Tour this flexible farmhouse property with contemporary convenience

Many of us dream of a country estate without missing out on the conveniences of the city. At 17 Heritage Drive, Bundanoon, it is all on offer on a luxury property ideal for weekend parties, working from home or just escaping from the trappings of city living.

The five-bedroom property in the Southern Highlands has been designed to separate living and sleeping quarters while perfectly capturing the natural light, cross breezes and views. An open plan living area is at the centre of this recently completed house, characterised by exposed recycled ironbark beams, dormer windows and a sandstone fireplace constructed from local stone.

The Shaker style kitchen is a cook’s delight, with a generous island bench finished in Caesarstone and abundant storage which extends into the butler’s kitchen.

Bi-fold doors fold back to draw guests outside onto the expansive deck to enhance enjoyment of the 4000sqm property.

For those with a young family or in need of a quiet place to work, a secondary private living area would be ideal as a home office, playroom or home theatre environment.

Part of The Yards at Bundanoon, this is one of the first homes to be completed on the estate, set to become one of the most desirable addresses in the Southern Highlands.

Price guide: $3.25 million

Open for inspection: Saturday October 1

Agents: Ben Olofsen 0419 019 423 and Steph Ash 0458 000 253, The Agency, theagency.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

Tour this flexible farmhouse property with contemporary convenience

It’s hard to believe that this classic country farmhouse was only recently completed