Mansion February 2020

Mansion INCORPORATING NEWS FROM DOW JONES’ M A NS ION GL OBA L

AUSTRALIA

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-page

Interiors

section

On deck

The must-have extension

Peninsula picks

Bellarine and Mornington

Horse sense

Equestrian spreads Issue 32 H February 2020

THE YEAR AHEAD Prestige listings kickstart 2020

FO R SALES ENQUIRIES C ONTAC T S HARON HA RON SCHOF IE LD P HONE 0 4 0 6 1 9 3 6 1 3

LUXURY F ULL F LOOR 3 & 4 BED RO O M A PA RTME NTS R ESI D ENTI AL O NLY B U IL D ING PR I CED F RO M $2. 2M - $3. 7M

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Contents

Private jetty at Point Frederick, NSW Central Coast, page 34

Editor’s letter

1 3 L U X U R Y Hobart waterfront, Victorian gothic in Balmain, Lorne luxury 1 6 C O V E R S T O R Y A flurry of market activity kicks off hopes for a big year 2 1 J A M I E D U R I E The new breed of homes built off site and delivered 2 2 D O L L Y L E N Z Why the super rich love a luxury coastal holiday enclave 2 4 S U R R Y H I L L S The once rundown inner-city suburb is now in big demand 2 6 B A R A N G A R O O Treasure was unearthed to fitout these apartments 2 8 M O R N I N G T O N & B E L L A R I N E A tale of two Victorian peninsulas 3 2 S O U T H E R N H I G H L A N D S The lush locale is a magnet for horse lovers 3 4 C E N T R A L C O A S T Going upmarket in the laid-back NSW holiday spot 3 6 D E C K S Changing lifestyles are behind the home extension du jour 42 REA

Australia’s favourite hotspots for enjoying beachside luxury

4 3 M A N S I O N G L O B A L Cliff Richard’s Barbados estate and a Greek hideaway 4 4 B A C K P A G E Ecclesiastical residences up for grabs around the country 4 7 I N T E R I O R S A house where stone in all its beauty has a starring role 5 6 P R O D U C T S Plush, polished – it’s all about adding tone and texture 5 8 D E S I G N C L A S S I C S The iconic Iittala vase designed by Alvar Aalto N E X T I S S U E : March 14, 2020

O N T H E C O V E R Historic Shrublands in the Melbourne suburb

of Canterbury. Built in 1863, the mansion faced demolition in 2002 but is back on the market following substantial renovation

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Editor Lisa Allen Contributing editor Jonathan Chancellor Interiors editor David Meagher Art director Samantha Yates Writers Joel Robinson Sam Duncan Rosanne Barrett Chief sub editor Deirdre Blayney Picture editor Christine Westwood Advertising Michael Thompson Tel. 61 2 9288 3630 michael.thompson2@news.com.au

In Bowral, the largest township in the NSW Southern Highlands, vendors pulled their country estate listings at the height of the bushfires for fear of sending the wrong message to their neighbours and the wider community.

But in other parts of the country, would-be sellers have not been shy and are obviously keen to cash in on the head of steam the luxury real estate market, particularly in the capital cities, had picked up by the end of 2019.

A flurry of activity bolstered the Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane markets, capped off by the $40 million sale of a waterfront mansion in Point Piper to entrepreneur Gabriel Jakob. In Perth and Melbourne mansions are now hitting the market.

In Dalkeith, Irish horse trainer David O’Brien is moving to sell his Fortune Bay riverfront mansion, while in Melbourne the historic Shrublands mansion in Canterbury has also hit the market.

In other news, Jonathan Chancellor looks at the latest disposal of archbishop’s abodes across the capital cities by both the Anglican and Catholic Churches.

Offshore we take a look at the magnificent Greek, Italian and Turkish stones and marbles unearthed to line the sky-high apartments being built at One Barangaroo, where prices start at $9.5 million.

On an interior note, David Meagher takes a look at the glassware design work by acclaimed Finnish architect Alvar Aalto for the Iittala company, an icon of Nordic design.

As always, thanks to all the hardworking real estate agents, architects, property developers and designers who contributed to this issue of Mansion Australia.

Lisa Allen Editor

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 February 8, 2020

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| FEBRUARY 8-9, 2020

AUCTION

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4.5 BATH

SATURDAY 29TH FEBRUARY

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6 CAR

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A penthouse in Pavillions, one of Hamilton Island’s most sought-after apartment complexes, has been listed for $9.95 million. The top-level penthouse overlooks the Hamilton Island Marina and has its own 18m berth. Potentially netting $1500 a night rental in peak season, the single-level apartment has been the private retreat of its Melbourne vendors. It is split into two wings, one with three guest bedrooms, each with ensuite and walk-in wardrobe. The second contains the master retreat and a media room. The central dining and entertaining space opens to the balcony and pool. Hamilton Island Real Estate agent Lynn Milsom has the listing.

HAMILTON ISLAND, QLD

SANDY BAY, TAS

BALMAIN, NSW

Providence, a grand gothic Victorian residence in Balmain built in the 1880s, has been listed for sale for the first time in a decade. Last traded for $4.9 million in 2010, the Smith Street home has been listed through Cobden & Hayson agents Samantha Elvy and Danny Cobden for auction on February 29, with a guide of $6.5 million. The home has been extensively renovated during its ownership by the Roberts family. They modernised the interiors as well as refurbishing the 10m heated pool and adding an outdoor kitchen in the 750sq m parterre garden. Under its slate roof, Providence has four bedrooms, formal lounge and dining rooms and a home office. Previous owners Tim Pethick, the founder of Nudie fruit juice, and his wife Lucinda, had paid $2 million in 2006 before restoring the home.

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A Hobart waterfront is set to trade for the first time in 25 years after a recent full refurbishment. The four-level residence at Sandy Bay is one of just eight on the tightly held Sandy Bay Road dress circle that sits between the Royal Yacht Club of Tasmania and Wrest Point Casino. Last year one of the homes on the short strip sold for $3.7 million, the highest house sale price in the state for 2019. St Andrews Hobart agent Steve Yannarakis is marketing the latest listing, which comes complete with a self-contained apartment on the bottom level that opens directly to the water and private jetty. There are another three ensuited bedrooms across the rest of the home, as well as two open-plan kitchen, living and dining spaces. The main one is on the entry level, which opens up to the entertaining balcony looking across the harbour. The home, sitting on 440sq m, last traded for $280,000 in 1995.

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ANCONA, VIC

Hayfield Rise, a converted hay shed in country Victoria, has been listed for $4 million by its architect owner Steve Domoney and wife Lek. The Agency Mansfield agents Kate McDougall and Allana Neely have the listing. The conversion of the property at Ancona, 150km north of Melbourne near Mansfield, was a 10-year labour of love. The original structure, a two-bedroom house known as the Hayshed, is still buried within the walls. In the late 1960s it was owned by Arthur Mitchell, the retired headmaster of Timbertop who was a mentor to Prince Charles.

Hayfield Rise, completed in 2018, now comprises four pavilions with three bedrooms, a guest house, bunk room and three bathrooms. A two-storey central core comprises the living, dining and kitchen area. There is a 14m solar heated pool with its own pavilion, and a garden designed

by Paul Bangay that includes an orchard, rose garden, Japanese terraced walk, lawn panels, perennial bed, kitchen garden, hedging and sculptures. The home has a six-star energy rating.

COOGEE, NSW

The penthouse crowning the recently completed Coogee apartment complex Pinnacle has been listed for February 29 auction with a record-breaking guide of $5 million. The apartment, which Belle Property Randwick agent Shane Vincent calls Coogee’s finest penthouse, spans 220sq m and has three bedrooms and three marble bathrooms. It was designed to frame the Pacific Ocean panoramas from its Arden Street position. The balconies and terraces are surrounded by sky-high gardens. Coogee penthouses peaked last year at $4.75 million. The block has been popular among Australian expats, with New Yorkbased stylist to the stars Anna Bingemann, who is married to producer and director Griffin Dunne, buying into the complex which was finished last year.

SUNSHINE COAST, QLD

Art house The 2018 HIA Sunshine Coast House of the Year has been listed for sale by well-known local custom home builder Paul Clout and his wife Lizzie. They’re asking $10 million for the thoroughly modern beach house on the exclusive David Low Way dress circle.

It has direct access to the often deserted Sunrise Beach. Tom Offermann Real Estate agent Cameron Urquhart says it is as much a piece of art as a home.

“It’s not surprising that properties in the exclusive and secure Beaches estate are so tightly held,” he says. “There are only eight properties and discerning purchasers are seeking ultra-luxury right on the beach.” The Clouts began building in the gated Beaches estate in 2016 after paying $2.8 million for an 820sq m block. Paul Clout designed the resort-style beach house to take advantage of its position. Only the study doesn’t have 180-degree views. Every room that faces inwards opens through sliding doors to the wet-edge pool, spa and alfresco dining space. Entry to the home is through the lobby with its high glass walls and doors leading in to crisp white living areas, which have a marble feature wall with an integrated fireplace. There are three bedrooms and four bathrooms across the home’s three levels. Two of the three bedrooms are self-contained, while the master has its own open bathroom and walk in wardrobe. The rooftop terrace has 360-degree views extending from Lions Head in the Noosa National Park to Mooloolaba and beyond.

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THE WEEKEND AUSTRALIAN

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PALM BEACH, NSW

LORNE, VIC

Palm Beach has continued 2019’s bullish run of sales with three more in the first few weeks of 2020.

Now the fresh listings are starting to flow. The weekender of Shay Lewis-Thorp, daughter of the late property developer Bernard Lewis and his wife Toni, has been listed for sale with a guide of $12.5 million to $14 million. Lewis-Thorp bought the four-bedroom beachfront on Ocean Road for $7.4 million in 2011 from sharemarket investor Walter Lewin, who had seen slow growth after buying it from Barry and Victoria Roberts-Thompson for $7.3 million some six years earlier. Set on 1220sq m, the double brick property with a contemporary open-plan design has two levels, with a living area on each, as well as a number of beach-facing terraces and verandas. A swimming pool and pool house sit in the landscaped lawns. LJ Hooker Palm Beach agents David Edwards and Danielle Forde have the listing. Last year in Palm Beach there were three sales over $10 million, including the $20.5 million sale of the trophy home Palm Haven on Pittwater.

