Mansion October 2020

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incorporating news from Dow jones’ M A NS ION Gl oba l

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10-page

Interiors

section

greener

Pastures

Buying up big beyond the city

Capital rising

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The thriving Canberra bubble m a nsionaust r a l i a .c om . au

Issue 39 H October 2020

Prestige for a price Sydney’s Eastern Suburbs

Puppy love

Home is where the dog is t H E w E E k E n d aust r a l i a n | o c t obE r 8 - 9 , 2 0 1 6

$5 up in t Av g 5,00 o a ra 0 n ila nts ow bl e

to p 0 0 0 ts U 0, n a le $4 Gr ab l in vai ow A N

Residents lounge

Rooftop pool

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Contents

The stables of Cordeaux in the NSW Southern Highlands. See story page 12

9 L U X U R Y Former convent, historic Grampians home, Fifties ranch 1 2 C O V E R S T O R Y Restless Sydneysiders look to the Southern Highlands

Mansion AustrAliA

1 6 D O L L Y L E N Z Putting a premium on pet-friendly apartments 2 2 M E R M A I D B E A C H Tony Smith on the house he just sold for $25 million 3 1 K U R R A B A P O I N T A rare near-waterfront project with iconic views 3 2 E A S T E R N S U B U R B S The prestige Sydney precinct is still breaking records 3 4 G O L D C O A S T Apartments offering luxury, lifestyle and a safe haven 3 5 C A N B E R R A The nation’s capital is sitting pretty in its own property bubble 3 7 P R E S T I G E M A R K E T Change is in the wind for premium suburbs list 4 0 M A N S I O N G L O B A L Rihanna’s rental, Matthew Perry’s Malibu escape 4 1 B A C K P A G E The home that lays claim to a Frank Lloyd Wright connection 4 3 I N T E R I O R S An Edwardian worker’s cottage gets an internal makeover 4 9 P R O D U C T S Soothing tonal variations for a relaxing home vibe 5 0 D E S I G N C L A S S I C S USM’s modular furniture system is a cult favourite

N E X T I S S U E November 21, 2020

O N T H E C O V E R Cordeaux, an estate in Berrima, NSW, with

a French-inspired modern farmhouse and extensive equestrian facilities that include an Olympic-sized arena

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

Unsolicited manuscripts will not be considered.

Printed by Ovato Print Pty Ltd, 31 Heathcote Road, Moorebank 2170, for the proprietor and publisher, Nationwide News Pty Limited (ACN 008 438 828), of 2 Holt Street, Surry Hills, NSW 2010 for insertion in The Weekend Australian on October 10, 2020

Editor’s Letter As Mansion Australia went to press this month there was finally a feeling of optimism in the air. Long-suffering Victorian real estate agents can at last participate in private open house and off the plan inspections.

“There is pent-up demand – it is really good; we have 59 appointments for an off the plan apartment project in Brunswick and 62 in Fitzroy,” said celebrity agent John Castran, just a day after the restrictions were lifted.

Prestige sales are also rocketing along. On Victoria’s Mornington Peninsula, My Chemist Retail Group co-owner Mario Verrocchi has just forked out close to $40 million for Mount Eliza’s Morning Star estate. Belle Property is so confident it is opening new Victorian agencies in Geelong, Trentham and Torquay to capitalise on the growing desire for coastal and rural lifestyle areas. In Sydney’s Eastern Suburbs, there was a $95 million off-market sale in Point Piper, and in nearby Vaucluse a house was snapped up for $30 million. Added to that, in late September there was a $24.6 million record onsite auction sale, also in Vaucluse. Further north, in the Sunshine State, there’s been a $25 million record sale. We take a look at this mansion, on Mermaid Beach, courtesy of its vendor, businessman Tony Smith. Smith, a former AFL player, recently sold the Bali meets Hamptons style house. And he is not afraid to share some of the pitfalls of house design.

This issue we also look at a stunning new development at Sydney’s Kurraba Point on a $60 million site with views of the Opera House and the Harbour Bridge. But my favourite is a piece from our New York correspondent, the famous realtor Dolly Lenz. Dolly looks at the latest pandemic trend: buying a pooch. Thanks to COVID-19, condominium developers have upped their pet amenities, including indoor play areas in their new apartment developments.

At home, local agents note the increase in the number of buyers asking for dogfriendly apartment buildings in inner-city locales such as Sydney’s Potts Point.

As always, we thank our hard-working agents and developers for their help in putting this issue together.

Lisa Allen Editor THE WEEKEND AUSTRALIAN

| OCTOBER 10-11, 2020

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Auction Thu 15 Oct at 6:00pm Contact Agent Virtual Inspections Welcome Agent Ana Tulloch 0439 343 432 ana@ljhbroadwater.com.au

BYRON BAY, NSW

The Byron Bay hinterland’s latest quick-fire prestige sale is The Castle in the Sky, an acreage at Wilsons Creek near Mullumbimby that has sold for $4.2 million in just under three weeks. Known as Aquila on holiday rental websites, where it fetches $4000 a week, it sits amid 53ha of tropical rainforest, 25km inland from Byron. The northeastern-facing homestead on a hectare of the cleared mountain crest was created to capture the organic architectural ideals of American architect Frank Lloyd Wright. Built from Oregon timber and volcanic bluestone, the home, at the eastern end of the Koonyum Range, has a main pavilion comprising the open plan dining, living and kitchen area, with a huge open fire as its centrepiece. Floor-to-ceiling glass windows wrap the living area. Upstairs is the master retreat, with its own sitting area and observation platform. The spa house, facing the 12m pool, has two more bedrooms and an observation deck. Byron Bay & Hinterland Property Coorabell agent Rez Tal secured the quick sale to a former Sydneysider who moved to Byron within the past 12 months.

NOOSA.QLD

Tropical retreat

WOLLOGORANG, NSW

Arundel, a 100ha property at Wollogorang on the NSW Southern Tablelands between Canberra and Goulburn, has been listed by the Bill family after two decades of ownership. Its historic buildings, surrounded by a drystone wall and established trees, are at the end of a 450m tree-lined driveway. The two-bedroom European-style red granite homestead features a kitchen with a slow combustion stove and a living area with a slow combustion fire. An outdoor deck has views towards the Currawang Ranges. There is a cottage with a loft, the Gardener’s Hut and The Breadhouse with a woodfired bread/pizza oven. Cattle yards, 10 surface dams and more than 1.5km of radiata pine tree bays are included. Meares & Associates agent Chris Meares is marketing the property with a $2.25 million to $2.75 million guide and expects strong interest.

OCTOBER 10-11, 2020

| THE WEEKEND AUSTRALIAN

A private retreat on Noosa’s Lake Weyba (pictured top), complete with three-hole golf course has been listed for sale. The home, on Lake Weyba Drive, has nine-tee off points for its three holes, which wind through the 1.3ha tropical grounds.

Set beside a lagoon, it was architecturally designed and built in 2005, having been commissioned by its one-time owner, former boutique resort manager Gregory Coventry. Facing the lagoon with walls of windows and bifold doors, the house has a gourmet kitchen as its focal point, surrounded by living spaces and a semi-enclosed alfresco area complete with an outdoor kitchen.

There are five bedrooms, with two guest bedrooms set in their own pavilion. The master bedroom, is inspired by a luxury Bali-style resort.

Opposite the lagoon near the infinity-edge pool is a guesthouse and a poolside gazebo with a teppanyaki grill. Century 21 Connolly Hay Group agents Mike Hay and Adam Watts have the listing.

Closer to the beach is a three level home on Noosa’s Upper Hastings Street in Little Cove (bottom). The 2007-built property has three downstairs bedrooms that open to the near 10 metre swimming pool. Upstairs is the kitchen and living level, which leads upwards to a roof top terrace. Tom Offermann agent Rebekah Offermann has an October 17 auction.

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PYRMONT, NSW

PADDINGTON, QLD

A colonial Queenslander in Brisbane’s Paddington has hit the market after an architectural redesign and renovation. Kieron Gait Architects undertook the project, updating the 1910 home on Kennedy Terrace while retaining its heritage-style frontage. The upper-level hub of the home has been redesigned to create an open plan kitchen, living and dining space wrapped in sliding glass doors that open to the wraparound veranda. At the rear of the upper level is the master bedroom suite with walk-in wardrobe and ensuite. On the ground level there are another four bedrooms, as well as a second living space that flows to another wraparound veranda. That meets the new swimming pool and cabana, set in the landscaped yard. A glass lift connects all three levels. Ray White Paddington agents Judi O’Dea and Michael Kleimeyer have set an auction date of October 24.

A new Pyrmont apartment record is about to be set, with the penthouse in the awardwinning Sydney Wharf listed for the first time since its construction. The Pirrama Road penthouse was bought off the plan for $6.986 million in 2008, a year before the project was developed by Charter Hall. It was built by Brookfield Multiplex to a design by PTW Architects. The bare space was custom-fitted in a contemporary style with strong Scandinavian and maritime influences. McGrath Pyrmont agent Robert Alfeldi has the prestige listing. He expects it could fetch $20 million, given its view of the western side of the city, across the harbour towards Barangaroo. It has three bedrooms, 350sq m of internal space and 80sq m of terraces. There’s also a rooftop terrace with plunge pool and garaging for three cars. Sydney Wharf is the site of Pyrmont’s priciest apartment sale so far, when former Ferrari boss Herbert Appleroth sold his apartment for $12.8 million.

