Architect designed Sydney School waterfront property is a hidden gem
For design lovers, it doesn’t get much better than this Sydney School waterfront home
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For lovers of the Emerald City property market, they don’t come much more Sydney than this.
The four-bedroom, two-bathroom waterfront home at 31 Willis Road Castle Cove was built in 1973 and designed by Sydney School architect Harry Howard, an architect and landscape architect who also designed the sculpture garden at the National Gallery of Australia.
The Sydney School architects, including Bruce Rickard and Ken Woolley, took their cues from the local landscape, embracing their bushland settings, natural light and water views building in double brick, with raked roof lines.
The Willis Road property is set over three levels on a 923sqm overlooking Sugarloaf Bay on Middle Harbour. It enjoys a north easterly aspect from the rear and has been designed to capture water views from most points in the house. Bedrooms are spread across all floors, with the master bedroom on the top floor offering commanding views over the bushland and harbour beyond. The property has been partly renovated, in sympathy with the original design and the Corian kitchen boasts Miele appliances and a glass splashback. There’s a second kitchen and bathroom on the lower ground floor, ideal as a teen zone or even overnight guests.
There’s also direct access to the water via the sandy cove and stone wharf.
Chances are buyers will be captivated by the generous balcony on the main floor which offers ample room for entertaining. It’s an ideal spot for enjoying the local birdlife, such as kookaburras, parrots, cockatoos and whip birds.
If you ever tire of looking at the tranquil views, the historic Innisfallen Castle built in 1904 is just across the road. Access to the house via Willis street allows for a double carport.
31 Willis Road, Castle Cove is open via DiJones Willoughby. Auction August 27
This stylish family home combines a classic palette and finishes with a flexible floorplan
Just 55 minutes from Sydney, make this your creative getaway located in the majestic Hawkesbury region.
The four-bedroom home is decorated lavishly, complete with chandeliers, mirrored ceilings, Versailles-style parquet flooring and stucco imitation sculptures
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Listing of the Day
Location: Paris
Price: €4.2 million (US$4.49 million)
This Rue de Rivoli home in the heart of Paris’s 1st Arrondissement comes with some serious design cachet: For one, it was one of the first major projects of notable French interior designer Didier Rabes, according to listing agent Paola Feau.
While an apartment, the four-level home is large enough to feel like a detached house, and Rabes decorated it lavishly to evoke an 18th-century chateau, complete with chandeliers, mirrored ceilings, Versailles-style parquet flooring and stucco imitation sculptures.
Sébastien Dondain
Most of the building dates to the mid-19th century, though there are some remnants of the older Directoire style with its Neoclassical architectural forms, which were popular in the late 1700s, according to Feau.
This particular residence in the building also has the legacy of being the couture workshop of designer Madeleine Vionnet during the early 20th century, Feau said. It was later transformed into a private home, and with recent renovations, it boasts both a distinctive period atmosphere and modern comforts such as an elevator and a large modern kitchen.
Stats
The 3,207-square-foot apartment has four bedrooms with three full bathrooms and two half bathrooms. The apartment is spread over four floors including a lower ground floor, and is entered on the ground floor of the building.
Amenities
The home boasts a lift that goes between its three main floors, as well as a home office, and a 300-square-foot paved courtyard on the second floor that two of the bedroom suites open onto.
A separate, renovated apartment on the second floor connects to the main house, and can be accessed by both an interior staircase from the main house or through the building’s common areas. With two bedrooms, a bathroom, a living room, and a kitchen, “the apartment could be kept completely separate and rented or used for guests, or it could be used as an extension of the main house,” Feau said. “This little apartment has been fully renovated in a completely modern style, in contrast to the 18th-century-style main house.”
Neighbourhood Notes
Sitting right on the expansive Tuileries Garden, a 17th-century formal garden filled with statues, including 18 bronzes by Aristide Maillol, the location is also within a few minutes’ walk of the Louvre, Place Vendôme and Place de la Concorde, as well as the Jardin des Champs-Élysées.
“It’s one of the best areas in Paris,” Feau said. “It’s very, very central, with all the finest restaurants, fashion and jewellery boutiques and hotels, including Hotel Le Meurice and the Ritz.”
The Place Vendôme has historically been the home of many famous dress designers, with the stores of the couturier Chéruit and the shirtmaker Charvet still in situ.
Agent : Paola Feau, Daniel Feau and Luxury Portfolio International
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Just 55 minutes from Sydney, make this your creative getaway located in the majestic Hawkesbury region.