Coast record-setter One of Lorne’s most impressive properties has been sold for more than $7 million, setting a Surf Coast record. Designed by Spaces Design Group and built by GD Construction, the home last traded in 2011 for $4.4 million. It had been listed with a guide of $6.5 million and was snapped up in two weeks. The private compound in 1840sq m grounds has 500sq m of living space, a pool and ocean views. Great Ocean Road Real Estate Lorne agents Tyrone Provan and Michael Coutts marketed the home, with Great Ocean Road Real Estate Lorne agent Ian Stewart, for Ros Turner, co-founder of Hudsons Coffee, and her husband Ken.

ADELAIDE, SA

Heritage sandstone Forest Lodge, a grand Adelaide Hills garden estate, built for businessman and politician John Bagot, has been listed for sale. The heritage-listed residence on Pine Street in Stirling is one of the most tightly held in Adelaide, according to Booth and Booth marketing agent Jamie Brown. It was held by three generations of the Bagot family before being sold in 2002 for $1.65 million, the only time the property has hit the market. Forest Lodge dates from the early 1890s, when it was believed John Bagot was encouraged by the anthropologist Sir Edward Stirling to build the home with walls of sandstone quarried on site. After the gothic mansion was designed by Ernest Bayer, Bagot travelled overseas to obtain conifers for the garden. In 1943, Charles Lane Poole, forestry adviser for the Commonwealth, said the collection of conifers was the most complete in the country. It was the summer home of John’s son, architect Walter Bagot, a founding partner in Woods and Bagot. Walter, also a keen gardener, inherited the home in 1910 and created a croquet lawn. His son John took over the property in the 1960s. The 6ha property was added to South Australia’s heritage list in 2011. Historian Peter Bell, who sat on the committee at the time of its heritage listing, said Forest Lodge’s inclusion was not so much about the home as the “beautiful gardens, including a remarkable conifer garden and mature botanic collections that are both rare and unusual”.

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THE YEAR AHEAD Following a year-end rally that capped 2019’s subdued performance, property agents are looking forward to renewed activity as 2020 kicks off with some high-end listings

BY J ONAT H A N C H A NC E L L OR

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L

Opposite and above: Fortune Bay House in Perth’s Dalkeith has seven separate entertaining zones

eading luxury estate agents hope 2020 will be a more active year than 2019. The prestige market in the two biggest capitals bounced back in spring, but there was very low turnover during the year. The year ended with a flurry of big-ticket sales, which has prompted fresh listings along with unsold offerings that are returning to market with renewed hopes for a sale.

One of Perth’s finest riverfront homes has returned to the market, with Ray White agent Jody Fewster scheduling it for auction on March 21. The contemporary sixbedroom home on Victoria Avenue, Dalkeith, known as Fortune Bay House, sits on 2280sq m with seven separate zones for entertaining – including the river terrace with barbecue. It has been home to Irish horse trainer David O’Brien and his wife Catherine, who moved to Perth in 2009.

“We dearly love Perth, but all five of our children now live overseas and we want to spend more time with them and our grandchildren,” Mrs O’Brien says. “Perth is famous for its wonderful outdoors lifestyle and this house is made for a sporty family, as you can play tennis, swim, waterski, jet ski, go kayaking, fishing and wakeboarding, plus we have a beautiful white sandy beach where you can walk your dog.”

The O’Briens have expanded the master suite to include two bathrooms, two dressing rooms and a study. The property, bought in 1999 for $6.5 million, was unsuccessfully listed twice over the past two years.

There’s a renewed push to sell Sydney stock, including the Centennial Park mansion Walsholme. The Agency’s Ben Collier has the grand Lang Road mansion, built around 1908 for Fred Walsh, the then consul-general for Honduras. One of the first homes in the early 1900s parkside housing estate, the Federation Romanesque style residence comes with a tower room where a previous owner kept pigeons.

Set on 950sq m, the property had undergone a full scale renovation since it was last traded, in 2003, for $3.9 million. It was initially listed 18 months ago.

Many of last year’s eleventh-hour sales were off market. There was a $33 million sale in Point Piper when music industry veteran Stephen Shrimpton sold the Wolseley Road home he bought for $1.95 million in 1995. It was bought by entrepreneur Fred Bart.

There was also the sale of the Kutti Beach beachfront home of Susan Kelly, wife of the founder of Industrie clothing giant Nick Kelly. That was bought for around $32 million by Shay Lewis-Thorp, daughter of the late property developer Bernard Lewis, and her husband Alex Thorp.

Brisbane quietly achieved a near state record at the back end of last year with the biggest sale of 2019. The executive chairman of Ord Minnett and chairman of the Brisbane Broncos Karl Morris and his wife Louise sold their Tennyson home for $16 million in a private deal. They had paid $6.8 million for the site in 2008, knocking down the original home to build a new mansion. The 4200sq m property on the King Arthur Terrace dress circle along the river has a near 100m water frontage and a 40m pontoon.

There was also the mid-$7 million sale of the heritage-listed Cintra House in Bowen Hills last month.

An iconic Melbourne listing kickstarts the year’s offerings. Shrublands in Canterbury was last sold in 2002 and was facing demolition when local residents opposed plans to turn it into townhouses. It was sold a year later to the Williams family. Anne Williams

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Clockwise from top left: Exterior and staircase of Walsholme on Lang Road, Centennial Park; Shrublands in Melbourne; the dining room at Shrublands

and her late husband Mike undertook a full-scale restoration and extension.

“It’s an amazing property”, Anne Williams says, adding that over the years there had been hundreds of inquiries from parties wanting to use is as a movie location. “It is such a part of Melbourne history. We wanted to respect this. We had a passion about bringing it back to be the amazing property it once was.”

It took four years to restore the 42-room, 12-bedroom mansion. Anne and Mike expanded the holding to 6,525 square metres. Back in the early 1900s, when it was occupied by John Ambler, Shrublands played host to a number of moonlight concerts. String bands and vocal quartets would set up on the balcony of the grand mansion.

The home, designed by architect John Flanagan, was the first substantial residence in the precinct when completed in 1863 for dentist Ernest Carter, who later became a vigneron and established a vineyard on the site and out at Lilydale. Shrublands labelled wine was produced in the 1860s and 1870s, when the Boroondara area was one of Victoria’s leading wine-growing regions. The basalt basement cellar, which still exists today, was used to store the wines.

An 1876 advertisement for the sale of Shrublands described the site as having 16 acres of garden, vineyard and orchards.

Carter didn’t sell in 1876 and instead grew the property, adding adjoining holdings to create around 87 acres. The boundaries were 18

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Balwyn Road to the west, Mont Albert Road to the north, Chatham Road to the east and Canterbury Road to the south. He subdivided the estate in 1883 and sold the mansion and its surrounds to broker John Hindson and his wife Alice. Hindson commissioned architect William Wolf to extend the property to the west in 1889, in keeping with Flanagan’s original design and nearly doubling Shrublands valuation within a year. Alice donated the allotment with the house to the Anglican Church as the family had a long association with St Barnabas Church in Balwyn Road. It stayed with the church until its sale in 2002 to intending developers.

Abercromby’s agent Jock Langley, who is marketing Shrublands, says 2020 has started off where it finished in 2019. “Confidence is the key to stability,” he says.

“From Abercromby’s point of view the market over the summer has delivered some outstanding results, with more than $127 million of luxury real estate passing through the books in just over two months.

Lack of quality stock, continued low interest rates and low unemployment will continue to see the market grow in 2020.”

The latest prestige Brisbane listing comes from Hamilton – a near 3000sq m mega block, comprising three titles amalgamated over a decade. The Ludlow Street block is currently the site of two residences, with a block in the middle ready to build a five-level mansion. There’s an entertainment pavilion already on the block that is the favourite

area of vendors Dr Steve Andrews and his wife Sally.

“It’s been inspired by Asia, and is fully airconditioned and a truly beautiful space,” Mrs Andrews says.

Ray White New Farm agent Christine Rudolph, who is marketing the property with Matt Lancashire, says the parcel of prime Hamilton Hill land with its exceptional city and river views could never be built out. “It’s a cliche but this offering is truly extraordinary and offers an array of opportunities across three adjacent hilltop lots. The substantial site presents multiple options for its fortunate future custodian.”

Rudolph says that 2020 has started strongly in the prestige sector.

“Buyers have long-term confidence driven by major infrastructure projects, including Queens Wharf, Cross River Rail, Eagle Street Pier, North Shore Hamilton, Bulimba Barracks, Howard Smith Wharves and now a bid for the 2032 Olympics”, she says.

Ray White boss Brian White says 2020 is being driven by aspirational buyers looking for quality properties.

Ray White Double Bay agent Craig Pontey says the Sydney market is looking strong, but there is a lot of stock coming on to the market.

“I think the market will be more of the same from last year – some really good sales and some ordinary ones”, he says. “Banks are supposed to be loosening up but I’m not sure if it’s across the board yet.

If stock levels are high then things might just be steady as she goes.

There’s still a lot of money around chasing few opportunities.”

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8/20-22 Carlisle Street, Rose Bay This prestige penthouse apartment enjoys panoramic harbour views towards the Sydney Harbour, CBD and Harbour Bridge. It presents an open layout with a smooth outdoor transition, plus a well appointed kitchen, king and queen bed suites, and secure parking for five cars. This residence is superbly located for an enviable lifestyle in one of Sydney’s most sought after locations.

raywhitedoublebay.com

Auction 6.30pm, Thursday 5th March Ray White Double Bay Office View Thursday & Saturday 10.20am-11.00am

Elliott Placks 0402 149 917 Ashley Bierman 0410 161 881

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Jamie Durie A home built by Archiblox in Flinders, Victoria, combining a family-friendly layout with architectural attributes

PREFAB

Home delivery “We are entering the now generation,” says architect Bill McCorkell. You might think he’s referring to the tech industry, but he’s perfectly poised to fulfil all the wants and needs of our instant gratification generation when it comes to home building. If you haven’t explored the 12- to 24-week build time offered by prefab construction and you’ve been exhausted by the tiresome process of conventional building, then volumetric prefab could be the answer, delivering an almost instant abode.

