Mansion June 2019 by The Australian

Mansion incorporating news from Dow jones’

AustrAliA

A chalet to call home Living on the snowfields

Mid-city monarch

Sydney’s historic QVB

Jamie Durie Carving out a dream

Plus

12-page Interiors section

A cultIvAted lIfe Mount Wilson’s garden estates

Issue 27 June 2019

Your view for life.

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Contents

The $5.7 million Paradise Waters sale, page 46

1 2 l u x u r y Historic Bathurst farm, toorak on the water, Perth Versace-style 1 8 coV E r story

the breathtaking garden estates of mount wilson, nsw

24 Ja m i E d u r i E

a Pittwater home site threw an architect plenty of curveballs

2 6 d o l l y l E n z discount real estate brokers find disruption is not so easy 2 8 q V B the prized sydney landmark building had a narrow escape from oblivion 3 0 t H r E d B o owning a mountain chalet is the ultimate luxury for ski lovers 3 4 Bali

Plenty of australians want a piece of the popular holiday paradise

3 8 B r i s B a n E r i V E r competition for the city’s waterfront homes is intense 4 6 P a r a d i s E w a t E r s the luxury Gold coast enclave maintains its sheen 5 0 m a n s i o n G l o B a l nixon’s other white House and a 13th century castle 5 2 B a c k P a G E the arts and crafts movement found expression in Heidelberg 5 5 i n t E r i o r s a former army drill hall lent itself to an inspired transformation 6 4 P r o d u c t s Vivid focal points and tempting textures to enliven living spaces 6 6 d E s i G n c l a s s i c s mies van der rohe’s versatile Brno armchair nExt issuE:

august 10, 2019

on tHE coVEr dennarque, a stunning property at mount wilson

in the nsw Blue mountains. the much-loved village is famed for its spectacular garden estates. cover photography Evan wang

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Mansion AustrAliA

Editor turi condon Contributing editor Jonathan chancellor Interiors editor david meagher Art director samantha yates Writers Joel robinson sam duncan Chief sub editor deirdre Blayney Picture editor christine westwood Advertising michael thompson tel. 61 2 9288 3630 Frankie lipman tel. 61 2 9288 3678 michael.thompson2@news.com.au frankie.lipman@news.com.au

unsolicited manuscripts will not be considered. Printed by ovato Print Pty ltd, 31 Heathcote road, moorebank 2170, for the proprietor and publisher, nationwide news Pty limited (acn 008 438 828), of 2 Holt street, surry Hills, nsw 2010 for insertion in The Weekend Australian on June 8, 2019

Editor’s letter Parts of the country are known for their grand estates and elegant gardens – Bowral in the nsw southern Highlands, mount macedon in Victoria, and the tropical gardens of north queensland’s Port douglas. in the nsw Blue mountains it’s leura and Blackheath. and then there’s the lesser-known mount wilson, a basalt-capped peak on the mountains’ northern edge. in the years after the Eureka stockade, australia’s squattocracy began looking for a sanctuary. they found mount wilson, with only one road in, the village could be fortified and was also an escape from the summer heat. in 2003, former macquarie banker Bill moss and his wife lata discovered mt wilson and dennarque, one of the earliest and grandest estates of the area, and as featured in our cover story, they set about rejuvenating both the sandstone mansion and its extensive gardens. in the sydney cBd, another grand building is undergoing a gentle upgrade. the queen Victoria Building, which came close to demolition in the 1960s, is getting a little more luxury, and in a nod to the night-time economy, a champagne and a whiskey bar. it’s a far cry from its $86 million restoration in the 1980s after years of neglect and a 1959 threat by the then lord mayor to raze the icon in favour of a civic square and underground car park. Elsewhere, we take a look at the trophy chalets on the snowy mountains as the snow season kicks off, while for warmth there’s Bali, with expatriate australian designer stuart membery selling his long-held plantation-style property monkey Palm. From Mansion Global, there’s British heiress Petra Ecclestone’s “cut-price” $us160 million los angeles mansion, a British castle and a former presidential retreat in california. in our interiors section, an early 1900s former army drill hall has been bought into the 21st century and transformed into a family home. we hope you enjoy this issue of Mansion Australia. Turi Condon Editor

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El delphin, a five-bedroom noosa waters mansion on a 1600sq m waterfront block, has been listed for sale. adrian reed and monique sommer from reed & co have the listing. completed in 2000, the shorehaven drive home comes with 40m of direct water frontage with a jetty. reed reckons El delphin is one of only seven waterfront homes of this grand scale in noosa. the informal tender closes on june 25.

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Crest of a wave

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A sandstone cottage in Woollahra redesigned by Burley Katon Halliday Architects has been snappily sold for $4.3 million. Set on Holdsworth Street, the freestanding home was modernised in 2008. Glass doors open from each area of the ground floor to the internal north-facing courtyard garden. Upstairs there are three bedrooms, including a master with an ensuite. The Agency’s Ben Collier had a guide in the early $4 millions for its scheduled late-June auction. The home had traded for $2.601 million in 2005. House sales in Woollahra so far this year have ranged from $1.75 million to $5.7 million. Holdsworth Street only sees a handful per year, the most recent being late last year when an unrenovated 1890s terrace on 127sq m sold for $1.654 million.

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the two-level penthouse crowning the wave complex in the heart of adelaide has been listed for sale for the first time. the apartment is one of four sky penthouses in the mixed-use building, which has a wave-like curved exterior offering wide views across adelaide. the entry level of the 550sq m apartment comprises the main living, kitchen and dining space, which opens to a full-length entertainer’s terrace. on the same level is a master suite, comprising a dressing room, ensuite and second living area, and a theatre room. upstairs there’s another master with ensuite and dressing room, as well as a third bedroom and a third living area. the apartment comes with garaging for five cars, accessed by keyless entry. Harcourts williams agents stephanie and john williams are marketing the penthouse as south australia’s most exclusive luxury sky terrace.

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wallis island

BAT H u R ST

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There are only four homes on Toorak’s Edzell Avenue that run down to the Yarra River, and they don’t change hands that often. An extended and renovated period home that hasn’t sold for nearly three decades has been listed with $8 million to $8.8 million hopes. Set on 1360sq m, the three-level property has been designed so that its living areas face north to take advantage of the views over the Yarra. Its centrepiece is the entertaining room with built-in bar and balcony. It has five bedrooms, including a master retreat with ensuite and study, as well as a home theatre, wine cellar and two kitchens. A leafy garden runs down to the water. Marshall White Stonnington agents Justin Krongold and Justin Long are marketing the property, which last sold for $1.2 million in 1990. The house next door, built in the 1930s, fetched $6.1 million in 2013 when it was bought by Sarah Laidlaw, wife of Mitre 10 boss Mark Laidlaw. After an extensive renovation, the owner re-listed the home three years later but failed to catch a $20 million buyer. The most recent sale was on the other neighbouring waterfront at $7 million in 2015.

Macquarie, the oldest farm west of the Great Divide, has been listed for auction on July 5. The 1820s convict barracks and the homestead built a few years later have been restored by Paul and Bonny Hennessy, who became just the third owners of the property in 2012. Since then they have employed more than 250 tradespeople and labourers. The 1150 acre (465ha) Macquarie is 12km south-east of Bathurst at The Lagoon. With its early Colonial/Georgian homestead, it contains part of the original 1000 acre land grant to Lieutenant William Lawson by Governor Lachlan Macquarie as Lawson’s reward for his contribution to finding a way across the Blue Mountains. Lawson renamed Discovery Farm, calling it Macquarie – apparently to mark a vice-regal visit during one of Macquarie’s tours of inspection. Bill Marshall and Pat Bird at Ray White have the listing. Nearby Kendra Park with 405ha sold for $7.1 million.

c A S uA R I nA

Beach spreads Two of the best beachfront homes in casuarina in northern nSw are on the market. Five Harper, a Paul uhlmanndesigned mansion, has been listed with an area record guide of $6.2 million to $6.4 million. master built by Bill kingston in 2005 on four beachfront blocks totalling 2910sq m, it has five bedrooms and four bathrooms. Five Harper is the home of kees weel, the founder and chief executive of PwR Performance Products, who paid $4.975 million in 2016. LS Properties casuarina agent Lorna Savage says it’s rare for a home of this scale to become available. nearby on Beech Lane is the futuristic jetson House (left), inspired by Googie Architecture, a style defined by geometric shapes and the bold use of glass, concrete and steel. Lj Hooker kingscliff agents nick and carol witheriff have the listing for vendor Greg costello, who also designed the home. The elongated five-bedroom residence features large horizontal windows and the 840sq m gardens include a soccer pitch and a 25m pool. j u n e 8 - 9 , 2 0 1 9 | T H e w e e k e n d AuST R A L I A n

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Luxury mou n t m ac E d on

Designer equestrian

soutHErn HiGHl ands

Hedderwick, an equestrian showpiece at mount macedon that was a design collaboration between stuart rattle and Paul Bangay, is on the market. the 3.3ha estate on the edge of the Bolobek lakes has been listed by transfield services cEo Graeme Hunt and his wife karen, who tried to sell it five years ago. they bought the property in 2008, extensively developing the buildings and infrastructure, with karen co-ordinating the landscaping designed by Bangay. the grand country home has four bedrooms, three bathrooms and a home office. in the grounds are a heated swimming pool, floodlit mod-grass championship tennis court, bespoke designer loose boxes and stables, tack rooms, riding arenas and 10 paddocks. the Hunts started out with one pony but the size of the stables testifies to the number of horses they went on to own. the late interior designer stuart rattle even installed a designer chook shed, dubbed cluckingham Palace, complete with a traditional four-sided cupola and cock-a-doodle-doo weathervane on the roof. it was something of a twist on the regular leslie wilkinson/Hardy wilson style of cupola. abercromby’s Emma Pierson and jock langley have a guide of $5 million to $5.5 million.

