says. “I spent days going to stone yards and sifting through every piece of stone until we found what I was after.” The limited-run collection is made using repurposed materials, from the minimalist Bianco Carrara marble with shades of white and grey, to an onyx with vivid tones of rust, marmalade and white.

Those, along with other ready-made and custom pieces, can be viewed at Just Adele’s gallery space in Richmond, which it shares with Melbourne artist Christopher Vine. Customers can also enquire about ready-made, made-to-order and custom pieces via the website. The pieces are made both locally and in Italy and prices range from $2500 to $20,000, depending on the design.

Demand for well-made marble furniture is high in both home and commercial settings, Cotruzzola says. So she’s busy designing new items, as well as working with suppliers and manufacturers, to keep up. She and her team of three manage most of the business from Richmond.

And increasingly she’s spending her time in clients’ homes to plan bespoke pieces. “I love being able to flesh something out in the space,” she says. This service makes it easier for clients to choose a piece that’s designed for their home, rather than retroactively fitting a must-have item into it. “We’re there to make the process a little easier and guide [clients] through what would work best.”

Cotruzzola says decorators want statement pieces to complement minimalistic or natural vibes throughout their home, and marble furniture offers a practical and sturdy option to spruce up a space. “Marble has a lot of natural resistance, which assists in keeping furniture clean, and we seal every piece so that it’s suitable for daily use.” It’s a fitting material, then, for timeless pieces that are designed to stand the test of time. “We want these pieces to last a lifetime, rather than be a trend item that goes out of fashion within a year.”

Just Adele pieces are sold ready-made and made-toorder through justadele.com.au. View by appointment seven days a week at Unit 3, 1-7 Amsterdam Street, Richmond. Additional reporting by Celeste Centofanti.

Just under four hours’ drive from Sydney (there’s also a regional airport), Orange is a great spot to indulge in rural romanticism.

The region is flush with award-winning cool-climate wineries thanks to its high altitude and rich volcanic soil from nearby Mount Canobolas. Find crisp whites and lighter-bodied reds, as well as zesty local sparkling varieties. Philip Shaw, Swinging Bridge and See Saw are worth stopping by for a sample. Another favourite, Printhie Wines, opened its cellar door and restaurant in 2022. Headed by chef Jack Brown (formerly of Berowra Waters Inn), Printhie spotlights native flavours and local produce with its five-course degustation lunch.

Orange, NSW

by Alice Jeffery

A scenic helicopter flight is one way to take in the sights (and can be booked as part of cellar door experiences). Adrenalin-inclined travellers might choose to explore mountain biking trails at Lake Canobolas. Fly fishing is also popular on the reservoir, which is safe for swimming, although it can be icy.

Back in town, the Orange Heritage Trail is a 90 -minute walk that navigates the city’s historic buildings. Once you’ve worked up an appetite strolling tree-lined streets, stop by cafe and nursery Anything Grows, or quench your thirst at Charred but Not Charred, the wine bar from local fine diner Charred Kitchen & Bar. On the

second Saturday of each month, Northcourt plays host to local farmers markets and brings attention to seasonal produce.

Bed down at the Oriana – a revived retro motel – or tuck yourself in at one of Basalt’s three architectural studios built into a hillside overlooking 12,000 cherry trees on the outskirts of town.

Sundown is a particularly special time in this corner of the world. There’s the way the light hits as you pass through the Blue Mountains and roll on towards the Western Plains. And the star-filled skies that swallow the city at night are a refreshing reminder to go beyond your urban limits a little more often.

LUXURY

Words by Joanne Brookfield & Maria Harris

Windsor

8 Normanby Street

$3 million-$3.3 million

4 3 3

Contact agent

Agent: Jellis Craig, Kevin O’Brien 0447 008 000

In a quiet pocket of Windsor, this home has sophistication, space and style in spades, plus a “rare as hen’s teeth” secure garage. It offers a study or sitting room, guest suite, granitetopped kitchen and butler’s pantry suitable for commercial appliances. The living area opens to the deck for relaxed outdoor entertaining. Upstairs, the main bedroom with a walkin wardrobe has a stylish en suite with a heated floor. Two more bedrooms share a central bathroom.

Toorak

3/547 Toorak Road

$3.8 million

2 2 2

Private sale

Agent: Kay & Burton, Peter Kudelka 0418 319 439

This ground-floor apartment is the ultimate inner-city executive crash pad. Part of a boutique development, its location puts public transport out the front for an easy commute, and Toorak Village is just down the road. The residence itself, in as-new condition, offers effortless luxury. The north-facing courtyard garden will require little maintenance, while the generous proportions include an en suite with each bedroom, and a separate home office for added lifestyle flexibility.

Toorak

3 Duffryn Place

$5.5 million-$5.8 million

4 3 3

Expressions of interest: Close 5pm, October 3

Agent: RT Edgar, Annabelle Feng 0409 384 144

With its feature tiling on the facade making a statement from the street, it’s not surprising the rest of this high-end home stands out as well. From 3.3-metre ceilings and floor-toceiling windows to bifold doors leading to a pool surrounded by tropical gardens, it’s all about the luxury of space and northern light over the two levels. Designer finishes help, as do lifestyle extras such as the home office and legit home cinema, with its fixed screen and built-in surround sound.