“It’s all about controlling the project from start to finish”, says McCorkell. The fact that modules are built in a controlled environment with skilled and time-efficient tradesmen means there are no weather delays, more streamlined construction methods and economies of scale when it comes to materials. These advantages plus avoiding sitespecific time constraints means nesters are getting the benefits of reduced costs while having a home delivered to their site complete with joinery, tiles, paint and carpets, ready to plug in power and plumbing, in around a third of the time of a normal building operation.

But isn’t this a poor man’s version of contemporary architecture?

How much can you really achieve in a 14m x 4.2m cube – the maximum size that can be loaded onto a truck? Isn’t it much better to have complete creative freedom on the site?

There is a perception that prefab still has some of the stigma attached to it that kit homes did in the ’80s because they are compartmentalised spaces primarily based on an economy lifestyle. On the other hand, the biggest ideas sometimes emerge from the smallest spaces. When a creator gets pushed into a corner they come out punching. Space is so valuable that every square inch is carefully thought through to achieve maximum return on investment and the highest level of sophistication per square metre rate.

The team from Archiblox, McCorkell’s company, has this down to a fine art. The property pictured, in Flinders, Victoria, is laid out in a

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family-friendly way yet with all of the architectural attributes you would expect from high-end custom homes. The ceilings are raked and wood lined, exuding the warmth of natural materials. Even the fireplace, added post installation, is solid brick.

Modscape in Melbourne and Sydney is also seeing a surge in interest in such dwellings. “We got back from holidays a week ago and it was like someone just turned the tap on,” says co-founder Stefan Seketa. “We are building bigger, better and more elaborate homes.”

He points out that custom-designed architecture costs from $2800 to $5000 per square metre. A home is built in 12 weeks under the watchful eyes of 14 design staff and in-house architects. “Our highlight was seeing the entire house arrive onsite in 24 hours,” says one client. Modscape is now building a full-size home every 14 days.

Rob Colquhoun (ex Lendlease) of PreBuilt in Melbourne says they are also executing great innovations and experimenting with the European building technique CLT, or Cross Laminated Timber. All the trades are in-house and can plug in their skills on multiple projects in the one location, streamlining the process.

Parkwood Homes in Somersby offers very affordable options, with prices starting at $140,562 for a modest two-bedroom, two-module home of 67.6sq m, which is just over $2000 per square metre. A four- to six-bedroom 232.4sq m home for more than $400,000 works out to be a very cost-effective $1753 per square metre.

From a lightweight, future-friendly material point of view, the cladding, lining, flooring and roofing options with this type of home building are endless. CSR is creating solar-powered roof tiles, and can produce exterior weatherproof non-combustible cladding in any colour. Austral bricks is making textile masonry blocks, famous in the 1950s, which combine security, ventilation and aesthetic properties.

The range of materials can be used with either a steel or wood frame.

What this all means is that those at the other end of the scale with larger budgets get more bang for their buck without annoying the neighbours with long construction periods and the attendant noise and traffic problems. It’s the future of building: less time, less waste, a more efficient use of dollars, and reduced impact on both the environment and those around us.

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Dolly Lenz

Local aspect

WITH JENNY LENZ

TOM OFFERMANN REAL ESTATE, NOOSA, QLD

Tom Offermann

High on the shortlist of prime coastal destinations for the uber wealthy is Noosa. Many buyers are from capital cities and there is intense interest from expat buyers, mainly from Asian financial capitals, and growing demand from western Europeans and North Americans. Top of their wish lists are prestige front-row addresses on waterways such as Noosa Sound and Sunshine Beach, as well as proximity to Noosa Main Beach and Hastings Street. Noosa retains its village persona, but among owners are some of the most connected and affluent individuals in the country – sports stars, celebrities, tech innovators and industry giants. Stringent town planning restricts residential development, and with 90 per cent of the surface covered by parks and waterways there’s very little vacant land, so competition for existing properties is intense. Consequently values in Noosa have enjoyed the highest price growth in Queensland for 40 years, with multiple sales in the $10 to $20 million range setting a new benchmark. Some owners make their properties available for short-term rental, but just as many rejoice in having it managed by caretakers so they can fly in anytime to catch some sun.

LJ HOOKER BYRON BAY, NSW

Liam Annesley

A luxurious retreat on Ox Pasture Road in the Hamptons

2020 OUTLOOK

Real estate recharge Looking to get away from the stresses of daily city life, luxury buyers are placing more of an emphasis on personal wellness when shopping for a vacation home – a search that more than likely will end in a renowned beach locale. And it’s easy to see why coastal communities are so popular among the super-rich for recharging the batteries and refreshing the mind. These idyllic destinations are all about laid-back luxury, where beach chic supplants business casual, networking is done on the golf course or the local juice bar, and surfboards outnumber taxi cabs. Along with white sand beaches and super-luxury real estate, each destination offers its own unique flavour.

For New York City, the hands-down go-to destination is the Hamptons, a collection of centuries-old villages that are home to some to the world’s top-ranked beaches yet only a two-hour drive from midtown Manhattan. Our clients love the fact that all their friends can be found in the Hamptons and they can continue their lives in a more relaxed manner. It’s the main reason the area has become the world’s foremost second home market, where top sales have already exceeded the $US100 million mark.

The most desirable properties are beachfront homes or larger estates in walking distance of town that offer unrivalled space and privacy. Most recently, Oil & Gas billionaire Michael Smith, paid the second-highest price ever seen in the Hamptons with his $110 million purchase of a premier 283ft wide oceanfront estate. Streets such as Meadow Lane, Gin Lane, and Ox Pasture Road are among the most exclusive locales and are occupied by such billionaire and celebrity residents as Calvin Klein, Tory Burch and Howard Stern.

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When the snow starts to fly in NY and other areas, super-rich snowbirds depart the Hamptons for beach destinations with a slightly different vibe. Lately Miami Beach, which has developed a reputation as a party town, is being challenged for supremacy among the very rich

by Palm Beach on the east coast and Naples on the west.

These two beach communities have become the overwhelming choice for those looking to establish long-term residency in a trophy beach property. In addition to their stunning real estate, unrivalled recreational offerings and world-class dining options, what’s appreciated by the super-rich is the convenience of local airport facilities that let them fly their private jets into the middle of town and arrive home within a few minutes of landing.

Recent statistics show just how wildly popular these towns have become for luxury real estate consumers. Palm Beach has already had multiple $US100 million-plus sales for oceanfront homes this year, while over in Naples a Canadian billionaire recently paid $US48.8 million ($72.6 million) for a home that he tore down and is replacing with a 2973sq m oceanfront estate designed to be the world’s first “netzero energy” mega-mansion.

It is no accident that a large percentage of the global population lives along the shoreline. This is especially the case for the ultra-rich, whose wealth allows them to afford the most coveted acreage featuring panoramic seaside views. The demand for beachfront property is not abating, and locales such as the Hamptons, Palm Beach and Naples will continue to flourish as more and more people seek out the serenity of the sea.

Byron Bay attracts buyers from all over the world but the market is mainly driven by Sydney, followed by Melbourne. Buyers are looking to buy a holiday home or relocate to the area, with the NBN upgrade and more flights in and out of nearby Ballina meaning they can work remotely, and many of the elite community use private charters to get around. Most beachside getaway homes are location driven, with Byron Bay’s golden grid, Wategos and Belongil Beach, catching the eye of many high flyers. At the luxury end of the market views are a big deciding factor. For families, the size of the home counts as well as a location in walking distance to the town and its beach. Many families are looking for multiple bedrooms, and in the old part of town the homes are often in need of renovation or redevelopment. When a turnkey solution becomes available in the top end it’s a hot commodity, as there is no work to be done, and the added attraction of a pool helps create the private compound many buyers are looking for. The key for those wanting a beach house is the vibe. Often the best houses in Byron are kept for family use.

They buy for family enjoyment, building memories with loved ones for a lifetime. Over time they use the property less and less, and that opens the door for holiday or exclusive rentals, with some commanding $30,000 per week.

LJ HOOKER PALM BEACH, NSW

Peter Robinson

Our buyers want homes that offer lifestyle revolving around the water and Palm Beach offers it all, with Pittwater one side and the ocean beaches on the other. Palm Beach and Whale Beach are still dominated by lifestyle buyers buying family holiday homes or weekenders. They love the fact that this is a relaxed area with a holiday vibe but it’s only an hour from the CBD. Holiday home buyers are looking for proximity to the beach, views, prime aspect and privacy. Requirements for the home itself revolve around entertainment – great living spaces flowing out to balconies or terraces. Properties built with stone and timber are popular, and quality gardens are increasingly sought after. Distance from a capital city is vitally important and that’s why Palm Beach remains the number-one choice for domestic buyers in Sydney. It feels a world away but is close enough to work, kids commitments and friends. A swimming pool is becoming a must. This was not the case a decade ago, but buyers now love the idea of being at the beach in the morning and relaxing by the pool in the afternoon.

THE WEEKEND AUSTRALIAN

| FEBRUARY 8-9, 2020

16 BELMORE TERRACE

SUNSHINE BEACH 5

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Massive 7m doors seemingly vanish to reveal a grand atrium with a solar reflective glass panelled ceiling, vast travertine floors and an introspective eye to outdoors. As with all flawless showstoppers it comes with everything that opens and shuts including an automated retractable wall. There are multiple spaces to suit moods or occasions yet where appropriate never loses sight of the ocean views or capturing salty breezes.

Auction Agent Rebekah Offermann 0413 044 241

NOOSA’S HOME OF PRESTIGE PROPERTY

S Surry Hills J OE L ROB I N S ON

Clockwise: The penthouse crowning the Calibre complex, and the building’s exterior; two views of the current Surry Hills record-holder, a three-level penthouse on Cooper Street

Sydney’s Surry Hills was once busy with the booming industrial trades of the early 20th century amid neglected terrace houses occupied by impoverished students and lodgers. But the increasingly desirable city-fringe locality, only a walk or light rail ride from Sydney’s CBD, is now continuing its trajectory as a yuppified suburb into 2020.

The suburb has seen many of the heritage warehouses vacated by the rag trade skillfully converted into apartment buildings. While you still see the occasional fashion-laden trolley being wheeled through the streets, David Servi, of Spencer & Servi, who has been selling in the suburb for 35 years, reckons the trade won’t be present for much longer.

Other thriving industries have completely disappeared in the ever-transforming suburb. The Griffiths Teas building on Wentworth Avenue helped elevate penthouse prices to $4 million in 2017. Nearby, the conversion of the older Edwards & Co Tea warehouse, where prices for an apartment recently hit $3.55 million, transformed the seedy, narrow streets into the site of New York-style residential opportunities.