Gracious living Burradoo House, a recently upgraded 1920s residence at Burradoo in the NSW Southern Highlands, has been listed for sale by the tourism entrepreneur Rose Deo. Deborah Cullen and Richard Sholl of Knight Frank have listed the home, which fetches $2000 a night on the holiday letting site Contemporary Hotels. Nestled amid 1ha of parkland gardens, Burradoo House comes with six bedrooms, four bathrooms, a library and an English-style two-storey glass conservatory. A pool and cabana are also in the grounds. Deo’s $5.38 million purchase in late 2017 represents the highest price paid for a home in Burradoo. She settled on the grand property after selling the 45ha estate Rosehill Farm in Kangaloon for $5.35 million to tech billionaire and Atlassian co-founder Mike Cannon-Brookes. She also sold her Mona Farm property at Braidwood for $4.15 million in late 2017.

PErtH

Socceroo’s seat Former socceroo legend stan lazaridis is selling his long-time Perth home at city Beach. the custom-designed chipping road home on 900sq m has five bedrooms, four bathrooms, a cinema and a games room. an alfresco entertaining space overlooks the swimming pool, spa and bar. lazaridis joined Perth Glory in 2006, the same year he knocked down the 1970s home he’d bought in 1997 when he was playing for west Ham in london. ray white dalkeith agents Vivien Yap and Phoebe shi have listed the property. it is marketed as having been influenced by Gianni Versace’s miami mansion. city Beach has had 10 sales above $5 million since 2010, with six on Branksome Gardens, including the top $7.2 million sale. 14

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putting down roots

The NSW Blue Mountains village of Mount Wilson has become a magnet for Instagrammers â&#x20AC;&#x201C; not least for its spectacular garden estates

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In the early 2000s, former macquarie Group banker bill moss and his wife Lata explored the countryside from the nSw central coast to Tasmania, looking for a weekender. They were thinking about bowral when a friend suggested the blue mountains, saying: “what about dennarque? It’s the best property up there.” The Sydney-based agent who had the listing at the time hadn’t been keen on driving to an off-the-beaten-track part of the blue mountains, but moss says “we opened the gate, and within five metres, I looked down the driveway and said, ‘I’m going to buy this place’.” That was 2003, and the couple secured dennarque, the mount wilson estate they hope will remain in family hands for decades to come. The unrenovated sandstone mansion had been built in 1876 to a design by Ferdinand Reuss jr for the wealthy public servant edward merewether, who lived there with his wife, Augusta, and their 10 children. The mosses started to restore the home and next tackled the gardens, originally only a vegetable patch and orchard before charles moore, director of Sydney’s Royal botanic Garden designed dennarque’s first grand gardens in the 1880s. In a self-published book just back from the printer, covering the four seasons of the estate and produced partly for their young grandchildren, the couple write about “towering tree ferns proudly showing their age – some a few hundred years old – a large variety of japanese maples, cherry blossoms and other fruiting trees, very old eucalyptus, chestnut and walnut trees, immense Himalayan pine trees, and a recently established oriental garden with a japanese teahouse overlooking a koi lake”. Some of the property’s eucalypts are thought to be 400 years old. “A leisurely stroll in the garden can take more than two hours,” bill moss says. Taking its Aboriginal name from one of its tree ferns, dennarque once covered 20ha, before land was carved off in the years after the depression. The couple have added two holdings, including koonawarra – now surrounded by japanese gardens – taking the estate back to nearly half its original size. when asked if dennarque is an investment, he replies: “Its a folly.” one that takes three gardeners to maintain, and where the couple have weathered all that nature could throw at the mountain top. “we’ve had bushfires, we had cyclones, windstorms, droughts and had to buy water, fatal diseases that destroyed some of the old trees. we’ve had all sorts of things, but we keep going.”

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‘As a horticulturist I can view this garden through professional eyes, and what I have witnessed over the 10 years I have known her is nothing short of botanic brilliance and horticultural heroics. Children find enchantment, couples hold hands, and the elderly sit in wonder.’

EVan wanG x 4

Jamie Durie

Clockwise from top left: Aerial view of Dennarque and its garden; the Japanese-influenced bridge in the Oriental garden; jonquils in springtime; one of the towering gums. Opposite page, from top left: Tolimount Cottage, on almost 3ha; two views of Bisley with its 4ha of gardens; Tolimount Cottage

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down the road in mount wilson is another grand garden estate, withycombe. “withycombe found us,” said landscape designer Barbara landsberg after she bought it in 2002. the 3ha estate comes with a homestead built in the 1870s for the cox family of explorers. ruth and Victor white, parents of the nobel Prize winning novelist Patrick white, bought it in 1921 and called it withycombe, ruth’s maiden name. they sold it to the church of England as a residence for its archbishop. Helen and Gary Ghent bought the estate in 1981 and held on to it for two decades, before selling it to landsberg and her husband merrick Howes for a then record $2.05 million. landsberg first came across the estate in the late 1980s while on a weekend away with friends, relatives of the Ghents, who were visiting from the uk. “i remember looking at the house as we drove through the entrance gates and thinking, ‘oh my God, this is one of the most beautiful places i’ve ever seen. who owns something like this?’” landsberg recalled on the planthunter blog. when she married Howes, the couple’s wedding present from the Ghents, to whom they’d become close, was a week’s stay at the property. “it became a sanctuary and a very special place for us well before we had any idea we would own it,” she said. in 2001, the Ghents phoned and said they were ready to sell. “and there we were,” says landsberg. she then got to work on the overgrown garden on a basalt-capped peak on the northern edge of the Blue

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mountains, about 1000m above sea level. The formal front lawn, dominated by a Spanish oak tree, and the old tennis court overhung by other oaks are the only parts of the garden that have stayed relatively unchanged in the past 150 years. Landsberg’s parents, joe and diana Landsberg, took on the role of the estate’s resident managers. Sales in mount wilson have been rare, but it seems a generational change is occurring among the 80 homes listed on the map in the village centre. The most recent sale was Bisley, with its 4ha of english-inspired gardens. It was sold by Graham and Beverly Thompson to an otford couple who will upgrade from their small weekender in the Blue mountains. The Thompsons spent many months overseas researching gardens, even enrolling at oxford. “It was their absolute passion,” Iris Property selling agent martin Schoeddert says, noting that the couple’s first major plantings commenced in 1984. “Showing remarkable depth of insight into garden planning and a noexpense-spared approach to its execution, they transformed the thorn-covered paddock into one of nSw’s premier properties with more than 30 years of love and toil,” he says. Schoeddert recently listed Tolimount cottage, with $2.4 million to $2.7 million hopes. The almost 3ha property last sold for $1.35 million in 2004 when an english family bought it from the late interior decorator Tom Harding and his wife Liz. one of its most prominent features is its semi-circle of dogwoods.

