Exploring Inner Space

The Age

Saturday July 21, 2007

Lou Sweeney

Looks like a townhouse, feels like a home, writes Lou Sweeney.

ELSTERNWICK

284 Glen Eira Road

$1.1 million-plus

Auction noon, July 28

Agent Kay & Burton, 9820 1111

Melway 67 H2

WHAT you see on the outside of this classy Elsternwick pad is not necessarily what greets you beyond the front door.

While the handsome contemporary facade sits nicely on the streetscape it has a near-townhouse look that could fool you into thinking it will be a tight layout inside.

What you find on the other side of the entry, however, is a spacious, smartly designed family home with plenty of room for everyone, including the dog.

Its roominess is probably one of the main reasons it was nominated for a design award by the City of Glen Eira.

The smart storage is also a standout - almost every corner seems to have been used wisely.

The entry takes the eye to the bright rear of the house, where walls of glass illuminate the informal living area.

Before that, an opaque sheet of glass separates the front door from the formal living room.

On the left side of the hall there is access to the double garage. Further along is the elegant large square dining room.

There are columns to mark the formal nature of the space and a glass wall allows you to look into the side courtyard.

A large storage area and powder room sit underneath the stair.

The rear of the house is not so much open-plan as a well-delineated area where everything has its place.

Windows let in plenty of light over the informal meals space and the lounge.

To the right is a slick kitchen with granite benches and crisp white cabinets. Beyond there's the laundry and outside a steam room in the small paved rear.

Upstairs the place spreads out like no townhouse ever could. There's a powder room, and straight off the landing is a fine bedroom with high and low rectangular windows to give you an unusual perspective on the world.

The main bedroom facing the front has its own little balcony and three windows facing north. A sleek ensuite has a double marble vanity unit and open shower. The walk-in wardrobe preceding it is sizeable.

Two more bedrooms with storage and space - along with a large bathroom for the children - complete the house.

© 2007 The Age

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