Next door the Droga family commissioned Neil Durbach and Camilla Block of Durbach Block Jaggers to undertake a conversion of a warehouse known as Project A, which was awarded two of Australia’s most prestigious architectural accolades – the Wilkinson Award in 1997 and the Robin Boyd award a year later.

The opportunity for apartment developers these days lies mostly in replacing the nondescript office buildings that were built after the war.

In the latest conversion, former offices in Cooper Street became the eight-storey Calibre complex, a resplendent apartment project designed by Koichi Takada and featuring the current trend for curved exterior facades.

BresicWhitney agents Ivan Bresic and Christopher Breedon have a $5.5 million guide – a suburb record – for the recently completed slick white penthouse that crowns the complex. The two-level apartment with 165sq m of internal space has three bedrooms, including a master suite with walk-in wardrobe and ensuite. The top level is the rooftop, accessed by lift and dedicated to entertaining. It features a plunge pool, barbecue kitchen, outdoor shower and views of the city skyline.

Takada described the Calibre building, which comprises 18 apartments, as an “urban forest” given the amount of decorative timber used throughout. The block was developed by Icon Oceania, headed by Nico Tjen.

Late last year the Surry Hills apartment sale price record was broken when a threelevel penthouse further up Cooper Street sold for $5.05 million through Walter Burfitt-Williams at McGrath Estate Agents. “The premium Surry Hills apartment market has become more sophisticated and refined, with buyers reacting excitedly to properties that push boundaries in terms of both aesthetic and bespoke finish”, Burfitt-Williams says. He adds that during the marketing he uncovered a number of

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clients who are prepared to pay what it takes for something a bit special and unique. The three-bedroom duplex apartment, with 415sq m of indoor and outdoor space, was bought

by Jillian Gower, wife of former Goldmans Sachs banker and founding partner of venture capital giant Nexus, Philip Moffitt. Developer Eddie Bechara created the block of just two apartments after buying what had been a smash repair workshop for $1.62 million in 2009.

The ground-level space fetched $3.55 million.

On Bourke Street, developer Luke Caplis secured an off-the-plan sale in his boutique project of just four apartments, On Bourke, for $2.9 million. The project has neared completion, with settlements imminent.

There is an offering for sale through BresicWhitney with a guide of $2.2 million in the William Smart-designed complex which consists of just four whole-floor apartments. The top storey appears as a continuation of the neighbouring terrace house chimneys. The facade also reflects the surroundings, with a dark bronze fence and balustrades referencing the metal fretwork of the nearby terraces.

The recently completed Golf House sits on the northern tip of Surry Hills, while at the other end, bordering Redfern, Toga is building Surry Hills Village. With some 154 apartments, it will rank among the company’s bigger projects.

Toga has been marketing its Surry Hills offerings, which include apartments priced at $24,000 per square metre, as located close to an incredible density of dining and social venues. Boss Fabrizio Perilli has confirmed an Australian expatriate based in the US has snapped up the penthouse for just under $6 million, well ahead of its expected completion in 2023. The northeast-facing, three-bedroom, three-bathroom apartment has 279sq m of living space, including 65sq m of balcony with city views. It also has double parking in the garage. The adjacent $4.5 million penthouse is still available.

Located on the corner of Cleveland and Baptist Streets, the apartments, designed by SJB and BKH, cost in the range of $1 million per bedroom, with one-bedders averaging $1.03 million two-bedders $2.09 million and three bedders $2.87 million.

The Golf House, a collaboration between architect Peter Israel of PTI Architecture and interior designer Collette Dinnigan, was for decades the Sydney landmark Sharpie’s Golf House. The building was demolished rather than added to, and the copper-swathed Elizabeth Street site now holds 45 apartments complete with floor-to-ceiling window panelling and doors opening onto balconies.

Late last year a local developer spent $8.585 million on one of the last vacant sites at the eastern edge of Surry Hills, on the corner of Flinders and South Dowling Streets, offered with a SJB-approved design. The $11 million building plans comprise 24 apartments, ground floor retail spaces and 13 parking spaces in the basement. Richardson & Wrench selling agent Conor Arnold had seven registered bidders for the site, which is adjacent to the eastern distributor ventilation shaft.

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Barangaroo

Clockwise from below: Crystal chandelier from Preciosa; powder room in Calacatta marble; a sheet of rainbow onyx

LISA ALLEN

Treasure hunt Its creators searched far and wide for the luxurious materials of One Barangaroo’s interiors The international design team behind Sydney’s opulent Crown Residences at One Barangaroo have spent a considerable amount of time in Europe sourcing specialist design materials for the project. Their plan was to unearth unique materials different from anything available in Australia, according to One Barangaroo’s designer, the British architect and co-founder of WilkinsonEyre, Chris Wilkinson.

The $2.4 billion Crown Resorts hotel and apartment development will open more than three months ahead of schedule in December this year, according to billionaire James Packer, who was one of the first to buy in to the complex when he purchased an apartment for $60 million.

Apartment prices start at $9.5 million for a two-bedder, with four separate buyers paying $40 million apiece for apartments in the 82-unit complex. At last count $450 million worth of apartments had sold.

Acclaimed interior designer Will Meyer, of New York City based Meyer Davis, also travelled to Europe early last year to look at materials such as crystals.

“Nearly everything in this building is custom made,” he tells Mansion. “The millwork, furniture, carpets and more.”

Sydney Harbour influenced the choice of materials and finishes, colour palettes and lighting, Meyer says. “It’s all inspired by the majesty 26

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of the harbour. With this strong reference to place, the interiors will reach beyond to the exterior, wrapping the property in design elements that speak to the surrounding environment.”

Meanwhile, Wilkinson travelled to Europe with Melbourne-based Crown Resorts executive Todd Nisbet and other members of the design team to find even more luxurious materials, such as travertine from Trevi in Italy and crystal lighting from the Czech Republic’s Crystal Valley, outside Prague. High-quality marble was also garnered from Carrara in Tuscany.

“We did a trip to Italy in April 2019 and looked at different stones,” says Nisbet. “A lot of the lighting comes from the international glass manufacturer Preciosa in the Crystal Valley” – including a spiralling decorative rod for the atrium staircase.

The aim was to end up with a handcrafted, bespoke approach.

“With the stone, we picked the A grade natural material and hand selected the stone blocks,” Nisbet says. “We signed off with the designer to establish quality throughout the resort.”

Over two weeks the executives hand-selected stone finishes for the entire resort. While much of it came from Italy and Greece, some limestone finishes were bought in Turkey. “We go direct to the quarries,” Nisbet says.

However, while some stones may look great they lack the durability needed for apartment or resort living, he adds.

“Having worked for decades in the hospitality industry, I have seen where we have made wrong decisions and had to do replacements within 12 months. With the counter tops, we went with the harder materials and natural quartz – you need something that will hold up to the wear and tear of a kitchen.

“There are beautiful materials for the island benches, and a grey material out of Greece for the secondary bathrooms. We are trying to pick up a notional reference to the way the water moves.”

He says some of the stone materials from Greece are unique.

“There are always new materials coming to the fore. We found some really beautiful unique marbles out of Greece, from outside Thessaloniki, near the mountains.”

Nisbet stresses that, unlike a lot of developers, he is not using stone-look porcelain. “We have stayed away from ceramic tiles as a point of difference,” he says. “We believe the expectation from this buyer segment is for natural materials and high quality.

“Buyers are offered a choice of a light or a dark palette, but the stones and natural materials in both versions don’t really change.

“It’s more about the colours of the carpet and some of the cabinetry,” Nisbet says. “Most buyers are veering towards lighter colour schemes, in keeping with the surroundings of the building.”

He also oversaw the marble and tapware selections, along with the 71-level tower’s decorative lighting. He says the plumbing fixtures, by Hansgrohe, were custom designed to reflect the petal shape of the structure’s exterior.

And in a partnership with acclaimed chef Guillaume Brahimi, Crown Resorts collaborated with Wolf and Sub Zero appliances.

“They saw our project as being brand aligned and exactly how they wanted to position those brands in the market,” says Nisbet. “They are chef kitchens that have become showpieces.”

THE WEEKEND AUSTRALIAN

| FEBRUARY 8-9, 2020

8 N O O S A PA R A D E NOOSA HEADS

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Step into a blissful dream, an ultra-luxe trophy home with a coveted absolute Noosa Sound riverfront address, incredible views which are never compromised, just 2-minutes from Hastings Street.

Luxury meant for everyday living also applies alfresco where temptations include launching the boat from the wharf, choosing a paddle board from the boat shed, watching the kids in the splash area of the pool or hosting a lunch party.

Price: $11.5M Agents: Tom Offfermann 0412 711 888 Rebekah Offermann 0413 044 241

M Peninsula luxury JJO ON NAATTH HAAN N CCH HAAN NCCEELLLLO ORR

Neck and neck

The Bellarine Peninsula is closing in on the ever-popular Mornington when it comes to choosing a coastal getaway

Melburnians have a long enjoyed a choice when it comes to coastal luxury, but they appear to be mostly set in their preferences. The Mornington Peninsula has been the higher profile hotspot, however the Bellarine Peninsula across the bay has seen a surge in its popularity. On the coast outside Geelong, the Bellarine has traditionally been an unassuming locale, incorporating the seaside towns of Point Lonsdale, Queenscliff, Ocean Grove and Barwon Heads. The gap has been closing, however, over the past five years at the luxury end of their respective markets.

Five years ago the Bellarine’s top four towns only managed three sales over $2 million, compared to the Mornington Peninsula’s 36, according to realestate.com.au. In 2019 the Bellarine competed with Mornington, notching up seven sales over $2 million compared with Mornington’s 11 known sales in its top four localities. The sizeable price gap remains but the record prices have become increasingly regular on the Bellarine side of what’s known as The Rip. The Bellarine is still popular with the Western Districts farmers, given its proximity.

Two localities saw top prices in 2019. An Ocean Grove home sold for $6.3 million to a family from Balwyn who now reside in the luxury six-bedroom home. The four-level new build, complete with a rooftop spa and a 20m swimming pool with waterslide, was constructed by local builder Mark Le Maistre four years ago. It topped the previous record held in Queenscliff by $300,000, when a three-level waterfront reserve home with five bedrooms and its own internal lift sold off market for $6 million in mid-2016.