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There are nine other listings in mount wilson, which is 125 km west of Sydney. The village is surrounded by bush and has no shops or cafes, just a little timber church, but on weekends the streets are lined with Instagrammers visiting open gardens. There’s also Richard wynne’s Turkish bathhouse-cum-museum, opened in 1997 by the then chair of the nSw Heritage council, Hazel Hawke. It is run by the mount wilson Historical Society, which celebrated the 150th anniversary of the village’s surveying at dennarque last november. The recent four seasons of the dennarque estate have been photographed by evan wang, with shoots directed by nadine Bush, for the mosses’ book. Bill’s father was a gardener and Bill fondly recalls his own time at james Ruse Agricultural High School. Lata learned about kitchen gardening at her school, where it was part of the curriculum. jamie durie writes in the book that it takes “immense patience, discipline and barrow-loads of tenacity to create a garden with a deep sense of establishment. dennarque’s deep history has been maintained by its honourable custodians, who have both nurtured and controlled its fascinating and intricate growth. “As a horticulturist I can view this garden through professional eyes, and what I have witnessed over the 10 years I have known her is nothing short of botanic brilliance and horticultural heroics. children find enchantment, couples hold hands, and the elderly sit in wonder. It never ceases to amaze me how much joy a

garden can really bring to one’s soul. dennarque and its multiple garden rooms brings this joy in spades.” Landscape gardener michael Bates has a weekender at nearby mount Irvine, which he says has historically been the cheaper property market where gardening staff for the mount wilson estates came from. He says he’s probably halfway through a threedecade commitment: “It’s like having a family, but time flies.” Pirramimma is one of Bates’s professional Blue mountain accomplishments – a mix of contemporary and heritage plantings on 10ha at wentworth Falls that involved a collaboration with landscaper craig Burton and architect Peter Stutchbury. Bates says the garden – established more than 30 years ago by nursery owners john and jill Gaibor and entertainer Reg Livermore – respects its layered history. It was built on the remnants of an orchard belonging to the former Toll Hotel. According to Bates, Burton had a magical set of goggles that allowed him to read the landscape – an ability to know what to strip away, what to keep and how to reshape the ground. with a limited turnover in the prestige Blue mountains, the residential price record remains the 2008 sale of carramar at wentworth Falls. The 1900 weatherboard and slate-roofed house on a 6070sq m escarpment position was sold for $3.3 million through christie’s Great estates and downer & maher Real estate. The period home sits in gardens designed by Paul Sorensen and features cold climate exotics and towering redwoods.

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Jamie Durie

p i t t wa t E r

Ahead of the curve “i can build the house you want but you’ll have to allow me to go to court,” says prominent sydney architect mark Hurcum. “the client wanted us to build a home that was culturally relevant,” he says. the site was steep, requiring a complicated engineering plan to respectfully exploit it. not many would take it on. However, this was a client who knew what he wanted at that stage of his life – after creating an uber-successful retail business over many decades – he firmly believed that he and his family had earned the right to it. dakota, in avalon, was designed specifically to bring the family together and connect with the extraordinary surroundings of the natural site. stokes point, to be precise, is an extraordinary slice of peninsula on sydney’s northern Beaches offering a rare western sunset over pittwater with a backdrop of the pristine kuringai national park. the water and ocean life are unsurpassed, with a direct feed from the open sea peeling in through the palm Beach headland less than a kilometre away. it is one of those parcels of land that only a handful of people who are aware of the benefits can wait for during their entire lives, and when they finally secure the land they are not concerned with that funny little thing called over-capitalisation. Hurcum explains that this five-level home is merely an extension of his design direction, but when pressed he admits that it offered a luxury laboratory for some of his wildest ideas. the house is built over two sites totalling approximately 2055sq m. the building itself takes up a modest 950sq m, with only four bedrooms and a study. However the entrance just happens to be elegantly positioned under a 1943 dc3 aircraft wing that was salvaged by the client and a friend on a treasure-hunting salvage flight. client and architect share a passion for aircraft, boats and trains, and the nautical contours of the home are an authentic nod to their interests. the structure has been carefully articulated to meld into the sloping site. its driveway was sculpted from concrete to form a serpentine shape that winds its way to a residence that sits below street level. the team at durie design were tasked with creating a 25m green wall underneath it all to address the retaining walls that at some points stretch higher than 5m. the stonemasons who worked with both our team and the architects to carve our respective visions were on site for at least three years, so i don’t need to spell out how long it took to bring the home to completion. we hired helicopters to fly the 600-year-old macrozamia mooreis from a barge up onto the site. Frangipanis, aloes, dragon trees and grass trees were also flown in on a day that the neighbourhood gathered to witness the event. all this greenery was intended to soften the off-form concrete plateaus based on the sandstone boulders that occur naturally on the pittwater foreshore. the tasmanian-born Hurcum fell under “the pittwater spell” when he first arrived in sydney and has been filing away a visual library of ideas for a project like this for more than 20 years. the colours used on the site were derived from the protected spotted gums that are such a huge part of the pittwater habitat. the design is indulgent and its bunker-like sculptural forms have excited much interest in the community. the house has become quite the icon in the area and i have a feeling it will have a trickle-on effect as the years go by. and of course, like all authentic architects who back and believe in their spirited designs, Hurcum has built another four of these types of waterfront homes, keeping one for him and his wife to nestle into to watch the sun go down over the shimmering golden hues of pittwater. mitala newport featured in Mansion Australia last month. 24

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The five-level Dakota at Stokes Point in Avalon was carefully articulated to fit its challenging site. Architect Mark Hurcum found the project offered him a luxury laboratory for his wildest dreams

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Dolly Lenz

Local aspect

witH JEnny lEnz

t H E aGE nc y

Matt Lahood an agent backed by a full-time concierge is able to provide the attention to detail that selling a luxury home requires. it is difficult for a discount agent to deliver this level of service. a dedicated team can action tasks at speed. this includes organising removalists, stylists, landscaping, general maintenance and even conveyancing. the agent needs to be a skilled negotiator and have all-round property experience. they must have a “hyper understanding” of the market and buyer movements in their area at a luxury level. the agent’s client database is an invaluable asset. clients will pick an agent based on trust first. next is who they feel comfortable working with, and the final factor is price. the client will pay the fee if they trust the agent and are provided with value. a track record selling similar properties in the area provides credibility, client confidence and relevant buyer reach. it is very difficult to provide a comprehensive service at a discount position. a discount agent relies on volume and low overheads. the same level of service is not possible without resources. a discount broker should only be considered if the client has complete trust in and an existing relationship with the agent.

c H r ist i E ’ s i n t Er nat iona l

Ken Jacobs Luxury properties do not lend themselves to being marketed by discount real estate brokers st r at EGy

A question of value the recent news that Purplebricks, a uk-based start-up offering discount real estate brokerage services for a relatively small fixed fee, has pulled the plug on the australian market has reignited the debate over why discount brokerage firms are finding it so difficult to compete with traditional full-fee firms. armed with a simple message that they can provide the same level of service at a much lower cost, discount brokers have essentially copied the approach discount stock brokers used back in the 1980s when they began to aggressively compete with their full-service brethren. yet unlike discount stock brokers, discount real estate firms have largely failed to disrupt the brokerage industry. Purplebricks, which opened in australia nearly three years ago, decided to charge a low flat fee whether the property sold or not. this was a crucial mistake as it removed the incentive for its brokers to get results, so the company changed its policy in october, 2018 – too late to have any impact. while it may be tempting to ascribe its failure to management mis-cues, the list of firms that have also tried a low-cost strategy is quite long and Purplebricks is only the latest casualty. it raises the question: is there something about real estate transactions that makes the discount model fall short? those who argue that the model is flawed point to the fact that the process of buying or selling property is drawn out, highly emotional and often stressful. they believe there is a personal element to selling real estate that cannot be replaced by an online platform or passive intermediary agents. Getting quality results takes a level of local expertise and insight, and an advisory approach that full-service brokers are uniquely positioned to provide. discount brokers, critics claim, have more of a transactional mindset and see themselves as transaction facilitators, rather than as fiduciaries providing a higher level of service. 26

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the disparity in the results between discount and full-service brokers is heightened during down markets and in the high-end luxury market, where clients not only value advisory services but demand them. down markets are particularly challenging for discount real estate firms. they can better compete in a hot market because buyer demand is so high that the inventory almost sells itself, so a low-cost approach appeals to sellers who only need someone to paper the transaction. in a down market where fewer buyers are chasing high supply, traditional firms do a much better job of product positioning so the property stands out from the pack. they are also better able to guide their clients and give marketspecific advice as they have navigated both up and down markets, whereas discount brokers are essentially the new kids on the block. those who continue to espouse the benefits of the discount real estate approach maintain that the flat-fee model has definite appeal and the market is ripe for disruption. they place the blame for the failure of discount real estate firms on faulty execution, not the needs of market participants, and believe the key to success is adding value and tying their money to successful outcomes. the challenge for traditional luxury firms is to counter the narrative that consumers can realise the same level of service and outcomes for less. this can only be achieved through clear messaging about the value traditional brokers add to the process. discount brokerage firms will continue to pop up with hopes of replacing the old order. Buyers and sellers will determine the ultimate winners. Dolly Lenz heads New York-based Dolly Lenz Real Estate and last year sold more than $US500 million worth of luxury US and international homes. dollylenz.com

it is critical to hire a seasoned professional who understands the rarefied market that luxury homes occupy and appreciates that pricing and negotiation are nuance driven. such a person will have very strong instincts about value and market, and a “black book” of active and potential buyers. downward pressure on commission is rife. Purplebricks pulling out of australia demonstrates that the model is not viable, especially at the premium end of the market. the starting point when pitching for a listing of a luxury property should be an understanding of its specific features and the market sector that will appreciate these features. the agent must then demonstrate their access to that sector and an understanding of how to motivate these buyers. the two main reasons agents discount are to either establish a track record they do not have or to simply build market share – neither of which are in the owner’s interest. an agent should be a value add not a cost to the net amount an owner receives for the property.