ST KILDA, VIC

Modern makeover A three-bedroom apartment in the Lucient complex on Melbourne’s St Kilda Road has been listed for sale after an ultra-contemporary renovation. The New York loft-inspired apartment was remodelled by The Interior Design Group’s Kylie Hillard. It now features engineered oak herringbone floorboards throughout the living, dining and kitchen area, as well as the separate family room divided from the main space by custom steel-framed doors. The luxury kitchen has a Calacatta bench and a custom black glass splashback and feature wall. The living area meets a winter garden, complete with imported Italian weathered bluestone trim tiles.

There are three bedrooms and three bathrooms across the 200sq m apartment, which is one of three on the building’s fifth level. The Agency Port Phillip agents Brendan Walker and Jesse Raeburn have a guide of $2.55 million to $2.8 million.

Lucient, toward the top of St Kilda Road between Fawkner Park and Albert Park Golf Course, was completed in 2008 to a design by The Buchan Group. It was developed by Lustig & Moar, in partnership with Macquarie Real Estate Equity Funds.

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THE WEEKEND AUSTRALIAN

| OCTOBER 10-11, 2020

HAMILTON, VIC

BALMAIN, NSW

Balmain’s residential house price record is set to be broken with the listing of one of the peninsula’s landmark homes.

The sprawling family residence on Jane Street was once the Convent of the Immaculate Conception, designed by pioneer architect Edmund Blackett in 1876 with the south wing added two decades later. Considered the finest example of Gothic Revival in Sydney’s inner west, it housed 30 boarders and 10 nuns. A renovation divided it into three residences, with the south wing also split into three apartments. Five years after it sold for $3.7 million in 2006 it reverted to one residence.

It has 700sq m of space over four levels, an internal lift, eight bedrooms, a gym and a wine cellar. BresicWhitney Balmain agents Adrian Oddi and Shannan Whitney are asking $12 million for the heritage-listed home, which has approval for a pool.

Hewlett House, a historic home dubbed The Castle at Hamilton in Victoria’s South Grampians, has been listed for sale. The home was built in the 1870s on land originally sold by the Crown to the Murphy family in the mid- 1850s. It was designed by architect William Holden for local doctor Edmund Vialls, one of Hamilton’s first doctors. Holden designed Dr James Wylie’s nearby Roxburgh House on Thompson Street before building Hewlett House. He is also credited with designing St Ronan’s for Sigismund Jacoby as well the Hamilton Academy, now St Mary’s School. Holden himself lived in a wooden house nearby. Now set on a 905sq m block on Gray Street, Hewlett House still has its formal entrance hall, striking archway, leadlight windows and soaring ceilings, but has undergone a contemporary renovation since it traded for $510,000 in 2004. It has five bedrooms, three bathrooms, a renovated kitchen, and a living room with a slow combustion wood heater.

There’s a secluded rear garden with terraced paving, and soft silver birch, box hedging, roses and lawn areas behind a feature fence. Charles Stewart Warrnambool agent Penny Adamson has a guide of $780,000 to $840,000. The town’s most expensive sale was when a 7835sq m garden estate sold for $1.1 million.

FIG TREE, QLD

Fifties ranch with stylish update The historic Fig Tree Pocket property Cubberla Homestead has been offered for just the third time since its 1950s construction. The Jesmond Road home, which has protruding wings forming an X-shape, was created by W.P. Hamon, a well-known grazier, and his wife. The Hamons returned from an eight-month overseas trip with their children in 1952 and completed the ranch-style homestead. They had architects Cook & Kerrison design a single-level, countrystyle residence, which then sat on a 30ha stud farm. It is now on 2ha – still one of the biggest blocks close to Brisbane’s CBD. The five-bedroom home, at the end of a grand circular driveway, now has stylish contemporary interiors with a crisp white finish and polished concrete and stone. It spans 1000sq m of living space split into four wings. An exposed-frame feature wall marks the entry to the open plan kitchen and dining area. The state-of-the-art kitchen, renovated in 2019, features a Calacatta marble waterfall island bench and a butler’s pantry, says Adcock Prestige listing agent Jason Adcock. The master retreat has its own wing, complete with walk-in wardrobe and dressing room, ensuite and home office. There’s a pavilion-style entertaining area with views of the landscape through hanging grapevines. Green paddocks surround the home, which has a herb garden and veggie patch, and there’s a 10m pool tennis court and chook pen. Set away from the home is a separate self-contained cottage and horse facilities including two stables. The property is down the road from where mining billionaire Clive Palmer spent $5 million in June.

OCTOBER 10-11, 2020

| THE WEEKEND AUSTRALIAN

MANSIONAUSTRALIA.COM.AU

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HIGHER GROUND

City dwellers reassessing their lifestyles and increasingly able to work remotely are looking to the NSW Southern Highlands for more than just a restorative weekend

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

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THE WEEKEND AUSTRALIAN

| OCTOBER 10-11, 2020

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Cover story

Joh Bailey’s former High Range estate WideAcre, and opposite, the home’s veranda and interior OCTOBER 10-11, 2020

| THE WEEKEND AUSTRALIAN

The NSW Southern Highlands property market has pivoted during the pandemic from its long-held status as a popular weekend destination to welcoming more permanent arrivals.

Buyers thinking of quitting the city have triggered an unprecedented surge in demand. The district long fancied for its the rural feel is around 100km from Sydney, and the shift is part of an Australian and international trend as the pandemic drives a new focus on changing the family abode and lifestyle.

In recent research commissioned by Stockland, more than 80 per cent of participants said they were now more conscious that their home and environment were intrinsically linked to their wellbeing.

The pandemic has also seen a shift in workplace options, from major central business districts to anywhere in the world via Zoom. Julie Bennett from TBAS Buyers Agents Southern Highlands has had a 300 per cent increase in the number of inquiries from families wanting to move out of Sydney, “with companies now more accepting of their employees working from home”.

The affordable, accessible lifestyle trend has been emerging for a decade in the Southern Highlands. The 2011 census showed a 15 per cent vacancy rate in the area, with 2969 dwellings unoccupied, By the 2016 census the figure had dropped to 13 per cent, with 2789 dwellings vacant, suggesting the push toward fewer weekend-only owners.

Belle Property agent Di Dixon says that nine months ago the Highlands prestige market was in the doldrums, but over the past six months things have dramatically changed. “Properties that have sat on the market before have started being snapped up. The inquiry from Sydney for a more permanent home has definitely increased,” she says, adding that young families in particular are looking to buy.

Owners who were already in the market, Dixon says, are getting the best of MANSIONAUSTRALIA.COM.AU

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Clockwise from below left: Stables and country kitchen at Cordeaux in Berrima; the exterior of Trungley Stud and one of its living areas

both worlds from their weekenders. “Sydneysiders who own holiday rental homes have either blocked off extended time for themselves or experienced unprecedented demand. While we cannot travel abroad and state lockdowns are uncertain, I believe this is likely to be a trend that continues for some time.”

During COVID, Dixon found a buyer for WideAcre, the 12ha High Range estate of hair stylist Joh Bailey and his professional equestrian partner, Michael Christie, in just five days. It was bought as a weekender for $3,521,500. “The phones were running hot from the second the property was listed,” Dixon says.

Angus Campbell-Jones at Campbell Jones Property says most residential sales are to full-timers, while rural farm buyers are still splitting their time between Sydney and the Highlands. “It’s hard to be precise, but I’d say 80 per cent of the Sydney buyers of residential property are planning to become permanent residents,” he says.

The Agency agent Ben Olofsen says since the onset of COVID-19 there has been a significant increase in buyer activity, resulting in a decrease in days on market and an under-supply of quality stock. “The volume of buyers and shortage of stock has put upward pressure on pricing,” Olofsen says, adding that stock numbers have dipped by 35 per cent from typical levels.

The top end of the Wingecarribee Shire market, the $4 millionplus bracket, has seen strong sales volume, with nine sales over 14

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$4 million to the end of September. There have been big Sydney buys, from F45 co-founder Rob Deustch’s $4.8 million purchase of the Burradoo trophy home Patchway. Sarina Zaja, wife of Ausin Group Australia’s chief Joe Zaja, spent $5.05 million at Bowral, and the seven-bedroom Burradoo estate Catalina sold for $4.9 million, having been on the market for almost a year. The biggest sale this year remains in mystery, with the Exeter trophy home Mandalay finally selling three years after it was first listed through Christie’s International agent Bruce Eason.

There are $4.7 million hopes for Cordeaux, a Berrima estate with French-inspired modern farmhouse listed by Olofsen, along with colleague Cameron McKillop. It comes with architectural pieces originating from convent and chateau ruins in Burgundy.

Set away from the home are equestrian facilities that include an Olympic-sized arena, stabling for six horses, and fenced paddocks as well as a cattle yard.

The grounds come with a veggie patch, an orchard, a heritage rose garden and a maze.

The property has been listed by Steven and Fiona David, of the grocery family. They paid $3.6 million for it in 2008, buying from Countess Susanna de Vienne of the David Jones retail dynasty and widow of French count Patrick de Vienne.

Southern Highlands local hotelier Marty Downs and his wife Helena have listed their Bundanoon estate, Trungley Stud, which

has been significantly developed over the past six years. There is now a modern six-bedroom, four-bathroom home and a connected self-contained guesthouse with three bedrooms. The gardens of the 10ha estate include a synthetic turf tennis court, pool and spa. It has been listed through Hindmarsh + Walsh agents Frank Walsh and Georgia Soster, who are seeking $4.75 million.

Walsh says he has seen unprecedented levels of inquiry across both high-end residential and rural markets. “Many traditionally commuting white collar workers are able to continue successfully working from home and are definitely seeking to do so here in the Highlands,” he says. “They can seek solace in the Highlands and find more space for their families to grow.”