Canterbury

35 Mangarra Road

$3.4 million-$3.65 million

4 2 2

Expressions of interest: Close noon, October 9

Agent: Jellis Craig, Paul Walker 0418 323 122

This single-level modernist home on Canterbury’s golden mile has plenty going for it. The location, just metres from Canterbury Girls’ Secondary College and close to other fine schools, makes it a winner for families. The spacious and light-filled interiors include a library or fifth bedroom. Although dated, it remains comfortable and, on a substantial block, is a perfect candidate for a complete renovation or even a glamorous new dream home (STCA).

OPEN FOR INSPECTION

Words by Peter Semple & Shae Wiedermann

LAST WEEKEND

Clearance Rate of 65%*

Source: Domain Group

WHAT OUR NATIONAL EDITOR SAYS

“Rising confidence in a peak in interest rates, along with lingering FOMO and robust population growth, are signalling continued price increases.”

South Yarra

42 Hope Street

$2.3 million-$2.53 million

2 1 1

Auction: 2.30pm, September 23

HIGHEST VALUE

$5.07 million Surrey Hills

6 Payne Street

Sold by Shelter*

*As reported on September 9, 2023

Agent: Marshall White, James McCormack 0410 503 389

Located between the Royal Botanic Gardens and Fawkner Park in the coveted Domain precinct, this elegant Edwardian residence hides behind a high-walled garden. Features include a tessellated tile veranda, high ceilings, Baltic pine floors, a paved courtyard and right-of-way access to off-street parking. It’s close to Toorak Road dining and shopping, schools and trams.

South Yarra

141 Surrey Road North

$1.35 million-$1.485 million

2 1

Auction: 11am, September 23

Agent: Kay & Burton, Nicky Rowe 0428 640 509

Near Chapel Street and Toorak Road, this Victorian home offers a number of possibilities: move in, rent, reimagine or build a luxury new home (STCA). The home comprises two bedrooms with built-in wardrobes and fireplaces, a lounge room (with a wood heater), a dining area adjoining the kitchen, a bathroom and a study. Features include high ceilings, Baltic pine floors, a workbench and a pergola. It’s close to Rockley Gardens and Surrey Park, dining and nightlife.

Toorak

7/40 Lansell Road

$1.275 million-$1.375 million

3 2 2

Private auction: September 23

Agent: Abercromby’s, Sam Goddard 0448 870 454

The interior of this ground-level apartment has a lot of designer flair. The kitchen is distinctive – stone benches meet unique and colourful wallpaper, enhanced by a characterful Falcon oven. The bathroom is just as funky, featuring a retro light-pink basin and bath. The lush surrounds can be enjoyed from the terrace, which has copious space for al fresco entertaining.

South Yarra

102/339 Toorak Road

$2.8 million-$3 million

3 3 2

Private sale

Agent: Capital Property, Emily Shaddick 0409 864 551

With floor-to-ceiling glass windows, the verdant Rockley Gardens can be enjoyed from almost every room in this contemporary South Yarra abode. The apartment features a long terrace shaded by tall trees and a second, smaller terrace accessed via the main bedroom. Pale oak floors and dark stone characterise the interior, while convenience lies in lift access and basement parking.

Natalie Mortimer

Domain national magazine editor

Toorak

30 Ross Street

$2.75 million-$3 million

3 2 3

Auction: 11am, September 23

Agent: Jellis Craig, Mark Josem 0488 856 736

Rounded hedges and an arched walkway frame the entrance to this gorgeous Toorak townhouse. The interior is equally chic; high ceilings and parquetry floors provide a modern ambience and emphasise the generous proportions. The dining area, at the rear, overlooks the north-facing courtyard.

Malvern

33 Jordan Street

$2.7 million-$2.9 million

3 2 2

Auction: 10.30am, September 23

Agent: Jellis Craig, Will Bennison 0438 572 371

This single-level Edwardian home includes three large bedrooms with built-in wardrobes, the main with a leadlight bay window, walk-in robe and en suite. The open-plan living and dining space is complemented by high ceilings, polished concrete floors, and a wood-burning fireplace.

Toorak

5/49 Bruce Street

$750,000-$800,000

2 1 1

Auction: 2.30pm, September 23

Agent: Marshall White, Jack Martin 0418 681 235

One of eight residences, this recently renovated, two-bedroom, first-floor apartment includes a stone-topped kitchen, a separate lounge-dining area with a traditional fireplace, built-in wardrobes in the freshly carpeted bedrooms, and a tiled bathroom with a floating, wall-mounted vanity.

G01/74 Well Street, Brighton

Ground Floor North Facing Oasis with Enormous Terrace Gardens

Elevating Bayside contemporary luxe to unrivalled heights, this exquisitely appointed three-bedroom north-facing, ground-floor residence is exclusively designed by award winning architect BayleyWard to create an instinctive, wellness-oriented living experience inspired by nature's most harmonious elements, in the heart of Brighton's celebrated lifestyle precinct, just steps to Church Street.

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