ricH a rdson & w rEncH

Robert Simeon you can’t just download experience and knowledge. Proven track records, achievements and testimonials are what counts, but none of that counts if you have the price wrong. it’s a great safety net for vendors when they adopt a sliding scale based on success. if the price is going up, so does the commission and vice versa. creativity is always the big winner – a clear, succinct game plan that covers all the contingencies. another key ingredient you need is harmony, as there is no point engaging an agent who does not feel right or measure up to the owner’s expectations. when someone is contemplating the sale of arguably their biggest asset, they should be more concerned about securing the services of the best available talent. the best marketing strategies for securing a great luxury sales outcome include strategy with a capital ‘s’. the next key ingredients are execution with energy and integrity. secure the right agent then negotiate the fee. if an owner can’t secure the right fee then he is talking to the wrong agent.

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AUCTION ABSOLUTE MASTERPIECE - NORTH FACING WATERFRONT- THIS IS A ONE OF A KIND! 31 Carwoola Crescent, Mooloolaba “You don’t need to travel all the way to Noosa to experience the best of what the Sunshine Coast has to offer. Designed by Frank Macchia, this architectural statement is within easy walking distance to everything that Mooloolaba has to offer. Boasting four bedrooms, an office, studio, two kitchens, and an amazing steam-room, this home was built on over 150 piles ensuring it will stand the test of time. Whilst being striking from any angle, this house is still an amazing family home. Arrange your private inspection today.

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G E N

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Deep water access Pontoon for 58ft vessel Central lift to all floors Stunning family feel home Generating 100 kWh solar Private heated lap pool

Price: Forthcoming Auction Inspect: By prior appointment Loren Wimhurst 0415 380 222 Richard Scrivener 0416 799 188

n 1959, sydney lord mayor Henry jensen came very close to putting a wrecking ball through sydney’s much-loved Queen Victoria building. storied architect Harry seidler called it an “architectural monstrosity”, and the lord mayor was laying plans to demolish its copper domes, sandstone walls and stained glass in favour of a civic square and underground carpark. Even The Sydney Morning Herald supported razing the building. boarded up, decaying and home to flocks of sydney’s pigeons, it was under threat for more than a decade. then in 1971 barry Humphries wrote a poem “ode to the Queen Victoria building”, igniting community opposition to its demolition. later that year, another lord mayor committed the city to the QVb’s restoration. Queen Victoria, born 200 years ago last month, surely would have raised an eyebrow. “Henry jensen called it ‘the monstrous Queen Victoria building’ and wanted to put a carpark there,” says john dabney, who was an up and coming architect at the time. “it had been derelict for tens of years. People in their 30s and 40s have no idea – in the 1960s particularly, and even into the ’70s, heritage was a non-existent sport. there were lots of buildings that today we would retain for heritage purposes; they were demolished at that time. now gone forever. and the Queen Victoria building almost went the same way.” sixty years on from its near-death experience, the QVb is undergoing a gentle upgrade by its current owners, the listed Vicinity centres and singapore’s sovereign wealth fund Gic. there will be a little more luxury and little more in the way of bespoke food and beverage – a champagne bar and a whiskey bar have already opened. dabney was part of the team that worked on that first big restoration in the 1980s and credits the project with launching his young firm, rice dabney, onto the design stage. in 1959, as the last push for its demolition gathered pace, the QVb was valued at $1 million. in the end, it was saved more by money than its heritage value. by the 1970s, the building was worth $30 million and the council estimated it would only cost $4 million to restore, so it put the crumbling romanesque arcade out to a tender. malaysian conglomerate ipoh Garden proved to have deep enough pockets for the job. work started in 1984, took more than two years to complete and cost $86 million – “probably the equivalent of a couple of hundred million in today’s dollars”, dabney says. “we did it for greed – and certainly it was the prospect of economic gain,” ipoh chairman Yap lim sen once said of winning the council’s 99-year lease for the building. 28

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nick cubbin

Jewel in the crown

The Queen Victoria Building, a prized Sydney landmark that came perilously close to demolition, is getting a further polish

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QVB QVB t uTruiRcI ocn od no dn on

A casino, car park or urinal Would grace such a site, The end would be painful and final, The deed done by night. Reactionary ratbags won’t budge us Nor sentiment sway. But how will Posterity judge us Ten years from today?

Clockwise from main picture: Architect John Dabney, left, and David Waldren, Vicinity Centres’ head of design; the transformation of the interior, above and below; delivering goods by horse and dray in the early days; and the view from the top of the central staircase

c I T Y of SY dneY A Rc HI V eS

Extract from Barry Humpries’ ‘Ode to the Queen Victoria Building’, written in 1971 when it was earmarked for demolition

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“A lot of what you walk through today is only 40 or so years old; so much had been destroyed,” says david waldren, head of design at Vicinity centres. “A great deal of work was done to replicate the tiles and tile pattern, and replicating materials that simply couldn’t be saved at the time.” The skills for reproducing the tiles were found in japan, so one of dabney’s architects spent months there. “That probably wouldn’t happen today,” he says. The building’s light-filled voids had been built in, so those floors had to be ripped out, and escalators were added. The 1978 Hilton Hotel bombing had shattered the fan-shaped stained glass window on George Street and much of the glass was gone, though some windows – boarded up for years – were saved. The domes had to be restored as well as the sandstone blocks, with a principal artisan brought from the uk. “It’s not a skill set that you can look up in the Yellow Pages,” says waldren. “You have to be very respectful when you’re working on material like that, because once you’ve affected it you’ve affected it forever.” A whopping 43 per cent of Sydney’s visitors go to the QVB – it ranks after the opera House and Harbour Bridge climb on the todo list. “You look at this building and it reflects Sydney,” waldren says. “The structure of this place, the history of this place, what we really want to to do is evolve it.” designed in the 1890s by architect George mcRae, the QVB was a depression-era project to create jobs and was built on the site of the original Sydney markets. In its early days, horse-drawn drays brought goods into the basement. waldren says the building has always had a chequered history. “It had a so-called concert hall, which was more a ballroom … it wasn’t a successful concert hall.” That was later converted to a library, and council offices. “At one stage Penfolds used the basement as cellars in the city … and a couple of floors up in the beautiful library setting was the aroma of wine.” It’s been a home to palm readers and clairvoyants, and later was the place to go for bodgie clothing and later still the for wannabe musicians looking for rock and grunge gear. “Presumably, it was very cheap rent,” says waldren Then there’s the ghost – a good spirit, according to a more recent clairvoyant. “The dome areas, and level three, there is definitely a change in atmosphere and a feeling you get,” says waldren. “I haven’t seen the apparition but I’ve met two people who say they have.” He describes the QVB’s current upgrade as about maintaining the gracious building, adding to its bespoke style of shops and bringing it into the night-time economy. most of all, he says, it’s s a place to “promenade”, to see and be seen. “The great thing about city architecture is that it elicits responses from people. Good buildings do that, and you know she’s one of those.”