The volume of Highlands property sold for $2 million-plus so far this year has soared, with more than 80 residential sales compared to just under 50 last year and around 40 the year before. Among them was the Burrawang weekender of Channel 7 breakfast presenter Sam Armytage, who secured $3.1 million for the property off-market having paid $2.2 million for it in 2017.

“The townships and villages throughout the Highlands have always been thriving hubs of activity on the weekends, with day trippers and holiday home owners preferring the relaxed atmosphere the countryside offers,” Walsh notes.

“We’ve seen villages that were traditionally local-only throughout the week now experiencing a massive shift.”

THE WEEKEND AUSTRALIAN

| OCTOBER 10-11, 2020

Dolly Lenz

Local aspect

WITH JENNY LENZ

MCGRATH SANDRINGHAM

Fran Harkin Bayside Melbourne is known for its dog community. Every second person has a pooch and some are buying a second one.

Dog ownership is so much the norm that when we give our clients a moving-in gift we include a package of puppy chow along with the customary champagne. The motivation for pet ownership is simply companionship and it’s been even more pronounced when we’ve been isolated. Clients come to us saying they need more space for the kids and for the dog. I have a buyer keen on the penthouse [at 902/222 Bay Road, Sandringham]. One of her first questions was, “Can I have a dog here and a veggie garden on the terrace?” She can have both; the owners’ corporation have permitted pets. Pet owners in apartments look to the surrounding neighbourhood for exercising them. I just sold to a family that wanted to ensure the park across the road was dog friendly. Buyers want to know about more than the usual schools and cafés, they also want to know where the nearest off-leash park is. People demand of their councils safe parks and spaces to walk their dogs.

MCGRATH PROJECTS

Gary Jan

PANDEMIC TRENDS

Nothing but the best for the luxury apartment-dwelling pooch, including the installation of in-home pet spas

Pet palaces These past few months have brought about significant change in the way people live and in the real estate they own. With more time spent at home, a record number of luxury consumers have sought out larger properties in different locations that give them a chance to enjoy new opportunities. At the top of the wish list for many is dog ownership, previously out of the question for them due to smaller living quarters or packed social/travelling schedules. Pet ownership is reaching record levels during the pandemic as a result of enlarged living spaces as well as a proliferation of the at-home services that make owning a dog in particular easier than ever.

According to the American Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA), applications to foster dogs and cats are up 200 per cent in New York City and Los Angeles this year. More and more clients are taking advantage of their increased living space by creating a dedicated five-star living experience for their new furry friends. Among the hottest trends has been the addition of in-home custom pet spas and opulent sleeping quarters that rival those of their human housemates. These luxury upgrades can include walkin bathing stalls and cozy sleeping nooks to help ease a puppy into their new home in the utmost comfort and style.

Condominium developers have also taken note of the trend and have upped their pet amenities by including such extravagances such as indoor play areas with supervised socialisation and dog 16

MANSIONAUSTRALIA.COM.AU

training studios into their buildings in order to attract buyers seeking out larger residences for their new pooch in the city.

Equally important is finding service providers to keep a pandemic puppy healthy and safe. With luxury markets across the globe still under some form of shutdown or restrictions, there’s a premium on businesses offering at-home services. Like personal trainers and private chefs, pet care providers have gone mobile and enhanced their offerings to attend to clients wherever they live.

That includes everything from mobile vets offering 24/7 health concierge services and emergency capability in the comfort of your home, to groomers providing puppy makeovers.

Studies have shown that dog ownership has a positive impact on people’s mental and physical health, so with the stress of this year it is no surprise it is soaring. With new owners spending more time at home establishing bonds with their pandemic puppy, it is only a matter of time before global real estate markets see an impact. Man’s best friend is poised to become a member of many new families and that will factor into their real estate decisions for years to come.

Dolly Lenz heads New York-based Dolly Lenz Real Estate and last year sold more than $US500 million worth of luxury US and international homes. Jenny Lenz is managing director of Dolly Lenz Real Estate. dollylenz.com

As more people are working from home, and particularly during lockdown, there has been a noticeable uptake in puppy ownership. I estimate that about 30 per cent of off-the-plan apartment inquirers either have a pet or would like one and ask if the development is pet friendly. This is especially important for downsizers as they often have older pets. And I have noticed puppies are more prevalent among millennials. There is also a therapeutic aspect to animal ownership. Once we return to a COVID-normal situation when people go back to their workplaces, puppy sales could decline. The downsides of pet ownership in an apartment are few. However, leaving a pet alone all day while the owner is at work can cause anxiety resulting in excessive barking, whining or meowing, not to mention destruction of furnishings, and disturb other owners or tenants. There are Owners Corporation Rules and if there is an Animal Policy owners must ensure they control their animals. It is important to find an apartment where the pet can be accommodated with an outdoor balcony or terrace.

RAY WHITE ELIZABETH BAY/POTTS POINT

Tristan Bassey There has definitely been an increase in the number of buyers asking for dog-friendly apartment buildings in the Potts Point/Elizabeth Bay area, as well as a noticeable increase of puppies in the parks and on the streets. My family added a new pup to the household a couple of months ago, a cheeky Aussie Shepherd named Blue. People are working from home more and travelling less so they have more time to look after a puppy. Families spending more time at home need to keep the kids occupied. Loneliness is also a factor, with those who struggled with the isolation during lockdown looking for a companion. Australians will always love their pets and with people expecting to travel less than they normally do for the foreseeable future, the trend is likely to continue. If you’re renting, having a dog means limiting your options as some landlords and buildings are still against occupants having pets, although this is changing. The proximity to parks for walks is a new box many buyers are wanting to tick. We are fortunate to have wonderful inner-city parks here.

THE WEEKEND AUSTRALIAN

| OCTOBER 10-11, 2020

Luxury Hideaway

Views towards Dunk Island and Bedarra Island

79 HOLT ROAD, MISSION BEACH A home built with architectural simplicity, quality and style on a very special site. Looking over the blue Coral Sea, Islands and to the almost uninhabited beach below.

Every room of the home captures this scene, including the lap pool.

3 Bedrooms – 2 Bathrooms – Lap Pool – Gym Study – Private Access to the Beach

15 minutes to Café’s – Shops – Hotel – Resorts.

LISTED PRICE: $1.375 Million

Blue Sea, Islands and Rainforest.

REF: 1914

SPLENDID ISOLATION IN TROPICAL NORTH QUEENSLAND 12 Acres of peace and quiet and natural beauty with a stunning home to match set at the top of the garden providing its own private view of the gardens and beyond to the majestic Mount Mackay.

Not an everyday property, this spacious timber home of open contemporary style with all living areas catching the views that are ever changing from morning to evening.

The home consists of 3 bedrooms, 3 ensuites, kitchen, living, lounge and verandah. All flow one to the other with great style and superbly fitted out.

Below the living area are car garages, storage space and workshop for all our other bits and pieces.

While this property feels like an isolated island the supermarket, hotel and coffee shop are only 10 minutes’ drive.

For boating - fishing - cruising - the property is 5 – 8 minutes from launching ramp.

• Air Conditioned throughout • Tank water with Mains water as a backup • 5kw Solar System • Pool The property can only be fully appreciated by inspection.

The property is for Sale by Open Tender.

Contact Exclusive Agent Steve Wiltshire on 0419 674 409 sales@missionbeachrealestate.com.au • www.missionbeachrealestate.com.au

1 7 H A B I TAT P L A C E NOOSA HEADS 6

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The answer to an insatiable demand for indulgent living sans beachy cliches, and a Noosa Heads’ postcode, is on a 2520m² private estate within cooee of Hastings Street.

Arrive in style at the end of the cul-de-sac, near a nature reserve.

Gates open to a classic circular driveway fringed by hedges, porte-cochere, lobby-like entrance, vaulted ceilings, and massive sun-drenched open plan living spaces.

There’s a seemingly transparent transition to a wide terrace and glistening azure pool, for idyllic alfresco living.

Auction Saturday 7 November 12pm Agent

Jesse Stowers 0414 367 282

7 / 1 8 PA R K R O A D NOOSA HEADS

When lazing on the sunny North-facing deck of

Auction Saturday 14 November

“Cove Point� #7, you can actually hear the casual

Agent

chat of board riders gliding around First Point. The background laughter of children on Main Beach completes the harmony.

Imagine a 3 minute walk for your morning swim at Little Cove before breakfast, or a 5 minute walk to meet friends for an early-evening glass of wine and reflect upon another long, relaxing, Noosa day.

Luke Chen 0417 600 840

1 4 H A B I TAT P L A C E NOOSA HEADS When only the best will do, this is it, a stunning 720m2 bespoke residence set amongst 2,100m2 of manicured lawn, luxurious sub-tropical garden and established rain forest with access to the beautiful Noosa Heads Weyba Waterways.

To comprehend the sense of calm and serenity this property offers one only needs to open the front door and step inside.

Eyes are naturally drawn through the exquisite living spaces, through multiple floor to ceiling openings to the expansive covered and light filled Italian tiled terrace, an azure blue resort style 10 metre long pool and a spectacular garden. With a northerly aspect outdoor living can be enjoyed all year round.

Auction Saturday 17 October 12.15pm Agent

Cathy Fraser 0499 483 049

COUNTRY LIVING CLOSE TO BRISBANE

PRICELESS, HIGHLY UNIQUE, PEACEFUL ACREAGE SANCTUARY

CONTINUED UNSURPASSED PRIVACY ASSURED Just 45km North West of Brisbane CBD No Further Subdivision Can Occur on either side of the property

To sum up: This stunning property has a multitude of uses perfect for families, plenty of space for home business, opportunities for Air B&B with plenty of land for bungalow development or an ideal dream wedding venue.