Despite being ditched for the location of the reboot of the SeaChange television series, Barwon Heads clocked up its biggest sale ever last year. The absolute waterfront was sold for $6.75 million to Greg Robinson, the former boss of gold mining giant Newcrest, and his wife Caroline. The four bedroom home was designed in the late 1960s by architect Neil Clerehan after the Gubbins family purchased the Riverside Terrace block on the river for $1960. It traded for the first time in more than three decades, having last sold for $160,000 in 1986 when it was bought by the Stasiuk family. The Gubbins family sold the home in 1978 for $111,000, and there have only been two owners since. Set behind towering Moonah trees on a 1620sq m block, the single-level modernist home is as close to the water as possible.

Barwon Heads was cushioned during the recent Melbourne downturn, with just a 3 per cent decline in the median house price, according to realestate.com.au. Now the median price is back where it was at the market peak. Bellarine Property agent Levi Turner

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Main picture: The Goslings; Flinders pavilions and its kitchen; Barwon Heads riverside terrace and interior; and three views of Paringa Road, Portsea

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confirmed the firm values, saying that for much of 2019, the volume of sales was down across the town by around 30 per cent. Spring saw monthly increases of sales activity. Turner says Melbourne buyers, who account for around 35 per cent of his sales, choose Barwon Heads over other weekender coastal spots for its location and its culture.

“Proximity to a train station to Melbourne [is important] as many people still work in the city”, he says.“Barwon Heads is still a village and very small, which gives it an intimate culture.”

RT Edgar Bellarine agent Felix Hakins says the 2020 market was looking “considerably stronger”, with good interest buoyed by the recovery under way in Melbourne. Hakins says the prestige market for the Bellarine has lifted over the past 12 months, with sales over the $2 million mark. He says there are still a variety of buyers, from professional couples or families from Melbourne to expats returning.

One of the biggest drivers in Melbourne buyers was the new ferry service from Portarlington to the city. Hakins says there’s been a good volume of top-end sales results in Ocean Grove and Barwon Heads.

Across the bay on the Mornington Peninsula, Rob Curtain at Peninsula Sotheby’s believes buyers opt for the Bellarine or the Mornington Peninsula based on how they grew up. “I believe people are taken down by their parents to either one side or the other and that sets the foundations for their future,” he says.

Curtain says enquiry levels on the Mornington Peninsula are at an all-time high. “Based on a record December – normally our worst trading month – and January so far, I think in 2020 we are going to be another very strong property market on the Mornington Peninsula.”

He says the most sought-after property during 2019 was a new or renovated home rather than older, original properties needing renovation. “The planning and building regulations and dealing with local council politics are a major turn-off for most of our clients,” he says. Those clients are typically baby boomers between 50 and 70.

“Our demographics will be a little skewed due to the luxury end of the market in which we are positioned but it’s still 70 per cent lifestyle based, with the owners having other properties to spend time with, especially in winter. They’re not classified as genuine owner occupiers.”

Curtain, along with colleague Danielle Vains, is marketing the John Wardle-designed beach house belonging to the former owner of JB HiFi Richard Bouris. They have a guide of $6.65 million to $7.2 million for the Paringa Road house, which Curtain says is one of the area’s finest.

Bouris has owned the home since 2002 when he paid $3.85 million for it shortly after its three-year build was finished. On 8215sq m and adjoining the National Park with private access to Portsea Back Beach, it has four bedrooms, three bathrooms and a study across its two levels.

The sliding glass doors in the living space facing the ocean opens the home up to the environment. Entrance to the home is over a striking moat water feature with architectural stonework. There’s a floodlit tennis court and a self-cleaning swimming pool and spa in the grounds.

Wardle says the residence distills the ideals of the weekender. “It’s not a holiday shack but it does retain the memory of this building type,” he says.“The resonance of the weekender distinguishes the architecture from an urban counterpart. The timber-lined frame is intended as an integral wall to define form and space, and is contrasted with the Dromana Granite mass walls, which provide a barrier on the site against which the timber forms meet.”

Curtain and Vains have recently secured the sale of The Goslings, a trophy acreage in the Flinders, which they had listed with $11 million hopes. The pavilion-style home, built in 2005 on 40ha of grazing clifftop land, last traded for $9.32 million in 2016 when it was bought by Darren Misquitta, the childcare centre entrepreneur who bought the Toorak trophy home Cloyne a few months earlier.

Set privately off Boneo Road, The Goslings is designed to take advantage of the ocean outlook. It’s been built around a central entertaining courtyard, complete with water feature and a pizza oven.

The west wing of the home has three bedrooms, with the fourth, the master with ensuite and walk-in wardrobe, situated in the west wing.

The kitchen, living, dining and family space is centrally located to open to the outdoor alfresco area, where there’s also a separate twolevel studio, used as a home office, on the ground level as well as an artist’s studio upstairs. The grounds include commercial shedding, a paddock and three dams.

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Equestrian estates J OE L ROB I N S ON

Horse play The lush Southern Highlands of NSW are attracting buyers keen to own facilities for their equestrian pursuits

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he Southern Highlands is increasingly becoming a destination for equestrian devotees. Local agents report that the spurt in construction of private equestrian facilities has been well received by buyers in recent listings.

There has been a rise in both private interests and professional outfits. The late Malaysian billionaire Dato Tan Chin Nam was among those who sensed the capacity of the region. His Think Big Stud, a 122ha property on the Wingecarribee River at Bowral, has become recognised internationally as a nursery of champion thoroughbred horses. It was listed in 2019, although it did not sell, through Inglis Rural Property agents Sam Triggs and Jamie Inglis, who sought $20 million.

Think Big Stud, once known as Inverness Stud, was used to spell or breed four Melbourne Cup winners. It was originally bought in late 2006 for $3.525 million, with surrounding property purchased with the winnings of horse races. In 2017, Dato Tan Chin Nam leased Think Big Stud to Greg and Jo Griffin of Lime Country Thoroughbreds, who made the move from Hawke’s Bay. The Southern Highlands appetite for equestrian pursuits escalated in 2014 when Malaysian horseracing tycoon Teo Ah Khing snapped up the Sutton Forest trophy estate The Chase. Khing, who established the China Horse Club, paid $5.8 million for the near 135-year-old, 40ha property and spent $4 million on a new stabling and office facility. A number of the club’s thoroughbred horses are now kept at the property.

“The Chase is a beautiful location to visit and spend time in,” Michael Wallace, head of the China Horse Club’s Bloodstock and Racing recently said. “There are few places as relaxing. I know our thoroughbreds that spend time down here will enjoy it as well. Being an area of high rainfall, the paddocks will be green for most of the year, so our horses will benefit mentally and physically.”

Waratah Thoroughbreds at Moss Vale has been developed over the past 15 years by businessman Paul Fudge. Fudge bought more than 40ha and has created a state-of-the-art facility, adding a horseracing track in 2016 at a cost of $2 million. In 2017 Waratah shifted from running its 20 broodmares and started concentrating on racing and trading in stock. Ray White Bowral agent Michael Maloney says Waratah is possibly the most “exquisite racing complex anywhere”.

Belle Property Bowral agent Di Dixon says the likes of Think Big Stud and the China Horse Club have put the Southern Highlands on the map for equestrian lovers. “Certainly these high-profile studs have raised awareness of the benefits of the location, proximity to Sydney and transport logistics, along with the picturesque nature of large thoroughbred racing operations and the cachet that may add to surrounding properties,” Dixon says.

It’s become the norm for luxury homeowners in the Southern Highlands to provide amazing homes for horses. Drew Lindsay Bowral

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agent Karl Zabel says that over the past few years, a number of his weekender buyers have stipulated equine facilities as part of their requirements. He says most larger acreages now seem to include some equine facilities, including stables and arenas. “Properties with very serious facilities will attract the specialist buyers,” Zabel says.

Michael Maloney says there’s a slow movement of properties changing to equine pursuits from a number of different areas. “We have a large cross section of horse events, from thoroughbred racehorse, be it training, spelling or breeding, to harness racing, polo, eventing, dressage, pony club, cutting, cross country or just leisure riders.”

Kintyre House at Bowral headlines the latest offerings. Oracle prestige home builder Robert Matar and wife Jessica added equestrian facilities to the 2ha Bowral trophy property they bought in 2016 for $2.6 million. The facilities include a new American barn, an irrigated paddock for two horses, a dressage arena, shelter, two stables and a tack room. The couple also extensively renovated the three-level homestead as well as the grounds, which feature a heated infinity pool and spa with a cabana and a floodlit tennis court, also with a cabana.

In the formal gardens there are stone walls, a pond, a workshop and a custom-built chicken coop. The home has five bedrooms, five bathrooms, a home office, a gym and a games room. Di Jones Southern Highlands Bowral agent Lisa-Marie Cauchois, who says the home has all the mod-cons of a boutique hotel, is asking $6 million.

The Colvin family did the same at Linden Farm, their 4.5ha property in Kangaloon. After paying $1.575 million in 2015, they added top-of-the-range equestrian facilities. There’s now a 60 x 36 barn fitted with five Priefert boxes, a round yard, and six fenced paddocks with water. They also extended the homestead, which now has four bedrooms and a garden room. The family is asking $3.25 million through Belle Property Bowral agents Di Dixon and Victoria Lowe.

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| FEBRUARY 8-9, 2020

Clockwise from left: The stables at Kintyre House, Bowral, and its swimming pool; three views of Linden Farm Centra: Kintyre’s dining room

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Central Coast J OE L ROB I N S ON

Rising tide

Sydneysiders are increasingly looking to their near north and buying prestige homes on the once sleepy Central Coast

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he New South Wales Central Coast continues to attract increased buyer interest from Sydneysiders because of the lifestyle change it offers and its investment growth potential. Model Jennifer Hawkins has signalled that she’ll be trading Pittwater to head to the area. Despite the market bottoming in Sydney midway through last year, Belle Property Killcare agent Cathy Baker says that in 2019 the Central Coast’s prestige sector was the best she has seen in a decade. Her sales included Saltwood, a near-beachfront at Killcare that sold for $3.85 million in 2011, fetching a record $6.48 million.