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Thredbo

Only one level of the chalet (left) is visible to the viewer with most of the sleeping quarters buried into the site. Extensive glazing allows in the views and gives the living pavilion a sense of lightness

Jonat H a n c H a nc El l or

High point

A cleverly designed alpine chalet is poised to set a price record in the Snowy Mountains ski playground tussock, an alpine chalet on one of the highest blocks in thredbo, was designed to create a soft edge between the village and the national park. on crackenback ridge, on the nsw snowfields, it last traded for a record $3.5 million in 2005 when it was sold by melbourne architect andrew norbury of mEtiEr3 and his then wife Jane Parker, one of the founders of country road. with the current owner now listing it for sale, the thredbo price record is set to be easily broken. norbury designed the home, and construction costs were estimated at $1.2 million. the two-storey, five-bedroom residence has 15-zone underfloor heating, plus floor-to-ceiling windows that look out on snow gums and passing skiers. the ground floor is essentially subterranean, with only one of the four elevations revealing itself. six hundred cubic metres of earth were carved out to slot the 450sq m house into the hill. the upper level is a pavilion structure that sits in a field of native grasses and flowers. it is substantially glazed, creating living areas with a sense of lightness and filtered views of the surrounding alpine environment. the entry is lit via flashing at the upper level, producing a diffused light that filters through an open staircase and into the subterranean entry foyer. this creates an unexpectedly light and warm entry, which then leads up into the pavilion spaces. reducing conventional height and visible bulk, the main sleeping quarters were buried into the site, with the living pavilion stepped back into the slope above. a wide, V-shaped wall of local granite forms the outer edge of the subterranean portion. “the idea was that the bulk of the bedrooms would be warm and cozy downstairs, in a space where you don’t need much light, and the spaces above, which you inhabit by day, would be all glass,” norbury noted. By pushing one level underground, he halved the permitted site coverage, allowing more space between buildings. the initiative also broke with the comparatively uniform style of houses in the village, a conscious goal of the architect. “You just see a single pavilion,” he said. norbury previously had another home on crackenback ridge, 30

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which won a commendation in the robin Boyd award, the premier national architecture prize for housing, in 1997. winter has come and so have early falls, and that means heightened interest in snow property the alps. tussock’s listing agent, michelle stynes at Forbes stynes real Estate, says crackenback ridge, with its ski-in, ski-out location, changed mountaintop living. since it was established in the late 1950s, thredbo has become australia’s premier ski destination and the site of some special chalets. in 1958, Garry richardson, son of merv, the creator of the Victa mower, asked his friend Peter muller to design his ski lodge in thredbo. another trophy chalet, seidler lodge, with its massive angled beams, was designed by Harry seidler and won nsw’s top housing prize, the wilkinson award, in 1965. sastrugi lodge, designed by otto Ernegg in 1958, was redesigned by dawson Brown architecture three decades later. in recent years the most significant sale was de dacha lodge, in the village, which fetched $2.25 million. the four-bedroom European alpine-style lodge is among the loveliest of thredbo’s private abodes. Former society model Fiona campbell sold the chalet, which has been an $8000-a-week peak-season rental, to the Punch family through doug Edwards at mountain High real Estate. lendlease resort manager albert Van der lee built the property for $28,000 and lived there from 1962 to 1984. it traded in 1994 for a record $810,000 when campbell and her then husband, publisher matt Handbury, bought it from village developers lendlease. around $300,000 will get you a studio apartment in central thredbo. Buyers of properties within kosciuszko national Park secure a torrens title leasehold, with leases running until 2057/58. stynes says the tightly controlled credit market has prevented some would-be purchasers from proceeding, but hopes this may now change. about 70 per cent of buyers are from sydney, with 25 per cent from canberra and 5 per cent from other areas, including Queensland. sales have been down by about 30 per cent on last year due to limited stock.

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Avoca Beach & Copacabana

harcourts.com.au

Luxury has no limits Infinity. When luxury has no limits, just an unquestionable benchmark of rare elegance by the riverside. Three penthouse-style, house-sized masterpieces harmonise form and function with exquisite craftsmanship in a contemporary coastal design, across a meticulously intelligent layout, opening out on each level to a sprawling terrace, glass-walled infinity-edged pool and

N O O S AV I L L E

spectacular views of the Noosa River, foreshore park and beyond.

Gympie Terrace Noosaville

3 Exclusively marketd by

For more information call Nic Hunter 0421 785 512 or visit www.offermann.com.au/infinity

Price Guide: From $4.7m

Subject to council approval. Every effort has been made to accurately describe the details of this development however this is a guide only. All marketing material, including models, illustrations and plans are indicative only. All details were correct at the time of printing and are subject to change without notice. This material is representative as a guide only and does not constitute an offer or inducement.

Bali

This page: Stuart Membery’s Bali villa Monkey Palm. Opposite: Saratoga, top; villa in Pereranan listed for 15 billion rupiah, bottom

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nick lEarY

ominique Gallmann, the Bali-based cofounder of estate agency Exotiq, says ascertaining how much a Bali villa is worth is difficult. until 2016, Bali was among the topperforming real estate markets, before a downturn in which most properties sold in the upper bracket wouldn’t even achieve replacement value, Gallmann says. Even though there are few reliable statistics, his observations indicate that prices fell by between 30 and 40 per cent in the upper bracket (above $us1 million). there was a 10 to 30 per cent decline in the middle bracket ($us500,000plus) and up to 5 per cent in the lowest bracket. “the problem is that this correction is not visible when looking at published asking prices,” Gallmann says. there were several reasons for the downturn, including a crackdown by the indonesian government on corruption and money laundering. the number of transactions in the Bali villa market has fallen by more than 50 per cent compared with the situation before 2016. “the market has become thin and only correctly priced properties find a buyer,” says Gallmann. australian estate agent nathan ryan, who founded Bali realty in 2009, says $1.5 million will typically secure a four- to fivebedroom, all-ensuite villa with formal and casual living areas on an average land size of 1000sq m. “You could also expect to have a rice field or jungle outlook,” he says. ryan says exchange rates have a major effect when purchasing a home. “as most real estate is marketed in us dollars, the australian dollar versus us dollar exchange rates can have a huge impact.” From 2011 to 2014, australians had a lot of buying power in Bali, but with our dollar trading somewhere under 70 cents, buying property is now more expensive, he says. “on the flip side, those australians who purchased during that time and are looking to sell now are getting the benefit of selling in us dollars.” Expatriate australian designer stuart membery, who runs stuart membery architecture, first vacationed in Bali in 2003. membery is now selling monkey Palm, his compound on the seminyak-legian border. the plantation-style property, comprising two villas themed in white and accented in blue, has 450sq m of living space on a 1820sq m parcel. the main two-level villa has two bedrooms, while there’s a stand-alone guest house with another two bedrooms. monkey Palm has appeared in a number of design magazines, including Australian Vogue Living. it sits in gardens with lawns, low hedges and mature coconut palms. the swimming pool is bordered by a stone deck furnished with cushioned lounges and umbrellas. asking $975,000, the home is available on a 22-year leasehold with a 10-year lease extension through ray white cottesloe/ mosman Park agent deb Brady, who is marketing it in conjunction with 1st city sydney, Harcourts Bali and Exotiq Property Bali. sydneysiders ralph and janet Hogan moved to Bali because they wanted their daughter to attend the world-renowned Green school in ubud. in 2014 they bought saratoga, a traditional Balinese stone jungle property, and renovated it over three and a half years. janet says that as soon as they stepped into saratoga they were smitten. “it was very rundown, like walking onto the set of Raiders of the Lost Ark, but there was something about the property that simply captured our hearts,” she says. the couple turned it into a luxury wedding venue, drawing on their extensive experience as creators of the luxury whitsundays wedding venue Villa Botanica, which sold

jonat H a n c H a nc El l or

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A piece of paradise Bali’s market has been through some changes but there are still stunning properties to be had last year for $7.08 million. Queensland Sotheby’s agent carol carter, who sold the property, has now been engaged to sell Saratoga, as the Hogans plan to spend six months of the year in the South of France. Set behind large teak and bronze studded doors, the main residence exudes post-colonial chic, with four bedrooms, juliette balconies and wrought-iron fencing. The property features a number of bridges, towering bamboos, feathery palms, 200-year-old frangipani trees and a 30m ceremonial pond-cum-swimming pool fed by carved fountain heads. A five-bedroom villa in Pereranan, north of north kuta on Bali’s western seaboard, has been listed with a price tag of 15 billion Indonesian rupiah – roughly $1.5 million. on 2600sq m with views over the rice field across the river, the villa has three separate buildings. The garden was designed by a dutch landscaping firm for its dutch owners, and includes an 11m swimming pool. Seven Stones Indonesia agent Lisa comsatun is offering it fully furnished. elders Bali agent Greg Smith, whose head office is in Perth, says Australian buyers typically want to be close to the coast. kuta and Seminyak are popular, he says, with Sanur and canggu also appealing. Smith says Australian buyers from Perth are the most active, given Bali is only four hours north of the wA capital. “There are retirement buyers who have probably spent quite a bit of time holidaying in Bali and have decided to buy a property and either live

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there full time or spend around six months of the year there,” adding that they generally buy two-bedroom apartments or modest villas. “There are the buyers who want a holiday home they will use for around a month or six weeks a year and rent out when it’s not in use, and there are the business owners who have or are starting a business in Bali and want a home to live in.” Bali has also become a popular wedding destination for Australians. In 2014, model jen Hawkins and jake wall wed at Villa Tamarama ungasan clifftop Resort on the Bukit Peninsula at the southern end of Bali. Guests pay $5000 a night in the high season to stay in the colonial-style villa, which was a holiday home for its Swedish owners, Thomas and marianne Hvid, while they lived in Sydney. In 2016 the pair listed the 2700sq m freehold estate with 30m of direct clifftop Indian ocean frontage, two private pools and a white sand beach below for $9 million. owning property in Bali is tricky for foreign buyers. The Indonesian constitution specifies that Indonesians must always control the land, so outright freehold ownership by a foreigner is not possible. They pay for a leasehold of the property, usually 25 years. “The government has done what it can to make property investment safe and secure for foreigners as much of the development in Bali has been done by foreign investment,” Smith says.