IMAGINE OWNING THIS MAGNIFICENT PROPERTY TO FULFIL YOUR FUTURE DREAMS Privacy and anonymity is important. This is a whisper, quiet, con dential sale by tender.

Only serious buyers will receive details and a price guide for this.

Highly Unique Prestige Acreage Property

SURROUNDED BY BUSHLAND AND A KOALA HABITAT

PROPERTY FEATURES: Breath taking over 12 acres* with your own botanical garden, rainforest and an amazing abundance of native trees and palms. The acreage supports several dams, peaceful walk ways, playgrounds and plenty of space for livestock.

Simply spectacular FEATURES OF 3 WING RESIDENCE: 5+ bedrooms WEST WING: Large guest bedroom with en-suite.

Office-study or extra bedrooms, garage and carport.

MAIN COMPLEX: 6m high cathedral ceilings, total 216*sqm.

Five sensational areas including Gourmet Kitchen, Dining, Reading, Media, Wet Bar, Outdoor Commercial BBQ. EAST WING: Enormous master bedroom, walk in robe, en-suite, marble bench top, 2 vanities, separate toilet, bidet double spa with unsurpassed views. Total area 91*sqm.

Please note *= approximately

CONTACT: 0418 877 966 EMAIL: privateproperty@aapt.net.au WEBSITE: https://www.uniback.com.au/aprivateproperty

‘Villa Montecito’ – A Once in a Lifetime Opportunity 33 VIEWLAND DRIVE, DOONAN, QUEENSLAND Hidden from the world on a secluded hilltop, ‘Villa Montecito’ is reminicent of a wonderful country villa in Europe. Secretly tucked away in Doonan, on a treed 6 acre parcel, this gracious provincial farmhouse really is in a class of its own. Securely located behind a gated 250m driveway, this imposing villa features 10 foot ceilings, large open fireplace, 100 year old recycled timber floors and historic exposed timber beams. The gourmet kitchen has custom hand finished cabinetry with Carrera Del Oro marble counters and commercial oven. Simple in design, there are four bedrooms (all with access to an en-suite), three bathrooms, two living areas and a grand master bedroom. The large verandah overlooks the fully tiled 10 metre pool with waterfall edge, grassed area and entertaining loggia, all with stunning views of Noosa Heads and Lake Weyba. Planted with olive, avocado and fruit trees and even a string of grape vines. If you love the European lifestyle, but want to live in one of the best places in the world, this is the property for you.

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View By Appointment Auction: Saturday 7 November at 11:00am

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Contact Linda Shore-Perez 0427 378 687 linda@villarealestate.com.au

villarealestate.com.au

Mermaid Beach LISA ALLEN

Work in progress

Tony Smith and his dog by the pool at his lavish Mermaid Beach mansion, top

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RUSSELL SHAKESPEARE

Tony Smith revels in his latest home on Mermaid Beach, but he’d do some things differently next time Wealthy Gold Coast businessman and former AFL player Tony Smith learnt a few things designing his latest house on Heron Avenue, Mermaid Beach, which has just sold for $25 million in one of the biggest Queensland deals of the decade.

The tourism entrepreneur, who has embarked on a new career developing lavish beach clubs around the world, says he should have built a gym inside the house and designed the layout differently. “You learn every time you do a house,” says Smith, who has just inked a deal to develop and operate a spectacular beach club as the centrepiece of a new development in the coastal haven of Phan Thiet in southeast Vietnam. On 2000ha, it includes 7km of beachfront.

“There are still things I would do differently next time I build a house. For example, we have a steam room at the Mermaid Beach house, but it is not off the master bedroom.

Probably next time you would put the steam room off your master bedroom and that way you would use it more often.”

In another example, Smith says as his kids got older they wanted a gym, so one was built in the garage. “But then there was not enough space for the cars, even though technically it’s a five-car garage,” he says.

Smith, who has been embroiled in a long-running dispute with NAB, modelled the Gold Coast house on a large seaside colonial estate known as Gajah Putih (white elephant), he bought a decade ago in Bali. He has developed a Finns Beach Club on the site, with a restaurant, DJs and pools with daybeds, that he hopes to re-open to domestic Bali tourists by December. He is looking at sites for more beach club developments on the Gold Coast and in other parts of the world.

“The roof pitch and verandas were based on the villa we lived in in Bali that is now the centre of Finns Beach Club,” says Smith, who sold Heron Avenue as he is returning to Indonesia once COVID-19 pandemic restrictions are lifted.

“The style is sort of Hamptons and very beach like.”

There are four bedrooms, all with ensuites, plus a granny flat within the two-level house.

Smith has developed mansions in Mermaid Beach before, building a house with a construction cost of $10 million a decade ago. The Heron Avenue property is less grand, costing a couple of million dollars and taking 13 months to complete. Although he did not stint on the interiors, installing Miele and Gaggenau appliances and marble bathrooms, and importing floors from Europe, Smith says he was able to save money because the house has no basement, which he says often adds millions of dollars to the construction cost.

“It is not a typical Gold Coast house; it is not ostentatious,” he says, adding that the settlement of the sale to Dean Pask, a scion of Queensland’s Pask property development family, is slated for the middle of next year.

Smith says his favourite part of the house is the northfacing alfresco area, which is well protected from the prevailing southerly winds.

“You still get ocean views from the alfresco area,” he says. “It is the main living area, it is an outdoor undercover area, it’s connected to the kitchen, the barbecue area, the granny flat, and to the garden, the pool. It is really the centre of the home. It is exactly the same dimensions as the gazebo in Bali, and I have learnt you need to have your gazebo attached to the house so you can use it.”

The Heron Avenue house’s gazebo also sports fridges, a fireplace, a dining area and a lounge area. Outside, a 10m x 4m swimming pool completes the landscaping.

“Obviously the great thing is living on the beach,” says Smith. “Where our fence is, you go to the dunes and then on to the sand. It is absolutely beachfront.”

As for beachgoers and onlookers and possible invasions of privacy, he says it’s amazing how respectful people are.

THE WEEKEND AUSTRALIAN

| OCTOBER 10-11, 2020

ROCK ROCKFOREST FORESTVIA VIABATHURST BATHURST486 486Martin MartinBird BirdLane Lane 'Glenlea' 'Glenlea'isisbeing beingoffered offeredfor forauction auctionfor forthe thefirst firsttime timesince since1964.

1964. 429ha, 429ha,1059 1059acres acresand and77titles. titles.30kms 30kmstoto Bathurst/Orange, Bathurst/Orange,25kms 25kmsBlayney Blayneyand and3hrs 3hrsfrom fromSydney.

Sydney.Undulating Undulatinggranite granitegrazing grazingcountry countrywith withgood good shade shadeand andshelter. shelter.25 25paddocks, paddocks,34 34dams damsplus plus66stock stocktroughs, troughs,224,000 224,000litres litresofofwater waterstorage storagevia viatanks. tanks. 44 bedroom bedroomhome homeplus plus44machinery machinerysheds, sheds,shearing shearingshed shedand andsteel steelcattle cattleyards. yards.Currently Currentlycarrying carrying100 100cows cows and andcalves calvesbut butwill willrun run150 150cows cowsand andcalves. calves.Pasture Pasturebase baseconsisting consistingofofclover, clover,rye, rye,cocksfoot, cocksfoot,phalaris phalarisand and native nativegrasses. grasses.'Glenlea' 'Glenlea'offers offersthe theincoming incomingpurchaser purchaserthe theopportunity opportunitytotocapitalise capitaliseand andadd addtheir theirown own touches. touches.Just Justaashort shortdistance distancefrom fromthe thethriving thrivingtowns townsofofBathurst, Bathurst,Orange Orangeand andBlayney.

Blayney.

AllAll information information contained contained herein herein is is gathered gathered from from sources sources wewe deem deem toto bebe reliable. reliable.

However However wewe cannot cannot guarantee guarantee itsits accuracy accuracy and and interested interested parties parties should should rely rely onon their their own own enquiries. enquiries.

Auction AuctionWednesday, Wednesday,4th 4thNovember Novemberatat11:00am 11:00am Double DoubleBay BayAuction AuctionCentre Centre View View Contact ContactAgent Agent

David DavidMedina Medina Marcus MarcusSchembri Schembri 0419 0419772 772233 233 0429 0429032 032906 906 sydneysothebysrealty.com sydneysothebysrealty.com

Kurraba Point

Artist’s impression of the stunning Kurraba Residences, due to be completed in late 2022

LISA ALLEN

Vantage point It’s taken developer Luke Berry more than three years and three development applications to gain the local council nod to develop the $150 million Kurraba Residences. The prominent near-waterfront complex of 24 sublime apartments has views of the Sydney Harbour Bridge and the Opera House.

Berry and his architect, Adam Haddow of SJB, modelled the project on Yves Saint Laurent’s famed home in the Moroccan city of Marrakech, given they were restricted by council rules against using light-coloured exteriors on such a prime site.

“There were some restrictions on the beautiful, prominent site and we could not use light-coloured materials,” Berry says.

“In our DA we had to use a different colour. We went to Morocco and the tapestry and brick renders we have decided on will be celebrated in years to come.”

Although the official marketing campaign does not begin until well into November, Berry says there has already been overwhelming interest. He has amassed a list of more than 200 hopeful buyers, and concedes he has his eye on at least one of the apartments himself.

He and his firm, Thirdi Developments, bought site at 147 Kurraba Road, Kurraba Point, which is surrounded by parklands and overlooks the watefront Kurraba Reserve, for

OCTOBER 10-11, 2020

| THE WEEKEND AUSTRALIAN

around $60 million, and demolition of the existing older-style apartment dwellings and construction of the complex has already begun. “We are so confident of selling we have started construction,” says Berry. “We have people ringing up saying they have a $15 million budget and they want to buy two apartments and consolidate. If we had the right buyer on the right terms I would be happy to explore the consolidation of apartments. There are opportunities to do that for the right buyer.”

