Inside The Historic 'Namarong' Mansion

Here, in Melbourne’s Armadale, comes the rare opportunity to own one of the city’s true landmarks, ‘Namarong’. Built in 1868, the historic home — which is perched on 3370sqm of what once was pastoral highland — offers a confident combination of old-world charm combined with a contemporary remodel.

The exterior of the heady pile arrives in an Italianate Victorian fashion with lush gardens — of which two of the remaining original palms — punctuate the tree-lined avenue with the sweeping gated forecourt of Parisienne sensibility creating a captivating entrance.

Within the home’s three levels, 6-bedrooms, 5-bathrooms, and enough parking for 8-cars, the old world script has been completely flipped following a two-year renovation by designers Kennedy Nolan.

While plasterwork and joinery retain or emulate the charm of a Victorian, they have been updated with bright colours – think vibrant blues and bright orange carpets combined with high ceilings and detailed panelwork throughout.

The ground floor sees the formal lounge and music room alongside a separated living and dining and the kitchen, with its ‘Tangerine’ Laconche, handmade French stovetop and oven.

Also here is a scullery, walk-in pantry and home office with access to the terrace and barbecue area.

Upstairs sees the majority of the home’s accommodation, with four bedrooms plus the master suite found here. The master suite includes an expansive retreat, ‘his’ and ‘hers’ dressing rooms and a large, opulently appointed ensuite. Also on the first level is a library and mezzanine access to a meditation room.

The home’s lower level gives access to the guest quarters, which includes a bedroom that sits alongside an expansive housekeeper’s laundry, theatre, games room, another kitchen and access to the courtyard, garage and sauna.

Back outside, and meandering through the residence’s expansive grounds, one finds the inground pool – which was once an indoor pool, the charming tennis enclosure and a functional alfresco dining area.

The home offers the best of Armadale’s peaceful, tree-lined living and is only 7km from Melbourne’s CBD and only minutes from the suburb’s High Street and its shopping and eateries.

The home is listed with Private Property Global’s Michael Gibson; (+61 418 530 392). Price guide $22-24 million. Ppgloba.com.au

Former Google CEO Eric Schmidt is selling his Northern California estate, which was listed Monday for $24.5 million.

Located in Atherton, an extremely affluent town northwest of Palo Alto and about 30 miles south of San Francisco, the 3.36-acre property is made up of three parcels that Schmidt acquired over the years, according to public records and Compass, who has the listing.

Schmidt, 69, and his wife, businesswoman Wendy Schmidt, purchased the main home in 1990 for $2 million, according to public records accessed via PropertyShark. They remodelled the 1969 home in 2007, and at that time, bought a neighbouring parcel of land, allowing an expansion of the main house and the addition of a guest house, according to Compass, who holds the listing. A third parcel was later acquired, on which the Schmidts added an English garden house and landscaped grounds overlooking the Eastern Hills.

“Finding three contiguous parcels in Atherton is rare. Even rarer are those with views of the Eastern hills,” said listing agent Katharine Carroll of the reSolve Group at Compass. “The location of this residence is ultra private, at the back of a cul-de-sac with the main house built into a hillside that provides privacy and very good security.”

Across the estate, there are five bedrooms, five full bathrooms and six half bathrooms.

The 5,265-square-foot main house also offers a number of private outdoor spaces on its upper level, including a large terrace off the primary suite, another large terrace off a secondary bedroom, plus a third smaller terrace and two balconies.

Behind the main house is a patio with a pool and spa. For even more outdoor space, there’s an entertaining pavilion, an open lawn and an outdoor fireplace area near the guest quarters.

The grounds themselves are also a standout feature, with an array of mature plants and specimen trees. The upper portion of the property’s landscaping is designed around an Amdega-designed conservatory, which was imported from the U.K. Around the greenhouse, there is a garden of raised beds and fruit trees, Carroll said.

“From the moment you step onto the grounds, it feels as if you’ve been transported to a private botanical sanctuary,” she said.

Schmidt served as Google’s CEO from 2001 to 2011, and then became the company’s executive chairman until 2015. He could not be reached for comment.

This article first appeared on Mansion Global

Inside The Historic ‘Namarong’ Mansion

The remodelled Italianate pile is on the market.