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T Brisbane River joEl robinson

Front Frontrunners runners

Buyers are jostling to secure a prize position in Brisbane’s premier waterfront suburbs

he much sought-after brisbane river continues its strong run of house sales. an original Hawthorne riverfront property recently sold for more than $6 million, just two years after it was bought for $5.6 million. on the Virginia avenue dress circle and with 24m of river frontage, it had some updates in the interim, including a new private jetty and pontoon. the sale came with approved plans for a sumach chaplin-designed home with four ensuited bedrooms plus a garage for eight cars. the home sits on 1435sq m, one of the largest riverfront parcels on the street. Place bulimba agent sarah Hackett, who handled the marketing, is seeing buyer confidence rise. “we have seen prices rise in the past five months due to buyers being able to borrow more easily,” she says. there have been around 14 brisbane riverfront house sales so far this year. the biggest was in the premier waterfront suburb new Farm, where a Griffith street home fetched $7.75 million through ray white new Farm agents matt lancashire and nicholas Given. the auction sale was the second highest under-the-hammer result, and the highest since 2009. the 1980s property was bought by the grandson of kevin seymour, one of brisbane’s best-known developers, with plans for a boutique block. last year, the average house price on the brisbane river rose to $3.255 million – not far shy of the record $3.545 million achieved in 2010 before the floods. it was partly down to some big sales results from Hawthorne, where three homes fetched an average of $6.5 million, but a key reason for the average house price’s upward trajectory was the decline in the number of transactions. there were only 33 house sales on the river in 2018 compared to 54 in 2017. the reduced sales figures had an impact on overall spending, with the 2018 sales accounting for $127 million changing hands, down 20 per cent from the 2017’s $160.5 million. the 2019 river report from johnston dixon stated that the number of homes on the river is dwindling. it found fewer than one in 2000 people can claim ownership of an absolute brisbane riverfront house or block of land and suggested that number will 38

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Clockwise from far left: Prime positions on the winding Brisbane River; The Riverbank at Hawthorne; Fraser’s River Homes at Hamilton Reach; Virginia Avenue, Hawthorne, with 24m of river frontage

soon blow out to one in 3000, and then one in 4000, given the redevelopment of freehold titles and the surge in population growth. johnston dixon agent and report author josephine johnstonRowell says 2018 panned out better than it might have, when taking in to account curveballs such as the banking royal commission. “what was particularly encouraging was that while most of the action in 2018 was at the lower end of the market, where 29 of the 39 absolute riverfront house sales recorded were for less than $4 million, the average across all riverfront house sales still managed to rise strongly to break through the $3 million mark and be within 10 per cent of the all-time record,” she says. johnston-Rowell predicts the average riverfront house price in 2019 could test new territory, given Queensland’s economic fundamentals, low interest rates and strong resurgence in net migration. Place’s Riverfront House Report 2019 said that houses on the river have only accounted for just over 1 per cent of all house sales in the region over the past 10 years. Place’s Sarah Hackett recently sold a 1970s norman Park riverfront home for $6 million to dr Andrew cartmill and his partner kate matthews. The wendell Street home with californian mid-century style architecture had been renovated by the vendors, ARIA Group’s Tim Forrester and his interior designer wife mackenzie, and found a buyer in just three weeks. The Place report predicted that waterfront houses will become even scarcer, with suburbs such as Bulimba and Hamilton seeing a number of apartment developments taking up the waterfront space. jamisen Rivera, development director at Frasers Property Australia, says waterfront living will always be the epitome of luxury but confirms opportunities are limited. Frasers has recently completed its new development, River Homes at Hamilton Reach. “There are so few opportunities left in Brisbane to live on the riverfront, let alone in a brand-new freehold home of the scale, size and exclusivity of the Hamilton Reach River Homes,” Rivera says. “most vacant lots are zoned medium to high density so will be developed into apartments.” only two of the eight Hamilton Reach River Homes remain for sale after the other six were snapped up off the plan. one of the homes sold for $3.995 million. The remaining two are priced at $3.35 million and $3.795 million respectively. each of the properties, designed by architect Rothelowman, has four bedrooms and four ensuites, and an elevated solar-heated swimming pool that looks across the river. Before their completion, there were only two riverfront homes from newstead to Hamilton, both on Harbour Road. one belongs to Lorna jane founder Lorna clarkson, who paid $10.3 million in 2010, and the other is Balaam, a contemporary home designed by Shaun Lockyer currently for sale through Ray white agent matt Lancashire that last traded in 2015 for $11.8 million. Another Brisbane home comes with a name reflecting its former status. The Riverbank, which previously ran down to the river when built at Hawthorne in the 1880s, has been listed for sale. The land dates back to the 1850s and was part of a 38ha market garden that stretched as far as Bulimba, with boundaries that extended across the Brisbane River to Teneriffe and new Farm. The original home was reputedly built by william Henry Barlow, a one-legged landowner who brought in slaves from the islands. The elliott Street home, with custom-built Slattery and Acquroff staircase started as a three-room cottage with wraparound veranda. It now sits on 810sq m just 300m from the water, having been expanded to a two-level Queenslander containing five bedrooms and four bathrooms. The master bedrooms with marble ensuite are on the ground floor, opening to the alfresco area and pool in landscaped gardens. Vaughan keenan at Grace and keenan newstead have listed the home, which is under offer. At the end of 2018 median Brisbane prices on the water sat at $2.65 million, compared to the median price for non-waterfront houses of $925,000, the Price report noted. Perched on the precipice of kangaroo Point cliffs, Brisbane’s most expensive house after the record-breaking $18.48 million sale in 2017, has returned to the market through Place agent judy Goodger. The 1 Leopard Street offering could be expected to reflect Brisbane’s price strength.

j u n e 8 - 9 , 2 0 1 9 | T H e w e e k e n d AuST R A L I A n

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Sky high living on a whole new level Houses Houses and and apartments apartments occupy occupy two two different different sides sides of of Australia’s Australia’s luxury luxury property property market, market, depending depending on on your your priorities. priorities. The The former former offers offers space space and and seclusion seclusion while while the the latter latter promises promises the the convenience convenience of of aa low-maintenance low-maintenance lifestyle lifestyle and, and, ifif you’re you’re lucky, lucky, panoramic panoramic views. views. But But local local developer developer Growland Growland is is hoping hoping to to bridge bridge the the gap, gap, combining combining the the best best of of both both worlds worlds in in one one residential residential development development in in the the heart heart of of Melbourne’s Melbourne’s St St Kilda Kilda Road Road precinct. precinct. Neue Neue Grand Grand by by Growland Growland is is aa lavish lavish 20-storey 20-storey tower tower taking taking apartment apartment living living to to new new heights, heights, offering offering 18 18 whole-ﬂoor whole-ﬂoor residences residences with with private private lift lift access access and and sky sky garages garages plus plus all all the the convenience convenience of of aa concierge, concierge, on-site on-site amenities amenities and and an an inner-city inner-city address. address. Each Each apartment apartment occupies occupies its its own own level level of of the the Rothelowman-designed Rothelowman-designed building, building, which which Growland Growland CEO CEO Ronald Ronald Chan Chan says says will will offer offer residents residents aa sprawling sprawling 355 355 square square metres metres of of living living space, space, or or 710 710 square square metres metres in in the the penthouse. penthouse.

