Prestige Property: 29 Laidlaw Parade, East Brisbane, QLD
Designer living delivered in an incomparable fashion.
2 min
This opulent manse set on the water’s edge in East Brisbane is arguably one of the cities most prestigious residences.
Combining architectural flair with interior design by the renowned Greg Natale, the home has seen no expense spared in its creation. Here, a heady and timeless combination of black, white and gold themed design indulges in Italian crafted marble, Venetian plaster and brass adornment.
The three-storey, 960sqm, 5-bedroom, 6-bathroom, 4- car parking lands on a gilded, 597sqm plot of inner-city riverfront.
Immediate and imposing is the home’s attention to detail. From brass archways, the mixed-use of steel and glass and vaulted ceilings to the custom-designed furniture by Natale – which can be included with the purchase of the home – all aspects of the home have been highly considered.
The middle level sees most of the living and entertaining areas including the kitchen – replete with paonazetto marble benchtops, Subzero and Gaggenau appliances alongside a butler’s pantry. Also on this level is a library (or grand piano room), office, powder room, laundry.
Every room has been thoughtfully put together with the use of venetian glass tapware, for example the dining room is wrapped in De Gournay wallpaper and enjoys custom-designed paonazetto marble fireplace.
The upper level sees the bedrooms which all hold their own unique character.
The master bedroom is grand in proportions and is adorned with Gucci wallpaper. It connects to a 10-metre (no, not a typo) walk-in wardrobe inclusive of a floor to ceiling shoe and bag storage.
The other bedrooms also include walk-in robes and ensuites, which follow a similar theme of marble adornment.
Elsewhere, the lower level sees an ornately designed theatre room alongside a wellness centre and living space that flows out to the barbeque terrace, pool and lawn areas.
The rest of this level consists of a guest bedroom, with ensuite and built-in robe, gym, sauna, ice-bath room, steam room, extra storage rooms and space for a wine cellar for the avid wine connoisseur.
All levels are serviced by a lift and curving concrete staircase brandishing a Greg Natale signature steel and brass balustrade.
The exclusive residence arrives with its own jetty on the Brisbane River and is nearby to Mowbray park and Brisbane CBD.
The listing is with Henry Hodge (+61 455 500 035) of Henry Hodge Real Estate; POA.
Chris Dixon, a partner who led the charge, says he has a ‘very long-term horizon’
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You’ll never guess where they found a little extra room when renovating this west coast house
4 min
There was a time, not too long ago, when the most important must-have for would-be renovators was space. It was all about space to be together and space to be apart.
But as house prices increase across the country, the conversation has started to shift from size for the sake of it towards more flexible, well-designed spaces better suited to contemporary living.
For the owners of this 1920s weatherboard workers’ cottage in Fremantle, the emphasis was less on having an abundance of room and more about creating cohesive environments that could still maintain their own distinct moods. Key to achieving this was manipulating the floorplan in such a way that it could draw in light, giving the impression at least of a larger footprint.
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Positioned on a site that fell three metres from street level, the humble four-room residence had been added to over the years. First order of business for local architect Philip Stejskal was to strip the house back to its original state.
“In this case, they were not quality additions,” Stejskal says. “Sometimes it is important to make sure later additions are not lean-tos.”
The decision to demolish was not taken lightly.
“Sometimes they can be as historically significant as the original building and need to be considered — I wouldn’t want people to demolish our addition in 50 years’ time.”
Northern light hits the site diagonally, so the design solution was to open up the side of the house via a spacious courtyard to maximise opportunities to draw natural light in. However, this had a knock-on effect.
“We had to make space in the middle of the site to get light in,” Stejskal says. “That was one of the first moves, but that created another issue because we would be looking onto the back of the neighbouring building at less appealing things, like their aircon unit.”
To draw attention away from the undesirable view, Stejskal designed a modern-day ‘folly’.
“It’s a chimney and lookout and it was created to give us something nice to look at in the living space and in the kitchen,” Stejskal says.
“With a growing family, the idea was to create a space where people could find a bit of solitude. It does have views to the wider locality but you can also see the port and you can connect to the street as well.”
A garden tap has also been installed to allow for a herb garden at the top of the steps.
“That’s the plan anyway,” he says.
Conjuring up space has been at the core of this project, from the basement-style garaging to the use of the central courtyard to create a pavilion-like addition.
The original cottage now consists of two bedrooms, with a central hallway leading onto a spacious reception and living area. Here, the large kitchen and dining spaces wrap around the courtyard, offering easy access to outdoor spaces via large sliding doors.
Moments of solitude and privacy have been secreted throughout the floorplan, with clever placement of built-in window seats and the crow’s nest lookout on the roof, ideal for morning coffee and sunset drinks.
The house has three bedrooms, including a spacious master suite with walk-in robe and ensuite overlooking the back garden. Adjustable blades on the bedroom windows allow for the control of light, as well as privacy. Although the house was designed pre COVID, it offers the sensibility so many sought through that time — sanctuary, comfort and retreat.
“When the clients came to us, they wanted a house that was flexible enough to cater for the unknown and changes in the family into the future,” Stejskal says. “We gave the owners a series of spaces and a certain variety or moods, regardless of the occasion. We wanted it to be a space that would support that.”
Mood has also been manipulated through the choice of materials. Stejskal has used common materials such as timber and brick, but in unexpected ways to create spaces that are at once sumptuous but also in keeping with the origins of the existing building.
Externally, the brickwork has been finished in beaded pointing, a style of bricklaying that has a softening effect on the varied colours of bricks. For the flooring, crazy paving in the courtyard contrasts with the controlled lines of tiles laid in a stack bond pattern. Close attention has also been paid to the use of veneer on select joinery in the house, championing the beauty of Australian timbers with a lustrous finish.
“The joinery is finished in spotted gum veneer that has been rotary cut,” says Stejskal. “It is peeled off the log like you peel an apple to give you this different grain.”
Even the laundry has been carefully considered.
“The laundry is like a zen space with bare stone,” he says. “We wanted these different moods and the landscape of rooms. We wanted to create a rich tapestry in this house.”
The owners now each experience the house differently, highlighting separate aspects of the building as their favourite parts. It’s quite an achievement when the site is not enormous. Maybe it’s not size that matters so much after all.
Chris Dixon, a partner who led the charge, says he has a ‘very long-term horizon’
The actor’s Telluride property is as action-packed as his films.