All apartments feature Wolf subzero appliances and wine fridges, as well as winter gardens, fireplaces and custom stone baths, and there’s a communal rooftop garden. Berry is working up the strata plan and says it will probably include a concierge and butler service, and the whole complex is pet friendly.

Selling agent CBRE director Ben Stewart says two-bedroom apartments ranging from 95sq m to 105sq m will be priced from $2.5 million and include a garage. Three-bedders would average 145sq m to 150sq m, and include a double lock-up garage plus a storage room. Prices begin at $4.8 million.

Penthouse-sized three-bedroom garden apartments with up to 300sq m of private garden areas and interiors of 200sq m to 250sq m are priced from $7 million. These are among Stewart’s favourites, given their stunning Opera House and Harbour Bridge views. The

four-bedroom penthouse, covering around 450 sq m of living area plus 200sq m of outside areas with a pool, is yet to be priced.

Stewart says the complex is attracting buyers from Sydney’s North Shore plus a smattering of Hong Kong and Singapore purchasers. “There’s very strong interest from the North Shore, from people from Wahroonga all the way down to Kirribilli, and there has also been a little bit of overseas interest from people who have a relationship with Australia, and some expat interest,” he says.

“To get a property in this position – it will never happen again.

It is bringing people’s decision to move from the suburbs and into an apartment in 10 years’ time forward because of its uniqueness.

There is certainty of delivery and timing; everyone will be an owner occupier.”

Given the early success of the project, Berry is looking for more sites of a similar calibre. “We are in discussions with a number of owners in the east of Sydney and the Lower North Shore,” he says.

“We want unparalleled sites. There has not been a development like this in Kurraba Point in 60 years. People are happy to pay a premium because it’s going to be difficult to be able to put a site of this scale together again with a front-row waterfront position.”

He reckons Kurraba Residences will be ready for occupation by the third quarter of 2022.

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ARTIST’S IMPRESSIONS. LANDSCAPING AND ARCHITECTURE ARE INDICATIVE ONLY AND SUBJECT TO CHANGE

Competition is keen to secure a piece of this rare project and its spectacular views

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Eastern Suburbs J ONAT H A N C H A NC E L L OR

Scaling the heights

Sydney’s prestige enclave has been keeping its nerve in challenging times

The $95 million off-market sale of the Point Piper harbourfront home Edgewater highlights the market strength of the prestige sector in Sydney’s Eastern Suburbs.

And in late September a record onsite auction saw $24.6 million paid for a fivebedroom property in Vaucluse.

The Vaucluse Road estate of the late Japanese businessman Akihiko Terada was last sold in 2013 for $11.7 million when the home, built in 2009, was in better condition. Sydney Sotheby’s agent Michael Pallier secured the sale of the property, which has a tennis court and indoor/outdoor heated lap pool on a 1085sq m block, to a Chinese-Australian resident.

There was also the $30 million-plus sale of the Vaucluse home of Alexander Ma. Also on Vaucluse Road, the property – which sold for around $28 million in March last year, only for the buyer to back out – was bought by Ma for $26.5 million in 2017. BadgerFox agents Peter Leipnik and Alexander George secured the sale, reputedly to an Australian expatriate with a Chicago-based husband.

These three sales are high on the list of Australia’s top known sales of 2020, with a home on the Swan River at Dalkeith, Perth, in third place at $27.5 million.

The Point Piper and Vaucluse sales lead the 21 sales known to be over the $10 million mark in the Woollahra local government area to the end of September.

The tally exceeds the 20 sales in the pricey bracket achieved in the first nine months of 2019, which was subdued given anxiety around the May federal election.

There have been more than 90 sales of more than $5 million in the Woollahra LGA this year, tracking around the same as 2019. Last year, from the end of September to the end of the year, there were a further 51 sales over $5 million, 12 of which were over $10 million, so agents will be working as far into December as they can. The Waverley LGA figures have tracked in a similar vein, with 28 confirmed sales over $5 million to the end of September compared to 25 last year.

Herron Todd White valuer Shaun Thomas generally considers the prestige sector in the Eastern Suburbs to include properties of $5 million or more.

“The Eastern Suburbs prestige market held up well throughout the overall market decline of mid-2017 to mid-2019, and appears to be doing the same so far through COVID-19,” Thomas says. “The last major decline in the market coincided with the GFC, where the prestige end was the hardest hit. The local share market has somewhat stabilised and the overall property market hasn’t seen any significant decline. Unless there is any further external shock, further lockdowns required, and if the unemployment rate doesn’t increase too much more, it does appear that the prestige market will continue to hold up in the short to medium term.”

Valuation firm Pontons has seen a huge uptick in its Sydney Prestige Index during 2020. In the 2018 calendar year there was a record number of Sydney-wide house and unit sales over $10 million – 120 transactions – followed by around 70 sales in the 2019 calendar year. Of the 70 sales secured in 2019, 45 were in the first three- quarters of the calendar year. So far in 2020, there are over 70 sales both settled and unsettled as known to Pontons – an increase in the sales volume of the previous year of around 58 per cent. Pontons valuer Paul Donovan says that highlights the depth of activity and demand, notwithstanding the pandemic conditions that have prevailed for six months of this period.

Donovan says that sales are on track to exceed those of 2016 (73) and most likely 32

MANSIONAUSTRALIA.COM.AU

Top row: Bellevue Hill home sold by Melinda McMahon; the lounge room Centre row: The Vaucluse property sold by Alexander Ma; dining room of the Bellevue Hill home; Bronte’s newest listing on Bronte Park Bottom row: Spectacular view from the bedroom of the Ma property; Bronte home kitchen and living area THE WEEKEND AUSTRALIAN

| OCTOBER 10-11, 2020

2017 (85 ) to yield the second-highest volume of above-$10 million sales in Sydney in a calendar year.

Rodney McLoughlin, director at TBAS Buyers Agents, says buyers agents became extremely busy after the initial strict lockdown period in Sydney passed.

“Buyers needed us to inspect more properties on their behalf due to the restrictions and fear of getting infected,” he says, adding that he also had the task of assisting buyers with online auctions. But he says prices for freestanding properties in the Eastern Suburbs have held up better than predicted by the banks. A trend that’s a direct result of COVID-19 has been that buyers want more space, he adds, and that are now more flexible with their locations and happy to look further from the CBD because their employers are happy for them to work from home more often.

As lockdowns eased, sales became more free flowing, but The Agency agent Ben Collier said there was certainly a quiet period when lockdowns were enforced.

“From March to just recently there was very little happening at the prestige end of the market, both in terms of those looking and in terms of properties on offer,” Collier says. “However, in the past two to three months we have seen that change dramatically. For what is meant to be spring, we are not yet seeing anywhere near the levels of supply we have come to expect for this time of year.”

Alison Coopes from Agency by Alison Coopes secured the recent sale of the Bellevue Hill estate of Melinda McMahon, the eldest daughter of former PM Sir William McMahon. The Arthur Street home, sold with approval plans for a Frank Lloyd Wright-inspired house, was sold in less than a month by Coopes. No price has been revealed but the initial guidance was $5.5 million.

“Buyers are looking where they think it gives them the quality of lifestyle they require,” Coopes says. “They are no longer wedded to a fixed location and are more open to possibly purchasing in suburbs they would never have considered.”

Christie’s International agent Ken Jacobs says the shortage of quality stock is responsible for the prestige market’s surprisingly good performance. He says inquiry from expatriate and foreign buyers has increased significantly, but this has not translated into sales due to enforced hotel quarantine. He expects the number of offshore and expat buyers to increase once quarantine requirements are lifted.

The coastal Eastern Suburbs market has seen success rivalling that of the harbourside in recent months, with two suburb records. There was the recordbreaking $17.9 million sale of a hillside home in Bronte, bought by green energy entrepreneur Carl Prins and his wife Kate, as well as the $9.9 million sale of a luxury home in Clovelly, bought by YouTuber gamer Lannan Eacott.

The latest top-end listing is a state-of-the art beach home with views over Bronte Park. One of only a handful of houses with direct access through the park to the sand, the high-spec, four-bedroom home is spread over four levels. It has a number of outdoor living spaces, including the main terrace with a barbecue .

Pauline Goodyer at Goodyer Real Estate, in conjunction with Phillips Pantzer Donnelley, has scheduled the auction for October 24 with a guide of $6.8 million.

Goodyer says with COVID-19 forcing people to spend more time at home, homeowners and buyers have been rethinking their needs. “[They] require larger residences, with multiple spaces for husband, wife and children to all work or study.

The home has become a more important place than ever to entertain and enjoy a comfortable lifestyle.” She says local inquiry has escalated with families upsizing, but adds that overseas inquiry has also increased, with long-term expats looking to come home. “Since many of them have been overseas, especially those away for 10 years-plus, Sydney has evolved into a dynamic, safe and sought-after place to live.”

The market needs more sellers to downsize to allow the many buyers taking advantage of low interest rates to upsize, Goodyer says. “Buyers are seeking lifestyle areas – Bondi Beach through to Coogee, around the harbour suburbs of Darling Point to Rose Bay and Bellevue Hill. Paddington and Woollahra never go out of fashion and are sought after by upsizers and downsizers.”

Savills recently noted that urban centres such as Sydney reported increased interest in upsizing, particularly as residents often endured lockdown in small spaces.