“Space “Space and and privacy privacy is is at at aa premium premium in in world-class world-class cities cities like like Melbourne,” Melbourne,” Mr Mr Chan Chan says. says. “This “This is is truly truly the the only only project project in in Australia Australia that that will will deliver deliver all all the the benefits benefits of of aa luxury luxury home home with with the the convenience convenience and and amenity amenity of of aa penthouse penthouse apartment.” apartment.” Key Key to to creating creating this this sense sense of of space space and and seclusion seclusion is is the the private private lift lift access access afforded afforded to to both both residents residents of of Neue Neue Grand Grand and and their their prized prized vehicles. vehicles. The The German-engineered German-engineered lift lift receives receives the the vehicle vehicle at at basement basement level, level, then then sends sends itit up up to to the the correct correct floor, floor, automatically automatically sliding sliding itit into into the the private private sky sky garage garage adjacent adjacent to to the the living living room. room. Residents Residents drive drive into into the the basement basement carpark carpark and and then then exit exit the the vehicle vehicle to to make make the the same same journey journey skywards skywards in in one one of of two two private private passenger passenger lifts, lifts, which which delivers delivers them them discreetly discreetly to to their their personal personal lobby. lobby. Things Things get get even even more more exclusive exclusive up up on on the the 18th 18th floor, floor, where where the the two-storey two-storey penthouse penthouse has has four four sky sky garage garage spaces, spaces, plus plus private private access access to to aa 130-square 130-square metre metre rooftop rooftop terrace terrace with with panoramic panoramic views views

across across the the city city and and the the bay. bay. The The penthouse penthouse is is aa recent recent addition addition to to the the plans, plans, according according to to Growland Growland residential residential development development director director Kevin Kevin Parker, Parker, who who says says the the decision decision to to combine combine the the 18th 18th and and 19th 19th floors floors was was driven driven by by overwhelming overwhelming demand demand for for space space in in highhighdensity density areas. areas. “We “We want want to to create create projects projects that that set set aa benchmark benchmark and and continue continue to to surpass surpass the the realm realm of of possibility; possibility; our our aim aim is is always always to to challenge challenge the the status status quo quo and and to to approach approach new new ideas ideas with with enthusiasm enthusiasm rather rather than than with with caution,” caution,” Mr Mr Parker Parker says. says. Open Open floorplans floorplans and and walls walls of of glass glass highlight highlight this this sense sense of of space space and and offer offer the the perfect perfect canvas canvas for for luxurious luxurious finishes; finishes; aa combination combination of of distinctive distinctive stone, stone, marble, marble, warm warm timber timber and and lustrous lustrous metals. metals. Heating, Heating, cooling, cooling, lighting lighting and and blinds blinds are are controlled controlled by by high-tech high-tech home home automation automation wiring, wiring, which which is is set set up up to to service service all all manner manner of of smart smart home home devices. devices. It It would would be be easy easy to to forget forget you you were were even even in in an an apartment, apartment, were were itit not not for for the the views, views, of of course, course, and and aa suite suite of of onon-

site site amenities amenities to to rival rival aa six-star six-star hotel hotel anywhere anywhere in in the the world. world. Neue Neue Grand Grand residents residents have have access access to to aa state-of-the-art state-of-the-art gymnasium, gymnasium, private private dining dining room room and and club club lounge, lounge, as as well well as as aa concierge concierge service service whose whose remit remit ranges ranges from from signing signing for for deliveries, deliveries, right right through through to to coordinating coordinating household household staff staff and and beauty beauty appointments. appointments. All All facilities facilities and and services services can can be be reserved reserved or or summoned summoned via via aa smartphone smartphone app. app. “What’s “What’s unique unique is is the the scale scale and and standard standard of of communal communal amenities amenities for for only only 18 18 residences residences -- the the concierge concierge will will be be able able to to offer offer aa level level of of service service that that you you couldn’t couldn’t get get even even in in aa hotel,” hotel,” Mr Mr Parker Parker says. says. “Neue “Neue Grand Grand will will appeal appeal to to buyers buyers that that are are typically typically hard hard to to impress; impress; they they want want to to see see something something they they have have never never seen seen before before and and they they will will spare spare no no expense expense for for the the sake sake of of quality quality design design and and avantavantgarde garde opulence.” opulence.” For For more more information information on on Neue Neue Grand Grand by by Growland, Growland, visit visit neuegrand.com.au neuegrand.com.au

Originally published on mansionglobal.com

los angElEs

Throttling back

castlE kEEp

a sprawling 280ha estate in gloucestershire, England, complete with medieval castle is now asking £10 million ($18.2 million). Beverston castle in tetbury was built in 1225 and altered during the 14th century. it was damaged during the English civil war and is now uninhabitable, however, a 17th-century manor house is adjacent to its remains. the three-storey cotswolds stone home, listed with louisa over and will chanter of savills, has seven bedrooms, including a master suite. there is also a bungalow, an estate office with a three-bedroom flat and four other cottages. the six structures provide a total of 18 bedrooms. the estate has 14 buildings for farming and stabling and approximately 249ha suitable for farming and pastures. c a sE Y Fa r m Er

one of the priciest homes for sale in the us has had a $us40 million ($58 million) discount. British heiress petra Ecclestone, who bought the home in 2011 for $us85 million, is now asking $us160 million for her mammoth 5249sq m los angeles mansion. Ecclestone, the daughter of Formula one billionaire Bernie Ecclestone originally listed the home in 2016 for $us200 million. the French chateau-style mansion is slightly larger than the white House, making it one of the largest private estates in greater los angeles. it’s known as the spelling manor after its original owners, the late tV producer aaron spelling and his wife, candy. the 2ha property has lavish amenities, including extensive gardens, a tennis court, and a “resort-calibre” pool and spa. there are 14 bedrooms and 27 bathrooms, an oversized home theater, a bowling alley and an indoor spa. it opens from a dramatic circular driveway into a foyer with 30-foot ceilings and a sweeping double staircase. the entrance leads on to grand living and dining rooms to park-like grounds. Jade mills of coldwell Banker, kurt rappaport of westside Estate agency, and david parnes and James Harris of the agency have the listing.

the spanish colonial mansion known as richard nixon’s western white House in san clemente, california, has had a $us6 million ($8.6 million) price cut. the oceanfront estate where the former president spent his downtime and hosted foreign dignitaries first hit the market nearly four years ago, priced at $us75 million. it has had several rounds of price changes and is now listed at $us57.5 million, according to linda may of Hilton & Hyland and rob giem of compass. the bluffside compound, also known as la casa pacifica, spans 137m of beach and comes with an entertainment pavilion, a two-bedroom guest house and staff quarters, and a restored single-story mansion dating from 1927. the former president sold the property in the 1980s.

BEc k i E st ru m

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pr E si dEn t i a l r Et r E at

t H E w E E k E n d aust r a l i a n | J u n E 8 - 9 , 2 0 1 9

Rural The First Farm and Oldest Residence Over the Blue Mountains Famous Explorer William Lawson’s Historically Significant ‘Macquarie’ • ‘Macquarie’ comprises 446ha* (1,152ac*) of cleared, arable farming / grazing country, 11km* Bathurst, 2.5hrs* Sydney. 4.2km* Fish River frontage. 400ac* of fertile river flats, 140mgl licence • In 1814, explorer William Lawson chose the finest land west of the Blue Mountains as his reward for the famous Blue Mountains crossing • Lawson’s fully restored, 27 room homestead, completed in 1824, is one of Australia’s finest examples of early colonial Georgian architecture • Fully restored convict barracks, 2 cottages, convict era woolshed etc.

Auction Friday 5 July 2019 10:30am Lvl 17, 135 King St, Sydney Bill Marshall 0427 663 240 Pat Bird 0438 361 109 Ray White Emms Mooney

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*approx.

Arts and Crafts jonat H a n c H a nc El l or

In the medieval manner architect Harold desbrowe-annear was the pioneer of the medieval movement in australian home design, especially in melbourne’s north-east. Born into a Bendigo mining family in the 1860s, raised in richmond, and matriculating from Hawthorn Grammar, annear was articled in the office of architect william salway. the office was designing trophy homes – raheen for Edward latham in kew, moondah for james Grice at mt Eliza and millswyn court for james Gatehouse in south Yarra. desbrowe-annear, who was following the English arts and crafts movement closely, was responsible for much of the medieval-inspired work in Heidelberg, ivanhoe, Greensborough and alphington. His macgeorge house at the confluence of the Yarra river and darebin creek is still seen as a stunner. in the early 1900s, the then ascot Vale-based desbrowe-annear and his wife Florence went to live at Eaglemont, near Heidelberg, where his father-in-law, james chadwick, had bought three building blocks high on mount Eagle for £170. the couple built a home for themselves that differed from the other two as it initially had a 52