“High-level holiday rental returns and good capital growth forecasts are attracting many to the Coast,” Baker says, with a sharp uptick coming from Sydney. She gets around 80 per cent of her buyers from the capital or overseas.

The downturn over 2018 and 2019 was not reflected in the volume of prestige house sales on the Coast. Last year there were six house sales over $4 million – the same number as in 2018 and 2017. McGrath Terrigal agent Mat Steinwede says Central Coast residents saw the resilience of the local property market. “The average Central Coast beachfront sale price in 2019 was $2.75 million, a huge increase of 19 per cent over the span of one year,” he says. “More than 45 beachfronts and 100 acreage properties sold in that year. We feel this energy will continue to rise in 2020.”

Cathy Baker sold a Wagstaffe home for $5.8 million, the highest waterfront sale recorded on the Central Coast. Between Christmas and New Year, she sold another Wagstaffe home for $2.5 million – $500,000 more than it traded for 12 months earlier.

As the values increase on the Coast, home owners are investing in high-quality improvements, given the lack of turnover on some of the most tightly held streets. Baker says the number of architect-designed homes reflects the evolving style of the area. “It has a very affluent demographic of investors who have an appreciation for high-quality homes and lifestyle,” she says. Investor Dennis Rabbinowitz spent $6 million turning a onebedroom tin shed on the Wagstaffe waterfront into The Wagstaffe House, which won the HIA Australian home of the year. Baker, along with Kiara Fardnava, is marketing The Courtyard House, a Macmasters Beach trophy, with a guide of $5 million. Matt Thitchener Architect designed the South Pacific Drive home in 2017, with the brief to create an environmentally sustainable retreat for three generations of the owner’s family. The Lshaped home focuses on a central courtyard with heated pool and is split into three wings.

The black-clad main building has five bedrooms. Upstairs there is a parents’ retreat with ensuite and walk-in wardrobe. Set away from the main living space is a home office, TV room and artist’s studio. Two-bedroom self-contained accommodation adjoins the garage.

The three highest prices paid on the Central Coast were for homes that fetched more than $7 million. There were two sales in Terrigal and one in neighbouring Wamberal, where the record has stood at $7.1 million, paid in 2016. A property on Ocean View Drive, Wamberal, is now up for sale through Steinwede and Trevor Hamilton, who are seeking offers around $5 million. The modern five-bedroom, 2005 built beachfront on 1100sq m features a two-level guest pavilion flanking the lap swimming pool and courtyard.

Steinwede says now that the Sydney market has bounced back, the prestige Central Coast bracket is benefiting. “We are seeing a number of Sydney buyers secure homes in this portion of the market,” he says. “With approximately 60 per cent of prestige property sales coming from out-of-area buyers, the performance of the marketplace overall is a crucial factor in the success of Central Coasts prestige sales.”

LJ Hooker Central Coast agent Tim Andrews says the Coast market is tracking closer to the Sydney market. “Our market usually follows Sydney by six months. However that gap is closing and the Central Coast is now reacting within three months. Due to prices increasing in Sydney, buyers are cashing in big in Sydney and then buying similar quality for less or investing in their super.” Andrews believes prices will stay firm and probably increase as the year goes on due to the lack of stock. He is marketing Jacaranda, a luxury Brisbane Waters home at Point Frederick, with $4.4 million hopes. The 1700sq m gardens, landscaped by Daniel Piazza house a separate cottage. The gardens run down to the water where there are two jetties, a slipway, a colourful boathouse and deep-water mooring.

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Top and above: Jacaranda at Point Frederick Right and below: The Courtyard House on South Pacific Drive, Macmasters Beach; Opposite page: A home at Ocean View Drive, Wamberal on the market for $5 million

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Elysium, a luxury apartment development on Terrigal Drive, Terrigal, and the just-listed penthouse, below

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errigal’s newest apartment project is Elysium, a luxury development by Central Real, the group headed by millionaire rich lister Tony Denny.

Its mega penthouse, with a six-car garage, has just been listed, offering 223sq m of internal space plus 110sq m of terraces and 99sq m of carpark/storage space.

Denny says it is a “once-in-a-lifetime” opportunity for this kind of beachside apartment, given the level of luxury and detail. “You just won’t find an apartment of this size or location with a six-car enclosed garage and panoramic water views to the Terrigal haven, and right around Wamberal’s beach and lagoon.

“We’ve saved the best for last”, he says. “It’s what you’d expect to see in a luxury penthouse at Bondi or the Northern Beaches, but for a fraction of the cost of what you’d pay in Sydney.”

Access to the apartment on Terrigal Drive is through a private lift lobby. Wired with smart home technology, the apartment has five bedrooms, including a master with ensuite, a butler’s pantry in the gourmet kitchen and a gas fireplace in the living area. It’s designed to take advantage of its outlook, with outdoor entertaining areas and floor-to-ceiling glass looking over the waves.

McGrath’s Mat Steinwede is marketing the fourth-floor penthouse for auction on February 29.

Elysium set records on its off-the-plan launch through McGrath in 2017. One sale broke through the $20,000 per square metre barrier – the first time the Central Coast has seen such figures for off the plan.

Nearly three-quarters of all buyers in the 64-apartment block were already residents of the Central Coast.

Of the 10 apartment sales over $3 million in Terrigal, six come from two addresses: Terrigal Drive and Terrigal Esplanade. More than $2 million was paid for apartments in Star of the Sea, one of the strip’s first prestige projects when it was sold off the plan

by Pat Sergi in 2003.

The highest price paid was in 2014 when Australian rugby coach Alan Gaffney paid $3.7 million for the penthouse in the then brand new Aria building.

The Central Coast apartment record was set in 2017 when an Avoca apartment in the Cathy Slater-designed Lighthouse block of just six was sold for $4.65 million by broadcaster Alan Jones. It had been rented out at $5000 a week when Jones owned it.

FEBRUARY 8-9, 2020

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T Decks

RO S A N N E BA R R E T T

Shifting the boundaries The divide between indoor and outdoor living has all but disappeared in contemporary homes that are all about lifestyle

The humble deck is being transformed into a contemporary outdoor living space as Australians seek to expand their al fresco living options. Underfloor heating, specialised lighting and purpose-built outdoor rooms are becoming more common in a bid to optimise residential living space.

Architect Shaun Lockyer, who has designed homes from Far North Queensland to Sydney, says decking and outdoor spaces have evolved to become critical elements of the home, affording a place for relaxation and leisure.

“When we think about our living, the outdoor space and decks and verandas are really important,” he says. “Decks now are taking on the same priority and sense of gravity as the house itself.

“The way the spaces need to be protected and enclosed and adorned, it is becoming more commensurate with the level of finish and comfort of the house rather than being a temporary place.”

Traditionally a part of the Australian home that blends the interior and exterior, outdoor extensions and renovations are a key element of the nation’s $28.5 billion home improvement market. According to Queensland’s Department of Housing and Public Works, about 6 per cent of Australian homes have a timber deck. That proportion is likely to be higher in the Sunshine State, where the Queenslander is famed for its outdoor spaces, verandas and decks.

Lockyer says decks and outdoor spaces increasingly feature enclosed areas, built-in seating and amenities designed to maximise the use of the space. Kitchens, audiovisual systems and heating add to their utility for entertaining.

“The outdoor dining is a key component but there is also the inclusion of outdoor entertainment, be it through a bar or barbecue, or cooking facilities – certainly a wine fridge,” he says.

“For some of the outdoor living rooms and decks we’re doing,,

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people are even adding outdoor bathrooms so they don’t have to traverse the house.”

Lockyer says in some cases people had included hydronic underfloor heating, as well as radiant heating, so the outdoor room could be used in any season.

“This is a massive development in the way people think about outdoor space, because it’s not just seen as a respite in summer, it is being used as a permanent, aspirational space,” Lockyer says.

“People are also bringing in outdoor heating in Queensland, because they think for three months a year they are not using the space to optimal utility.”

Architect Trevor Chudleigh, who has been practising for 30 years in Perth, has carved out a niche in outdoor rooms – extensions to maximise a home’s cross-ventilation and protect exterior space from weather and insects.

In most temperate areas of Australia, the ideal deck or outdoor room space is north-facing to capture winter sun, with roof eaves to protect against the heat of the summer rays, he says. As the seasons change, the sun also changes its elevation in the sky, allowing more sun in winter but less in summer.

“When the outdoor room is north-facing, you’re getting a lot more warm natural light into your outdoor space in the winter months,” Chudleigh says. “For nine months of the year owners will use these outdoor rooms as a natural extension of their informal living and dining areas.”

Mesh screening also affords a slight heating effect during winter as well as excluding insects, making the space more usable for a longer period of the year.

For the true outdoor deck, Chudleigh says, there is no better material than hardwood timber, despite the maintenance

required. For comfort, longevity, temperature under foot, swelling in the heat and the aesthetic value, timber is still the best. “There are all sorts of products for artificial decks, but none of them we have found are as stable and as nice to walk on on as timber,” he says.

There are alternatives emerging on the market, however.

HardieDeck offers a fibre cement composite for outdoor rooms.

Product manager Christian Hansen says it comes in colours from greys to whites, and is water and fire resistant.

“In the planning stages, think about the colour, the style you want and how you will use the space,” he says. “Lighter colours such as the grey hues and contemporary whites reflect both the heat and sun as well as brightening up spaces, summing up a perfect coastal look.”

Herron Todd White director and valuer David Notley says it is becoming commonplace in prestige properties to feature outdoor dining facilities, including kitchens and pizza ovens, plumbed-in gas heating and integrated audio entertainment systems.

“I’m seeing a number of renovations and new builds where they are setting new benchmarks with regards to finishes and fixtures as well as design elements,” he says.

“Fully functioning outdoor kitchenettes are becoming quite common and considered the norm.

“Due to our climate we do a lot of our entertaining outdoors and as such home owners are spending considerable amounts of money relating to integrated indoor-outdoor entertaining.”

Notley says that at higher price points the inclusions were becoming a critical and expected element of prestige properties. But he says the cost outlaid for outdoor spaces did not always result in added value in the short term, as that is dependent on the spend for the renovation or build, the home’s location and its quality compared to surrounding properties.

THE WEEKEND AUSTRALIAN

| FEBRUARY 8-9, 2020

Top: Shaun Lockyer’s Twin Peaks in Paddington, Queensland, and the dining deck at Gooseberry house.