Chris Curtis Associates buyers agent Chris Curtis says there are a “huge” number of inquiries, nearly all from locals and owner occupiers. “Several are cashed up,” he says. “Many seem to think COVID represents a great opportunity to buy at bargain basement prices which, except for parts of the ultra-prestige end, hasn’t happened because stock is in shortly supply and few vendors are stressed. It must be remembered that there are many owners unaffected by COVID – medical specialists and IT entrepreneurs, and those in crisis professions such as litigation solicitors and barristers, who are enjoying boom times.” He says the next expected boom in professional services was likely to be in corporate reconstruction. “Many of our post-COVID buyers also feel life must go on regardless of COVID.” REA Group’s director of economic research Cameron Kusher says the market is going to depend on new listings through spring. “Low mortgage rates are definitely going to make it attractive for buyers to upgrade, particularly in premium markets, but it will be a case of whether there are appropriate properties for sale. Don’t be surprised to see an unexpectedly strong market in the Eastern Suburbs over the coming months.”

OCTOBER 10-11, 2020

| THE WEEKEND AUSTRALIAN

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Gold Coast

Main picture: The penthouse on Marine Parade, Miami Below: Two views of Flow Residences. Bottom: 77 Jefferson

J OE L ROB I N S ON

Following the sun

The Queensland luxury apartment enclave is a magnet for those in search of a safe haven coupled with a relaxed lifestyle

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A host of new boutique beachfront apartment developments on the Gold Coast strip are attracting the attention of upgrading locals as well as strong online interest from interstate buyers.

Some are looking to move to the Sunshine State quite soon, while others are happy to buy their coastal apartment off the plan.

Ray White Surfers Paradise agent Andrew Bell says the trend of interstate migration won’t be stopped. “What we are seeing now will be a trigger for more people to make the move to Queensland,” he says, adding that it was creating a “wonderful platform” to support prices. “While other states are witnessing price falls, the Gold Coast is in a strong position where it can hold values firmly while this phenomenon continues.”

Bell says the health aspects of the Gold Coast, which has fewer COVID-19 cases than most parts of the country, was prompting a wave of buyers, especially those 50-plus from NSW and Victoria reconsidering where they want to live. “And every time someone moves it prompts their friends and family to consider doing the same,” he says.

There were 24 residential construction cranes on the Gold Coast from Southport to Coolangatta at the end of the first quarter of 2020, according to the most recent Rider Levett Bucknall crane index, with cranes coming down from the luxury block Vue Broadbeach and One16 in Surfers Paradise after their completion. These newly finished blocks are seeing their last offerings being snapped up.

Just completed is 77 Jefferson, a boutique apartment complex of eight in Palm Beach developed by the local BluePoint property, along with architect bureau^proberts and Hutchinson Builders. Seven of the eight apartments were sold off the plan, with just the two-level, 450sq m beachside penthouse left. Olinda Property Group Palm Beach agents James Meredith and Nicole Riley are asking $3.995 million for the four-bedroom, threebathroom apartment. There’s talk that the buyer of a level-eight apartment is interested in swapping it for the penthouse, if they can sell theirs for between $2.95 million and $3.3 million.

Prices at 77 Jefferson ranged between $1.29 million and $2.47 million, with its initial three-month marketing campaign last year selling out the full-floor residences. The penthouse was held off so it could be marketed on completion. Set over levels nine and 10, it has a private rooftop pool and entertaining space.

The penthouse in a luxury newly completed development on Marine Parade, Miami, has just been listed for sale. The two-level, four-bedroom apartment is finished with American oak, Turkish limestone and Italian Carrara marble. The rooftop terrace has its own private pool and built-in outdoor kitchen.

Kollosche Prestige agents Michael Kollosche and Eoghan Murphy have an asking price of $6.375 million.

The emerging strength of the apartment market has been evident in the recently launched Flow Residences at Snapper Rocks, at the southern end of Coolangatta Beach. Construction is yet to begin on the 22-apartment development, launched to market in the middle of the pandemic in June, with all but one apartment – a $3.2 million, three-bedroom residence across half a floor – now sold. Sales have ranged between $1.29 million and $10 million. Two world-champion surfers have already bought into the block, which has its own beach club, private dining spaces, a gym, and even surfboard lockers.

The project is controlled by the surfer and developer Paul Gedoun’s S&S Projects. He had architects Cottee Parker design the 13-level building with curved corners so each apartment has views of the ocean and the point break. Some will overlook Greenmount Beach and Rainbow Bay. Landscaping will be by Dunn + Moran, and construction by McNab will begin in November with an estimated completion in early 2022.

Jayde Pezet, sales and marketing director of KM Sales and Marketing, believes Flow is the best boutique residential beachfront apartment offering in Australia. “The future is looking very bright for the Gold Coast and this sector,” he says.

“There is not a high volume of luxury beachfront apartments on the market and the ones that are coming to it sell very quickly.”

Data from Urbis shows the Gold Coast is on track to sell as many apartments, townhouses and duplexes this year as it did in 2019.

THE WEEKEND AUSTRALIAN

| OCTOBER 10-11, 2020

Canberra

Below, from top: The modernist Tennyson Street home designed by Moir and Sutherland in 1952, and its interior; pool with Turkish marble surrounds at an award-winning home in Deakin; Deakin home kitchen

J OE L ROB I N S ON

Architect-designed home on Arthurs Circle in Forrest, on the market for $5.695 million

Ahead of the game Even in testing times, the nation’s capital has a few things going for it when it comes to prestige property sales The residential market in Canberra has outperformed all other capital city markets in the September quarter – unsurprising given it has the nation’s lowest unemployment rate and about 44 per cent of its jobs are in the public sector.

CoreLogic calculated that the national capital saw price growth in the September quarter of 1.3 per cent, to a dwelling median of $636,000. Its top sale, secured earlier this year on Red Hill’s exclusive Mugga Way, sits at $8 million, and Blackshaw agent Mario Sanfrancesco says he doesn’t think a record sale exceeding $10 million is too far away.

“The key long-term factors are that land content and the cost of land in premium locations is remaining strong,” he says. “The cost of building is also solid, seeing property values in the premium market remaining robust and continuing to grow.”

Sanfrancesco and colleague Andrew Chamberlain are marketing a Forrest home likely to fetch the second-highest price of 2020. Set behind formal hedging on n Arthurs Circle, it was designed by local architect Terry Ring in a U-shape, around a solar-heated pool and spa. There’s a heated cabana, with a double-sided glass wood fireplace to the formal lounge. Also on the ground level is a billiards room with a bar. A glass feature staircase leads to five of the six bedrooms, and an entertaining deck with views of Mt Ainslie. The lower ground level has a four-car garage, gym and home cinema.

Sanfrancesco and Chamberlain are asking $5.695 million.

Forrest’s most recent prestige sale was home that went for $5.4 million, having sold in 2016 for $5.5 million.

HIVE Canberra agent Josh Morrissey thinks the prestige market has outperformed other segments, as the uncertainty around COVID-19 was short lived. “The year started strongly, with good organic momentum in the market,” Morrissey says, adding that he considers Canberra prestige house prices start from $2.5 million. “Through winter, we experienced higher buyer confidence, low interest rates and OCTOBER 10-11, 2020

| THE WEEKEND AUSTRALIAN

lower stock numbers compared to last year, which has created the bubble we are now in. Canberra has seen multiple record prices in the prestige market over the past nine months, due mainly to low stock numbers and high demand.”

In contrast to Sydney and Melbourne, he says, top-end homes in Canberra do not traditionally sell off market.

However COVID-19 has seen a large spike of quiet sales.

Along with colleague Matt Shipard, Morrissey is seeking $3.5 million for an award-winning home in Deakin, the inner-city suburb that is home to The Lodge and the Royal Australian Mint. It would be just the sixth house sale in the suburb to exceed the $3 million mark.

Built on Carrington Street in 2018, the home won the 2019 Master Builders Award for the best use of materials. It has four bedrooms and four bathrooms, and the master ensuite features a sunken bath. The heated pool in the 675sq m landscaped gardens is surrounded by Turkish marble paving and an alfresco area with barbecue. It was built after the original brick residence traded for $1.001 million in 2016.

Berkeley Residential agent Bill Lyristakis, who sold the Mugga Way record-breaker to Canberra concrete business owner Philip Herzog, is marketing a modernist home in Forrest designed by architects Moir and Sutherland in 1952.

The striking five-bedroom Tennyson Street property on 2575sq m was renovated in 2018 by Sydney interior designer Phoebe Nichol. Lyristakis expects a sale between $4 million and $4.5 million. “Surprisingly, the Canberra market reacted to COVID-19 with a surge in activity in the $1 million to $3 million range, with secure-salaried Canberrans taking advantage of low interest rates to trade up,” he says. “The market is still buoyant throughout the residential housing sector, with no real signs of easing.” Lyristakis has also listed the modernist Red Hill former home of Consolidated Press Holdings media mogul Sir Frank Packer, built in 1959 to a design by architect John Allen of Allen Jack+Cottier.

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Reef, Surf, Rainforest

FOR SALE ONE OR BOTH STUNNING HOMES Escape from the city, take advantage of remote-working, and set up seaside, with an outlook of sweeping views over the Coral Sea in 1 (or 2) of these spectacular detached homes. The architecturally designed houses combine impeccable design, sustainable living, and modern luxuries for the ultimate balanced lifestyle. Enjoy surf beaches, renowned fishing, bushwalking in national parks, snorkelling the Great Barrier Reef or stroll past Cook’s landing point to the picturesque town.