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corrugated iron roof, painted red to replicate expensive marseilles-pattern metal tiles. the tiles were added at a later date. the father-in-law’s neighbouring residence, which became known as chadwick House, has recently had a suitable offer after having a price revision to $3 million. miles real Estate ivanhoe agents stewart oldmeadow and Elisse Farquhar initially gave a $3.15 million to $3.35 million guide. a medieval-inspired arts and crafts-style home, it has half-timbered roughcast walls, a hipped and gabled marseilles-patterned tile roof, arcaded chimney stacks and cantilevered gables. the house, which was added to the Victorian Heritage register in 1996, sits in 1460sq m of established gardens on the Eyrie. its views were captured by artists of the Heidelberg school, including arthur street and walter withers, who mixed socially with the desbrowe-annears. the home was first sold in 1922. it last traded in 1988 for $715,000 when sold by university professor robert reid to the architect Peter crone and his wife jane, who undertook an award-winning restoration. the property has been returned to its original condition, winning

crone the national award for heritage from the australian institute of architects in 2008. crone first became aware of desbroweannear in the 1960s, when he was a student of architecture at rmit on a class visit to Eaglemont to view homes designed by desbrowe-annear and walter Burley Griffin. the class text, robin Boyd’s Australia’s Home (1952), referred to annear’s inventive approach. “Every new commission for a house was an invitation to experiment with a new device for a window or a cupboard or a detail of construction,” Boyd wrote. in 1902, desbrowe-annear gave a lecture at his local library in which he quoted the emerging designer william morris’s 1880 lecture the Beauty of life: “Have nothing in your houses that you do not know to be useful or believe to be beautiful.” Embracing open planning, chadwick House is a four-bedroom, two-level home with a stately dining room, a library and a living area with adjoining sitting room, opening to a veranda with views. inside it has extensive timber panelling, with charles Voysey-style built-in furniture and storage space. Guided by notions of ventilation, aspect, sunshine and views, along with a healthy

atmosphere, the home comes without the then very dominant long passageway. its swagged and ogee-arch slatted balcony balustrading was borrowed from northern European 14th and 15th century domestic styles. these are exemplified in the white roughcast and black-stained timbering – an early example of medieval revival style unique to Heidelberg. Harriet Edquist’s Harold Desbrowe-Annear 1865-1933: A Life in Architecture suggests the architect was an iconoclast and maverick, having been trained in the academic classicism of the 1880s. she describes the three Eaglemont homes as representing a “remarkable episode in australian domestic architecture”. By 1914, desbrowe-annear was living in south Yarra, with his upmarket clients commissioning Glynt at mt martha for the Henty family, descendants of Victoria’s first European settlers. it bears a similarity to another of his designs, delgany at Portsea. after his death in 1933, Edquist notes, desbrowe-annear’s work was soon eclipsed by the modern movement, which was not interested in history or acknowledging its debt to pioneers.

t H E w E E k E n d aust r a l i a n | j u n E 8 - 9 , 2 0 1 9

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AA former former army army drill drill hall hall in in Sydney’s Sydney’s inner inner west west has has been been repurposed repurposed into into aa contemporary contemporary home home in in aa transformation transformation that that respects respects the the heritage heritage building’s building’s integrity integrity SSt toor ryy bbyy SSAAmm dduunnccAAnn PPhhoot tooggr raapphhs s bbyy j juuSSTTI Inn AALLeeXXAAnnddeeRR

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f fititwasn’t wasn’tfor forthe thecontemporary contemporaryappearance appearanceofofthe the street-level street-leveldouble-entry double-entrydoors doors––freshly freshlystained stainedand andframed framedby byan anoversized oversizedbrick brick archway archway––aacursory cursoryglance glanceatatthe thefacade facadeofofthe therecently recentlyrestored restoreddrill drillHall Hallhouse houseinin sydney’s sydney’sinner innerwest westmight mightleave leaveyou youthinking thinkingit’s it’san anold oldindustrial industrialbuilding buildingwith withno no modern-day modern-daypurpose. purpose. stand standininthe thebackyard backyardofofthe thesame sameproperty, property,on onthe thelush lushlawn lawnby bythe thepool poolwith withthe the owner’s owner’s two two labradors, labradors, and and you’ll you’ll find find yourself yourself inin aa 21st-century 21st-century sanctuary sanctuary –– an an elegant, elegant, relaxing relaxing home home that’s that’s modern modern yet yet pays pays homage homage toto the the building’s building’s original original materials materialsand anddetails. details. “it “itwas wasan anarmy armydrill drillhall,” hall,”says saysrichard richardPeters, Peters,aaprincipal principalatattobias tobiasPartners Partnersand and the theproject’s project’sdesigner, designer,“a“avery veryutilitarian, utilitarian,purpose-built purpose-builtstructure structurefrom fromthe the1890s.” 1890s.”He He quickly quicklycorrects correctshimself: himself:“apologies, “apologies,iimeant meant1905. 1905.my myown ownhouse houseisis1890s, 1890s,and anditithas has aasimilar similarstory.” story.” Peters Peterslives livesininaafarrier’s farrier’sworkshop workshopthat thathe heconverted. converted.it’s it’spart partofofthe thereason reasonthe thenew new owners ownersofofthe thedrill drillhall hallput puttheir theirtrust trustininhim. him.on onmeeting meetingthe thebusy busyprofessional professional couple, couple, Peters Peters walked walked them them through through his his own own home, home, which which had had similar similar design design challenges; challenges;that thatprocess processand andthe thefirm’s firm’sreputation reputationfor forhighly highlyresolved resolveddesigns designsgave gave them themthe theconfidence confidencehe hecould couldalso alsounlock unlockthe thepromise promiseofoftheir theirhistoric historicbuilding. building. it’s it’ssometimes sometimesharder hardertotoadapt adaptand andrestore restorean anold oldbuilding buildingthan thanititisistotobuild buildaanew new house housefrom fromaablank blankcanvas, canvas,says saysPeters. Peters.there thereweren’t weren’tany anyformal formalheritage heritagerestrictions restrictions ininthis thiscase, case,he hesays, says,but butthe thechallenge challengewas wasthat thatitithad hadbeen been“turned “turnedfar faraway” away”from fromthe the original originalbuilding buildingwith withan an“unsympathetic” “unsympathetic”renovation renovationininthe the1990s 1990sthat thathad hadan an“air “airofof tuscany tuscanyabout aboutit”. it”. “we “weset setabout abouttrying tryingtotoresurrect resurrectititand andbreathe breathenew newlife lifeinto intoit,” it,”he hesays. says.

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The Themain mainhall hallcontains containsan anopen-plan open-plankitchen, kitchen, living livingand anddining diningarea, area,and andaaself-contained self-contained master mastersuite suitelooks looksinto intothe thegarden garden

The main entrance features a large pivot timber door; below, a private terrace off a room on the mezzanine level

Peters and his team completed the project late last year, and soon after sydney’s inner west council shortlisted it for a heritage award. “Fundamentally it’s now a contemporary building that operates within a ghost of its former self,” says Peters. “the original building provided a nice form to work with. the interplay between the heritage building and its contemporary resolution was exactly what the clients were after. “there was so much craft in the original building,” he says. “the challenge was to uncover the details carefully. Because the quality of the materials was of such a high standard and the character of the building so strong, we engaged very skilled tradespeople to continue that rigour.” talking to Peters, you get the sense that he values restraint above all else. Questions of balance were also key to his approach: “which elements do we keep of the original building, and how do we weave in the new works without undermining the character of the building?” Enter from the street through the reinterpreted main entrance, a large pivot timber door, and you’re in the main hall, which Peters says became “a pure volume within a volume”. He used the luxury of this space for an open-plan kitchen, living and dining area, with two mezzanine rooms suspended at each end. the main hall opens out onto a generous north-facing terrace. “You get to read the volume of the drill hall; you read the original 62

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roof trusses and its solid timber ceiling, while the soaring space between the mezzanines creates the theatre,” Peters says. at the mezzanine level, each room has a private terrace inset within the original roof form. Below the main hall at garden level, excavation allowed for ancillary rooms such as a laundry, dressing room and wine cellar. then there’s the new addition, which sits into the garden. it includes a self-contained master suite, with a casual living area, opening up onto a carefully landscaped backyard and pool. “it took a lot of work,” says Peters. the shared vision and enthusiasm between the architect, the owners and the project team were key to pulling it all together. “one of the owners’ father is a retired structural engineer who became heavily involved in the project,” he says. “we also had a local, high-end builder who tied in perfectly. the project team architect, julia cumines, did an exceptional job, so we really had the foundations for a great outcome from the start. “these drill halls are just so impressive historically, and there are very few remaining in sydney,” says Peters. “they are handsome, purpose-built structures that were once rolled out in preparation for the First world war. what we have been able to do is save the best elements of the building and recognise those values that enable its history to live on. For me, that has been a very interesting and satisfying part of the project.”

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The tubular steel version of the iconic chair, and below, the flat bar form

he Brno chair was designed by the german-american architect mies van der rohe in 1930 for the tugendhat house in Brno in the czech republic. mies not only designed the house â&#x20AC;&#x201C; considered a seminal work of modern architecture in Europe â&#x20AC;&#x201C; but all the furnishings as well, in collaboration with interior designer lilly reich. the Brno armchair, used as a dining or boardroom chair, has become a modern furniture classic. it is produced today by knoll according to miesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; original specifications. the design was considered revolutionary at the time because of its simple steel frame bent in a c-shape from the middle of the back to form the arms, legs and base in one piece, with the seat seemingly cantilevered. the chair is available in two versions: one with a frame in tubular steel and the other with a flat bar steel design. the seat and back are constructed of hardwood and multi-density polyurethane foam, and can be upholstered in leather or fabric. arm pads are also optional. in entry-level leather, it starts at $3035, from dedece dedece.com 66

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