Clockwise from above: deck at Shaun Lockyer’s Z House; Hampton house deck; and a house at Mosman in Sydney

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CROWN RESIDENCES ADVERTISING FEATURE

AN ADDRESS LIKE NO OTHER SECURE ONE OF THE MOST SOUGHT-AFTER LUXURY RESIDENCES IN AUSTRALIA Imagine how it might feel to live at one of the most prestigious addresses in Australia.

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Prestige Market Update NERIDA CONISBEE

The beach at Noosa

Beachside luxury: summer’s biggest hotspots The summer holidays are a great time to get away and relax – especially if you can relocate to your very own luxury beachside abode.

While there is no shortage of beautiful beaches with amazing homes in Australia, when it comes to searching on realestate.com.au, Australians continue to flock to the same popular destinations. If you’re in the market for a beach house and run in certain social circles, this is where you should look.

Over the break, Melbourne’s business elite converge on Portsea, Sydney celebrities head north to Palm Beach and families with young kids make the annual trip to Noosa, while the up-and-coming, Instagram-influencer crowd unwind in Byron Bay. What is surprising, however, is that the most popular luxury beachside location in Australia at the moment is an area that is far more private and far more laid back than the usual summer holiday haunts. Tightly held Flinders on the Mornington Peninsula in Victoria is the most popular premium beach location in Australia. It is close to Portsea so would attract a similar crowd, but is far more low key and private than its iconic rival.

It is also an area that historically has been undiscovered, although clearly this may no longer be true. The most expensive sale in 2019, according to realestate.com.au, was a home at 33 Bass Street with a $6.8 million price tag.

The who’s who in Sydney (and Hollywood) prefer to make the short trip north to Palm Beach. The Sydney beachside location is less for the Instagram crowd and more for those who value their privacy. It has been a destination for Nicole Kidman and her family, Elle Macpherson, Mick Jagger and Rachel Griffiths. Of the top 10 most popular luxury beach locations, it is the second most expensive, with a median house price of $3.6 million. Whale Beach is the most expensive

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suburb on the list, with a median price of $3.7 million, and is the third most popular luxury beachside destination in Australia.

If you’re under 40, Byron Bay is a more popular option. In Byron there is a multitude of younger, cooler people buying or holidaying.

Think the Hemsworths, friends of the Hemsworths, what Vanity Fair dubbed in a profile piece “murfers” (mums who surf), or visiting Hollywood celebrities. Byron is no longer the alternative seaside town it once was and now has prices rivalling those of many Sydney beachside suburbs. In the past year the most expensive property sold, as recorded on realestate.com.au, was 11 Marine Parade, which went for $18.85 million in March.

Southeast Queensland also has its fair share of luxury beachside holiday destinations. Mermaid Beach and Broadbeach Waters on the Gold Coast are among the top 10, while Noosa on the Sunshine Coast is another favourite for holidaymakers. All have a number of high-end luxury homes, but the most expensive sale in 2019 recorded on realestate.com.au was a $10.3 million double block at Mermaid Beach.

What’s distinctive about southeast Queensland is the level of interstate and international search activity. Sydneysiders and pretty much everyone in Australia loves the Gold Coast and Sunshine Coast equally. However, Melburnians show a distinct preference for Noosa, while overseas property seekers primarily look for homes on the Gold Coast. If you are from Melbourne, well off and have young children (just a personal observation), then Noosa is likely to be a good fit.

You might also have a beach house in Portsea. Why stop at one?

Portsea tends to attract Melbourne money and the majority of famous faces are exceptionally well connected with Australia’s business world.

If you live in Toorak or Brighton and want to hang out with your neighbours over summer, then Portsea is the place to be. The luxury

destination’s $2 million median doesn’t adequately reflect just how expensive many of the homes are. The latest big-ticket sale was a Hamptons-style home that sold in October for more than $20 million.

My own favourite luxury beachside location is Byron Bay. I’m an economist so I clearly don’t fit into the Instagram influencer crowd, but I’m too young for Portsea, my kids are too old for Noosa, and I’m not famous enough for Palm Beach. I also just really like the beaches!

Nerida Conisbee, realestate.com.au Chief Economist

Most popular luxury beach locations in Australia, summer 2020 Beach

Region

Flinders

Morington Peninsula

Views per listing 6,071

Median price ($M) 1.7

Palm Beach

Sydney-Northern beaches

3,802

3.6

Whale beach

Sydney-Northern beaches

3,331

3.7

Byron Bay

Richmond-Tweed

2,027

1.3

Mermaid Beach

Gold Coast

2,872

1.5

Broadbeach Waters

Gold Coast

2,719

1.1

Portsea

Mornington Peninsula

2,383

2.0

Sunshine Beach

Sunshine Coast

2,073

1.4

Lorne

Geelong

1,794

1.3

Noosa Head

Sunshine Coast

1,722

1.1

Source:realestate.com.au

THE WEEKEND AUSTRALIAN

| FEBRUARY 8-9, 2020

MANSION GLOBAL

BARBADOS

Cliff Richard’s estate

G R E E K H I D EAWAY

Secret Cape, a stone-built contemporary home, is named after its remote location on a rocky peninsula on the Greek island of Paros. The peninsula position affords it sweeping views of the island, azure waters and a horizon dotted with uninhabited rocky islands. Its rooms open onto terraces with views out to sea. Those views as well as private beach access are the property’s main selling point. “It almost feels like your own private island, yet it is close to all that Paros has to offer,” says Savvas Savvaidis of Greece Sotheby’s International Realty, which has listed the home for €8.7 million ($14.06). The main house has four bedrooms, four bathrooms, a living room, a dining room and two kitchens. There are also two guesthouses. Paros is part of the Cyclades, a group of islands southeast of the mainland that includes holiday hotspots Mykonos and Satorini.

CLAIRE CARPONEN

British pop music icon Sir Cliff Richard has put his sunny seaside Barbados estate back up for sale. The picture of a “Summer Holiday,” the luxurious villa, perched on 1.1ha of land about 400m from the beach, hit the market this month asking just over £6.8 million ($12.9 million). Richard, 79, has reportedly made Barbados his primary residence for more than a decade after selling a home in Surrey, England, in 2006 and downsizing his real estate portfolio. A 2009 TV special on Richard was recorded at this exclusive Caribbean estate, which he is said to have built up after buying the land in the mid2000s. “It’s my own personal little piece of paradise,” he told interviewer Piers Morgan.

The house sits within the guard-gated Sugar Hill Estate, which offers residents access to floodlit tennis courts, dining at the communal clubhouse, a pool and a gym.

Richard’s estate, known as Coral Sundown, has its own pool and patio area with panoramic views over the turquoise ocean in the distance. The dramatic entryway features a bridge to the front door, with a canopy of tropical foliage and set within elaborate Mission revival-style architecture. The front door leads into a voluminous living room with views over the ocean and vaulted ceilings. There are six bedrooms and six bathrooms, and several balconies. There’s also a private tennis court with a courtside pergola, and a garage. “Coral Sundown is ideal for entertaining and boasts a spacious kitchen with staff quarters and laundry room,” reads the listing.

BECKIE STRUM

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C A L I F OR N I A N C RO W N I N G G L ORY

An oceanfront new build in Corona del Mar, California, has hit the market for $US24.995 million ($36.23 million). The three-storey home is where “modern architecture meets sophisticated interiors”, says Tim Smith, a listing agent at The Smith Group with Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage. Six bedrooms and 10 bathrooms are spread across 892sq m of living space, and a rooftop deck has panoramic views of the Pacific. “Because of a premier corner location, almost every room comes with an ocean view,” Smith says. “It’s within walking distance of a great village, along the Orange County coastline.” The home also comes with a media room, a wine room and a fitness centre with spa. Floor-to-ceiling windows and glass floor panels around the stairwell admit natural light to all three levels.

YALING JIANG

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Church residences J ONAT H A N C H A NC E L L OR

Hallowed halls The listing for sale of Bishop’s Court, a gothic mansion in Adelaide resplendent with ornamental chimneys, gables, gothic arches and shuttered windows, marks the latest disposal of archbishops’ abodes across the capital cities by both the Anglican and Catholic Church.

The landmark North Adelaide mansion (pictured), which has been put on the market by the Anglican Church, was the home of the first Bishop of Adelaide, Bishop Augustus Short, in the 1850s. He purchased a two- acre block within weeks of arriving in South Australia on board the Derwent in 1847, having opted to take the archbishop position in Adelaide instead of in Newcastle, north of Sydney. He had architect Henry Stuckey design the home and its stables. Stuckey died before the project was finished and Edmund Wright, who went on to marry Stuckey’s widow, oversaw its completion.

Short described Bishop’s Court as commanding a “noble view of the valley of the Torrens, the city of Adelaide, and the fine range of Mount Lofty”. It has been little altered since its completion, says Booth & Booth agent Jamie Brown, who notes that the current Adelaide sales record has stood since 2016, when Ivanhoe, a grand 1880s mansion in Gilberton , fetched $7 million.

Both the Anglican and Catholic churches have sold many of their residences in recent times. The most expensive was in Sydney’s Darling Point – an 1840s grand sandstone mansion now the home of

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Caleb Wang, the teenage son of billionaire Wang Qinghui. The landmark Gothic Revival house was sold for $18 million in 2016 to Wang senior, the president of Bonanza Investment, who debuted on the Forbes Rich List of China in 2014 as a result of his investment in Beijing Telecom. He was born into an ordinary peasant family, eventually becoming a property owner in Shenzhen. In 2019 his net worth on the Huran Rich List was $290 million.

The Darling Point property had been on and off the market for several years, with Craig Pontey at Ray White Double Bay coming up with what proved to be a difficult sale. The picturesque mansion had been with the church since 1910, when it was bought for £6750, and had served as home to eight archbishops. The church had been contemplating selling the property since the 1960s, for various reasons. The 2012 synod heard that some members of the congregation had been “scarred” by their visits there because of its opulence. The cost of maintenance and conservation work had been averaging $368,000 per year.

Sydney’s Bishopscourt, replete with sandstone gothic extravagances, was built for the industrialist Thomas Sutcliffe Mort, who forged an empire on wool, dairy, meat, mining and shipping. The residence – mostly obscured by fig trees on a 6215sq m holding – was designed by architects John Hilly in the 1850s and Edmund Blacket in the 1860s.