Town of 1770

4A AND 4B ORTON COURT 1770

• 2 detached architect designed houses- only 6 years old • Winner of 2014 Qld Masters Builders Association and Housing Industry Awards • Each house has 3 bedrooms + 4th bedroom/media room all air-conditioned • Main with ensuite + family bathroom + powder room • Open plan living area with 3.6 m ceilings, ceiling fans, and polished hardwood flooring • Huge decks on 2 levels with northerly aspect and ocean views • Large carport for 2 + cars; separate trailer boat parking • Eco-friendly, low maintenance construction • Easy drive to regional airports Gladstone or Bundaberg • Limited home sites in Town of 1770 • Established holiday rentals

Purchase one and live the dream; or live in one and rent the other.

Offers considered over $999K for each home www.cookslanding1770.com.au James White PRD 1770 Agnes Water M 0410 666 549

Prestige Market Update NERIDA CONISBEE

Luxury living in Sydney’s Longueville

High-end property in Toorak, Melbourne

Shifting ground Top performers among premium suburbs have been fairly predictable but change is on the way Remember the year 2000? The Sydney Olympics, the disappointing performance of the Y2K bug, low-waisted pants and very slow dial-up internet. It was also a time when $1 million got you into many luxury suburbs.

Back in 2000, a million-dollar listing was a premium listing. At the time, Toorak was the closest Melbourne had to a milliondollar suburb, with its median house price sitting just under $970,000. Sydney had a few suburbs in the million-dollar club, but Castlecrag, Clovelly, Rose Bay, Bronte, Balgowlah Heights and Northbridge were not yet included.

Property has been a good investment for many people over the past 20 years, driven by population growth, availability of cheap finance and a very long and uninterrupted period of economic expansion.

House prices across Australia have increased significantly over the same two decades. In some premium suburbs, the rate of growth has far exceeded the average, with the strongest growth areas almost all located in Sydney.

Looking at these suburbs, some clear trends have emerged.

The suburbs are all uniform in that they are in Sydney and Melbourne, but the geographic variance is diverse.

Back in 2000, Toorak was still a top luxury suburb, whereas Rose Bay in Sydney’s east was far cheaper than Clontarf and OCTOBER 10-11, 2020

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Longueville. Despite the latter two suburbs seeing strong price growth, Rose Bay has outperformed them both.

Sydneysiders have always loved the water and beachside living has only increased in popularity over the years. Clovelly, Bronte and Palm Beach are good examples of this trend, as is Dover Heights, which doesn’t technically have a beach but is welllocated for access to many.

While the current list of strongest-growing premium suburbs are almost all Sydney based, a lot is likely to change over the next 20 years.

This year, we have already started to see many regional parts of Australia hit record highs and surpass the $1 million price point.

Perhaps in 2040 we will see regional towns such as Byron Bay, Thirroul, Lorne and Redhead enter the list.

In Melbourne, beachside suburbs such as Albert Park and Middle Park could find their way onto the list, while in Brisbane, New Farm or Hamilton could be contenders.

Without a crystal ball I can’t be certain where price growth will occur in the coming decades, but I can say with confidence that low-waisted pants will be back again at least twice during that period.

Nerida Conisbee is the chief economist at realestate.com.au

Top growth premium suburbs, 2000 to 2020 Median Price Suburb

Aug 2000

Aug 2020 (mil)

20-year % Growth

Castlecrag NSW

$763,000

$3.8

398

Clovelly NSW

$678,000

$3.245

379

Rose Bay NSW

$987,000

$4.49

355

Bronte NSW

$765,000

$3475

354 344

Bellevue Hill NSW

$1.6 million

$7.1

Balgowlah Heights NSW

$735,000

$3.1

322

Clontarf NSW

$1.2 million

$4.41

267

Toorak VIC

$970,000

$3.465

257

Northbridge NSW

$880,000

$3.06

248

$1.515 million

$5.07

234

$1.2 million

$4

233

$1.075 million

$3.55

230

Dover Heights NSW

$1.15 million

$3.475

202

Palm Beach NSW

$1.175 million

$3.33

183

Vaucluse NSW Longueville NSW Mosman NSW

Source: realestate.com.au

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RIHANNA’S UK DIGS Singer Rihanna’s long-time London rental, a grand eight-bedroom mansion a short stroll from the famed Abbey Road Crosswalk in St. John’s Wood, has hit the market asking £32 million ($56.8 million). The 32-year-old singer decamped to the British capital several years ago and rented out the Victorian-era mansion for a hefty £18,000 per week for about two-and-half years. The home is being offered with its current decor and interior design, much of which is from Rihanna’s time there. The singer cleared out of her London digs earlier this year and is reportedly riding out the pandemic in the Hamptons in New York. Diamond tycoon Daniel Francis, a shareholder at De Beers in the mid-1800s, was the original owner of the five-storey mansion, according to the listing agents at Beauchamp Estates and Aston Chase. It is the only villa designed by royal architect John Shaw that is still standing in St. John’s Wood, says Michael Sulkin, director of Aston Chase. Behind its white stucco facade it has been significantly modernised. The main floor comprises an open L-shaped living and dining area that wraps around a large family kitchen. That descends to the ground floor, where there’s an informal lounge and living area that leads out to the garden terrace and a large grassy lawn.The size of the rear garden, about onethird of an acre Sulkin says, is “normally associated with houses much further out in the suburbs”. Among the eight bedrooms there are two that are self-contained units appropriate for staff accommodation. There’s also planning permission in place to expand the home to 1486sq m, nearly tripling the interior space and allowing a basement with a pool and spa. Gary Hersham, founding director of Beauchamp Estates, says the home “is perfect for a music, business or political mogul”.

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PERRY’S BEACH HAVEN Matthew Perry has put his “kick-ass Malibu house” up for sale for $US14.95 million ($20.729 million).

The four-bedroom oceanfront home that Los Angeles-area developer Scott Gillen rebuilt about a decade ago has been listed with Josh Flagg and Bobby Boyd of Rodeo Realty. The 51-year-old Friends star rode out much of the pandemic at the two-storey house, from which he posted numerous images to social media, along with his concerns about the health crisis. At one point in early May, when much of California was still under strict lockdown, Perry snapped a group of beachgoers apparently disregarding social-distancing orders.

“This scene from my patio,” he wrote from his glass wraparound balcony. “No masks, one foot apart.

This is the thing that makes me want to scream.

Until I remember that I have a kick-ass Malibu house.” Other posts show him passing the time by the fire pit, baking cookies in the home’s sleek kitchen and catching vibrant sunsets. Perry bought the contemporary rebuild from Gillen through a trust in 2011, paying $US12 million cash. As in other Gillen creations, the loft-like interiors feature a wideopen floor plan with minimal embellishment apart from rows of exposed ceiling beams. The home spans about 511sq m, with walls of glass to take in the rolling waves, plus a home theatre and outdoor hot tub. And it’s not the only big-ticket home Perry’s looking to part with. He’s also selling a four-bedroom penthouse at LA’s exclusive Century condominium.

Mansion Global has reported that the actor is looking to spend more time in New York City.

BECKIE STRUM

SOCCER LEGEND’S TRIPLEX British soccer mainstay Phil Neville, who during his career played for Manchester United, Everton and the English national team, has listed his luxury penthouse in Manchester. Currently the manager of the England women’s team, Neville, 43, and his wife Julie recently listed the triplex apartment for £3.5 million ($6.217 million), making it one of the most expensive properties on the market in the northern English city. The recently refurbished four-bedroom spread takes up the 44th, 45th and 46th floors of Manchester skyscraper Beetham Tower, according to listing agency Savills. “Having lived in the apartment for four years as a family, we can vouch for its superb location,” Julie Neville says.

“It’s within walking distance of some amazing bars, restaurants and shops, and within easy reach of the motorway too.” The contemporary home, which has also been a popular rental, she says, has floor-to-ceiling windows, multiple terraces, a home office, a winding staircase and five secure parking spaces. During the renovation the marble floors were restored and underfloor heating was installed throughout. Also added were smart televisions in each room and a home automation system. “This apartment is premium living at its finest and truly sets the bar in terms of quality,” John-Paul Case, director at Savills Manchester, says. It “has been finished to the highest of standards, which perfectly complements the exceptional views it offers across Manchester. And with office space overlooking the city, it also provides the ideal setting for the occupant working from home.”

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East Lindfield J ONAT H A N C H A NC E L L OR

FLW Down Under Many mid-century homes across the world lay claim to having been built with Frank Lloyd Wright influences. Here in Australia, Dr Henry Fogl and his wife Stephanie Way, also a doctor, were both Mid-Century Modern and FLW devotees.

Fogl was a serial entrepreneur with businesses that included a travel agency and a coffee plantation in the Bahamas. In 1964, he bought a book on Frank Lloyd Wright, who had died in 1959, while on a trip to New York.

Three years later, Fogl travelled to California, where he reputedly bought house plans – seemingly from the estate of the revered architect and possibly from FLW’s son, Lloyd.

Marcus Lloyd-Jones, listing agent with Modern House, has done extensive research in the US on what appears to be an adaptation of one of Wright’s inexpensive ‘L’-shaped Usonian houses. While it was not the practice to sell Wright plans to anyone, Lloyd-Jones remains convinced that Lloyd Wright may have had some sort of dealings with the couple.

“We have credible evidence from a primary source – Stephanie Way – that her husband purchased plans designed by a giant among residential architects of the Modern era, Frank Lloyd Wright,” Lloyd-Jones says.

“Fogl House is the only house in Australia designed from original FLW plans, with an interior that gives the house a unique Australian overlay.” He adds that the “intrigue” makes Fogl House “a unique design story”.

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In 1968, Fogl and Way secured a 1005sq m cul-de-sac block bordered by native bush on Ailsa Close in Sydney’s East Lindfield for $11,100. They then had a project architect, Harvey Little, modify their single-dwelling floor plan to double-storey to accommodate the sloping site.

Built by Rex Todd and completed in 1970, the striking fourbedroom home with 230sq m of internal living space was designed to maximise its northerly aspect overlooking Garigal National Park. “To have a house that has such a strong interior and architectural story is rare,” says Lloyd-Jones. “Especially one that has not been documented.”

The home retains a rare and intact interior typical of the era, with original custom cabinetry, furniture, and splashes of colour throughout. Reflecting FLW’s Usonian, or New World, style, it has two upper wings divided into sleeping quarters to the east, and living areas to the west that wrap around the pool in the rear facing north. An outdoor elevated terrace overlooks the 11m purpose-built Crystal Pools installation, which was second to none at the time.

The formal living room has a concealed bar, and the kitchen comes with a breakfast hatch to the family room for casual dining.

There’s also a sunroom for entertaining.

Lloyd-Jones says the house shares key design elements with FLW houses, including the compressed ceiling height of the covered outside space, the square ceiling light in the soffits and the

heavy fascia of the roof profile, and even the use of planter boxes along the length of the street facade.

The couple had family friend and interior designer Paul Kafka undertake the furnishings. “Every room has Kakfa in it,” their daughter Jennifer Knight tells ’60s architecture devotee Tim Ross in the marketing video. Knight listed the home after the passing of both her parents.

Kafka, one of Australia’s greatest 20th-century interior designers, had moved from Vienna to Australia in the late 1930s, around the same time as Henry’s father, Carl. He had trained at the Vienna University of Applied Arts and started Paul Kafka Exclusive Furniture, creating custom-designed pieces for the wellheeled in postwar Sydney. His fitout of Fogl House was done shortly before his death in 1972.

Sydney Living Museums has declared the house “exceptionally intact”. It is likely to be the most extensive example, with documentation, of Kafka’s work. The briefcase found at the house that contains much of the provenance of the build will be gifted to Sydney Living Museums after the house sells. “[My father] particularly wanted Frank Lloyd Wright,” Knight told Ross. “He went to California … and bought some plans and came straight back with the plans tucked into his suitcase.”

She says her father “liked the best of everything” and therefore sought out the father of residential modernism, FLW himself when it came to building his house.

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Mansion

Moving forward

An Edwardian cottage transformed

Raising the tone

Muted neutrals add subtle warmth

Fit for purpose

USM’s unique furniture system

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LUXE LIFE Its traditional facade belies the sleek interior transformation of this Edwardian worker’s cottage, where heritage makes way for a restrained contemporary aesthetic 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

46

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Opposite: Tessellated tiles and hallway arches reference the house’s heritage This page: The living and dining area with grey timber chevron flooring

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w Top: The curved stair, master bedroom and ensuite Above: rear courtyard and pool

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When architect Paul Conrad took on reinventing this newly purchased, single-fronted worker’s cottage in its original and almost unliveable condition, his brief was to create a high-quality, contemporary aesthetic reminiscent of luxury retail stores.

“The brief, especially the number of rooms and spaces required, was quite demanding given the relatively tight site – it’s only 6m wide,” he says.

Unlike many architectural practices, Conrad Architects, which its principal founded in 2008, places equal weight on the four services it offers: architecture, interior architecture, interior design and interior decoration.

“This enables us to approach projects from four slightly different perspectives at the same time – from the basic arrangement of building forms, to the shape of spaces, detailed plan layouts and the detailing of joinery, right down to the furnishing of spaces,” Conrad says.

With this Edwardian-era home in Melbourne’s gentrified Middle Park, Conrad addressed the requirement to introduce

natural light deep into the floor plan with something from all four perspectives. The architectural approach led to placing a courtyard and double-height void in the centre of the house. The interior architecture approach resulted in the organic shaping of the double-height void to mirror the arches in the hallway and respond to the light entering the courtyard. The interior design approach involved curving the stair and detailing extremely narrow handrails, which amplifies the drama of the space. And the interior decoration approach uses tall lights that emphasise the space’s height and washes soft light onto the walls, with direct spotlights up to the curved ceiling.

When dealing with heritage structures, Conrad says he always respects the existing building fabric and character of the house.

“In this instance, our clients desired a highly contemporary interior without any historical reproduction,” he says. “So we reinterpreted the heritage detailing in a contemporary fashion at the front of the house, and then transitioned it out to a purely contemporary expression at the rear.”

The reinterpretation is evident in details such as the arched entry to the master bedroom, the routed detail in the doors, and the large curved cornices and timber mouldings on the existing windows. The overall feel is of quiet and restrained luxury. The interiors are purposely understated and sophisticated, avoiding any ostentatious or clichéd representations of luxury. Highly refined detailing, a restrained materials palette, neutral colour tones, and a focus on light and proportion all combine to create a calm and sophisticated aesthetic.

As visitors cross the threshold past restored tessellated tiles and exterior tuckpointed brickwork, a viewline through the home opens to reveal layers of old to new, grey timber chevron flooring, which aids in a smooth transition.

In keeping with the traditional layout of such terrace houses, the master bedroom sits at the front, taking advantage of the heritage character of the façade. A new walk-in-robe and ensuite replace the second bedroom that would traditionally sit behind.

At the midpoint of the home stands a sculptural stair, fusing the new and old parts of the house. Here an injection of natural light is provided from the adjacent central courtyard.

The hallway continues to the kitchen and dining area and family living room before reaching the garden, which is connected to the home via a “pergola” structure that extends across a paved patio toward the nearby pool and lawn. A double garage and first-floor studio and guest wing sit beyond the garden at the end of the block.

The material and colour selection was kept neutral, with a primarily white and warm grey palette punctuated with multiple kinds of marble for highlights and texture. “This ensures a timeless and restrained aesthetic that brings a sense of calm and retreat to the house,” Conrad says.

The choice of a chevron pattern for the floor came from the desire to respond to the heritage character of the home and to introduce a subtle richness, in contrast with a simple plank layout, without “going as far as a traditional and slightly ‘busier’ herringbone pattern”, the architect explains.

He always saw the staircase as the focal point of the house and its highly sculptural form suits that intent perfectly, as well as responding beautifully to the wash of light coming from the adjacent courtyard, he says.

The archways down the hall reflect those featured in the original residence in a more contemporary form and without the period detailing.

“To avoid this simply being a token reference, the geometry of the arch was also extended throughout the ‘front’ of the house: the master bedroom, walk-in-robe, stair and doubleheight space,” says Conrad.

With his clients keen to explore the ambience prevalent within luxury retail interiors, Conrad used marble extensively throughout the home, particularly complementary marbles placed together. “We pushed this idea even further in the selection of the Agapecasa Eros dining and coffee tables – both in Carrara marble,” he says.

As for his clients, a growing family who call this house home, Conrad says it is the numerous “moments” that exist in all the rooms they like best: looking down the hallway of arches from the front door to the pool; the staircase; the master ensuite bath and its full-height window to the courtyard; the swimming pool; the view from the first-floor study down into the courtyard; and the feeling of calm and relaxation in the master bedroom.

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Etc. S A M YA T E S

Tonal value 1.

CUP & SAUCER

2.

OUTDOOR TABLE

Passifolia, designed byNathalie Rolland-Huckel for Hermès. $575 hermes.com

SP01 Jeanette outdoor coffee table with terracotta top. $1275 Spacefurniture.com.au

3.

BEDWARE

Designed by Jac & Jack for Sheridan. $79.99 for a standard/euro pillowcase and up to $429.99 for a super king standard quilt cover set. sheridan.com.au

4.

LIGHT

Henry Wilson sculptural surface sconce, $1840 henrywilson.com.au

5.

WARDROBE

6.

CUSHION

7.

RUG

8.

PAINTING

Cover wardrobe in composite leather, available in four colourways: Elefante, Moro, Latte and Nocciola.

From $16,490.

Poliformaustralia.com.au Handwoven from silk and cotton with a linen back.

55x55cm, $120 planetfurniture.com.au Armadilo Andes in pumice.

Four sizes, from $1335 Armadillo-co.com

2.

3.

4.

Glider Trail, Mount Canobolas,

by Ann Gordon, anngordonartist.com 56cm x 56cm, $980 cornerstoregallery.com

1.

8.

6.

7.

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5.

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Design classics

USM

MODULAR FURNITURE

BRUNO AUGSBURGER X3

DAVID MEAGHER

M Clockwise from top left: USM Haller 0001411 in Pure White; USM Haller 0011251 in Steel Blue; USM Haller 0006418 in Pure White; USM Haller E in USM Beige 50

MANSIONAUSTRALIA.COM.AU

ade from coloured steel panels, chromed tubes and ball connectors, USM is a modular furniture system that, although created more than 50 years ago, has developed a cult-like following in recent years among architects and interior designers.

USM was founded in MĂźnsingen, Switzerland, in 1885 as a metalworking and locksmith business and has remained family run. In the 1960s, the company commissioned architect Fritz Haller to design a new factory and corporate headquarters. Haller, a pioneer in steel modular building construction, also devised a similarly modular furniture system for the USM offices.

In 1969, the USM Haller system went into commercial production and has been popular in both office and residential design ever since.

The beauty of the USM system is that it is built to the client’s specifications using some basic components and elements. The design process starts with a structural grid-like frame, and elements such as shelves, rear or side panels, drawers, and flip-up or drop-down doors are added and come in a range of colours. The system uses a unique ball joint mechanism to connect everything so it can be easily added to and altered as needs change over time. The system is also available in tables and desks.

USM is available in Australia through Anibou. anibou.com.au THE WEEKEND AUSTRALIAN

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