Mort was a great supporter of the church, giving it the nearby land to build St Marks. The church bought the estate from a land speculator in 1910, 32 years after Mort’s death in 1878 and the departure of his family.

The Anglican Church in Newcastle sold Bishopscourt, a sevenbedroom, inner-city mansion, for $5 million to the local Hughes family in 2015.

Bishopscourt in East Melbourne, whose build was delayed by the gold rush, remains in the hands of The Anglican Church. In 1870 it served as the interim Government House for Victoria while the present Government House was being built. Its bluestone exterior and soaring tower are the main survivors from those years, although visitors don’t tend to venture up into the tower during open days.

Tasmania’s Bishopscourt, built on a hillside in Sandy Bay in the 1850s, was sold in 2004 for $1.65 million to Melbourne businessman Herman Rockefeller, who was later murdered. It was then sold for $2.16 million in 2011 and $2.958 in late 2018. It is now the four-star hotel Old Bishops Quarters.

Perth’s Bishopscourt went down a similar commercial route. The three-storey Georgian mansion, which was built in 1859 for the first Anglican Bishop of WA, Mathew Blagden Hale, is now the multi-level restaurant Lamont’s Bishop’s House, a popular wedding venue due to its attractive gardens.

THE WEEKEND AUSTRALIAN

| FEBRUARY 8-9, 2020

Gasworks, 90 Macaulay Road This stimulating residence by renowned architects Multiplicity re-defines the concept of ´warehouse conversion´. "It’s really a piece of art and I think this place will appeal to someone who really understands not just architecture, but how difficult it is to transform what was once a heritage building into something that is so fine.

The spaces are truly flexible. Whether you´re in the dramatic living room, the study beneath the entry, or the main bathroom which overlooks a famous football oval you get the sense this is very bespoke house where everything’s been considered." (Stephen Crafti). Ingenious, inviting and totally private, this address, moments from the Queen Victoria Market, the development of the Metro tunnel station and the CBD, has featured on ABC TV´s ´Restorations Australia´ and was a finalist in the Habitus Home Of The Year 2019. Sublime.

abercrombys.com.au

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Private Auction: Tuesday 17th March View: By Appointment Video Journey: vimeo.com/386600113 Contact: Simon Curtain 0405 385 285 Jock Langley 0419 530 008 Office 9864 5300

AUSE01Z01MN - V1

Rock star

Putting stone at centre stage

Shine on

Touches to raise the tone

All glass

Alvar Aalto’s classic vase

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SET IN STONE

The monumental quality of the local rock imbues this Melbourne home with a sense of permanence that grounds it in the history of the site

S to r y by SA M D UNCA N P h o to g r a phy by S H A RY N CA I RN S

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The living room of the award-winning Cornerstone House in Melbourne combines rough-hewn stone with clean angles

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Y

The interior spaces use lines and angles to create a sense of lightness. Above: The striking slatted facade

You have to admire the way architect Chris Stanley interpreted his clients’ brief.

He says that for them the most important element was durability, so Stanley, along with partner Asha Nicholas, designed them a house made of boulders.

The use of stone came about, says the co-founder of Splinter Society Architecture, because his clients loved the bluish-grey basalt that typifies a lot of the older Melbourne buildings, streets and laneways. “We were also aware that we would uncover basalt boulders when we excavated for the footings and pool, and that these could be kept on-site and utilised,” he says.

But the design is also an ode to the rugged beauty of the area’s old quarries.

Along the banks of the Merri Creek and Darebin Creek in Melbourne’s north are several historical sites that were used to extract stone for many of the early significant Victorian buildings in the area.

“Large parts of Melbourne’s north sit on an old lava flow belt,” says Stanley.

“This can be seen if you walk the creek trails, or pass through the land cuts heading out the Eastern Freeway.”

With his clients also looking for a sense of monumentality and texture with their home, in suburban Northcote, Stanley’s team started to explore the idea of using solid blocks of stone in key locations.

“We avoided the cost implications of using solid stone throughout the whole house,” he says, “instead deciding to treat the stones as feature elements that stand almost like sculptures. Being selective about where they appear means they have a bigger impact and a sense of intrigue.”

Once the concept for the materials was established, Stanley’s team set about developing the plan and form of the house. “We went back and selected where the key moments for locating the stones would be to give the most impact and dramatic experience as you move throughout the house,” he says.

The boulders used in Cornerstone House are a mix of basalt and granite. Some were procured from a supplier, others were excavated from the site. They’ve been used in their raw extracted state – dug up or split from the quarry walls. The large stones were first positioned on-site, then the house was built around them.

“There was no magic number for how many stones to use,” says Stanley.

“However, there was a certain impact we needed to achieve within a budget, and combined with what we uncovered during excavation, that set the quantity.”

One of the most interesting applications, he says, are the stones at the entry, which is “total immersion into stacked boulders like a portal to the home”. The front door sits between four of these stones, which weigh between six and eight tonnes each. “You can feel their monumentality as you enter the house, and it creates that desired sense of durability, solidity and privacy,” says Stanley.

The kitchen island bench is another favourite.“It really lends itself to the large boulder integrated along the side. It’s right at the centre of the home’s activity and

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Stone is used to extend the home’s monumental qualities to the exterior and pool area, below

the inhabitants circulate around it as they use the kitchen.” Stanley says the most striking integration, though, is probably along the entry corridor, where the stone sits as equally part of the house and part of the garden and is beautifully accentuated by the thin glazing above it. His team has used materials aimed at creating a tension between contrasting conditions: hard-soft, heavylight, rough-smooth, raw-refined. Using this technique, they’ve created a highly textured set of interiors with a sense of drama, glamour and beauty, without being solely reliant on expensive finishes.

There is a constant dialogue between the rough grey stones, slender black steelwork and a variety of warm metallics. In the living room, crushed velvet in golden tones is used behind the bookshelves to create a unique display. Rose gold treated stainless steel is used in the kitchen to help the heavy benchtop float above the concrete floor.

Copper-finished lights add a refined accent to the ensuite and master bath.

And warm metallic sheets break the external black cladding, changing from gold to auburn as the light changes with the time of day.

“Throughout our travels, my partner and I have always admired the use of stone in different ways,” Stanley says. “We travelled a lot in the mid-90s in Japan, and absorbed a lot about appreciating the natural beauty and imperfections in materials.”

The biggest challenge with this project, he says, was in the number of details that required resolution.

“We had to consider and refine many interactions between unforgiving and somewhat difficult materials to work with. Junctions between natural stone, steel and glass require a lot of thought and an excellent builder.”

As for the result, Stanley says: “We’re really happy with the balance of interest and refinement in this project. We set out to create something that would be unique, yet relevant to our clients, and that would give a sense of happiness to those who use it for a long time.”

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| FEBRUARY 8-9, 2020

20 Mona Place

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’Caslake House’, a spectacular Marcus Martin family residence recently renovated under the guidance of Powell & Glenn Architects. Surrounded by Kate Seddon gardens. Enjoying spacious sundrenched formal and informal living zones with garaging for two cars. A highly desirable location close to elite private schools, moments from the Royal Botanic Gardens, Toorak Road restaurants, tram routes, the Yarra River and bike tracks to the city.

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Private Auction: Tuesday 25th February View: By Appointment Saturday & Thursday 11.00-11.30am 24/7 View: caslakehouse.com.au Contact: Jock Langley 0419 530 008 Emma Pierson 0409 182 310 Office 9864 5300

abercrombys.com.au

Etc. S A M YA T E S

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Touch tones Colour and texture in a range of accents to add interest to every nook and cranny 1.THROW Whedon 100 per cent cotton throw in two colours, ‘twine’ and ‘clover’. sheridan.com.au 2. LIGHT FITTING The Spillray pendant range plays on the shape of an upturned goblet. In three sizes and four colours, and single, three-light, six-light, 10-light and 12-light clusters. From Studio Italia studioitalia.com.au 3. BOOKCASE Poltrona Frau Turner freestanding swivel bookcase designed by Gianfranca Frattini From Cult Design. cultdesign.com.au 4. CHAIR Edra Ella chair by Jacopo Foggini. Handmade from polycarbonate, each chair is unique From Space Furniture spacefurniture.com

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5. CHAISE Mad chaise longue by Marcel Wanders for Poliform Other materials, colours and sizes may be available. poliformaustralia.com.au 6. TABLE

Inspired by the hexagonal structure of quartz crystal, HEX tables come in colours that reflect the varieties of quartz in nature. For use as a single side-table or in combination to form crystal “islands”. Small, medium or large From Spence&Lyda. spenceandlyda.com.au

7. BLANKET

Hermès Avalon vibration blanket in wool and cashmere with a jacquard weave that plays with the codes of jockey silks and horse blankets.

From Hermès. hermes.com

THE WEEKEND AUSTRALIAN

| FEBRUARY 8-9, 2020

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Alvar Aalto vase

ALVAR AALTO

Design classics DAVID MEAGHER

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The vase designed by Alvar Aalto and made by Iittala. Each vase is hand blown in Finland

he Finnish architect and designer Alvar Aalto designed everything from hospitals to large industrial structures, churches and cultural buildings. He also designed some of the 20th century’s most enduring furniture pieces, such as the much-copied Model 60 four-legged stacking stool (a version of which, thanks to Ikea, can be found in millions of households around the world). But it is the glassware he created with his wife Aino for the Finnish company Iittala that has become an icon of Nordic design.

Aalto was an architect who viewed building design as a Gesamtkunstwerk, or “total work of art”. For Aalto this meant designing not just the building but also the interiors, the furniture, the surfaces such as carpets and textiles, as well as the light fittings and even the glassware.

The Aalto vase design was the result of one such commission – for the Savoy restaurant in Helsinki, which opened in 1937 – and it was considered innovative at the time for the way in which it allowed flowers to be displayed in unusual and original ways due to its organic shape.

Each 160mm high vase is hand blown in Finland, which means that each one is unique. The Aalto glass design has also been used for tea lights and bowls, and now comes in myriad colours.

This year Iitala has released a design from the Aalto archives called the “3032”.

At 270mm, it is a taller vase and has a rounder, softer shape.

The 3032 comes in clear glass and a warmer “linen” colour. $399 from iittala.com.au

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THE WEEKEND AUSTRALIAN

| FEBRUARY 8-9, 2020