Discreet Charm Of The Square Peg

The Age

Wednesday September 17, 2008

Katherine Townsend

Modern sensibility meets Edwardian splendour in this Elsternwick house, writes Katherine Townsend.

FOR a city with a housing pride resting almost entirely on uniform suburban streets filled with neat rectangular blocks, we've been understandably reluctant to embrace higher-density living, where neighbours are a little closer and the streetscape is slightly less regimented.

Now we're discovering that the key factors in liveability are access to transport, services and the central city and, perhaps in the future, doing without high-maintenance, water-devouring gardens.

This spacious Edwardian brick house, on a triangular corner opposite the Sandringham railway line and near Elsternwick station, does not fit the traditional profile - and would once have been dismissed by real estate know-alls as too close to the railway and with not enough backyard for family living. But the owners have forged a comfortable modern life from the slightly unusual century-old home.

On the corner of Gisborne Street, the house presents a fairly classic Edwardian facade to Riddell Parade, with a low-maintenance front garden behind a cream picket fence.

A higher fence gives privacy to the part of the garden fronting Gisborne Street and this is done without overwhelming the classic red-brick and timber fretwork facade. Inside, the house has a fairly classic layout with three bedrooms (one tiny) and a bathroom on one side of the hallway and two large adjoining living rooms on the other.

These original rooms have cream walls with dark brown picture rails and window surrounds, dark slate-grey carpet and ornate dark timber fireplaces.

On the right of the hallway, the original Edwardian layout becomes almost open plan: a large bay-windowed sitting room adjoins an equally large dining room through a large square archway.

Both have similarly large, doorless, square openings into the hallway and both overlook the part

of the garden shielded from the

street.

These rooms also have dark carpet, dark window surrounds, dark timber fireplaces and dark picture rails: buyers might prefer to lighten some of it for a more modern look.

The back of the house has a recently added kitchen and family area, with a clerestory window above and two walls of windows overlooking a small deck area and garden. The kitchen has dark timber veneer cabinets and plenty of bench space.

This rear section has a door leading to the garage that opens from Gisborne Street but also opens through sliding doors on to a deck and then to a private garden.

It isn't life as suburban Melbourne once knew it but there's plenty of period charm as well as room for eating outside and for children to play.

64 Riddell Parade, Elsternwick

Agent's quote $1 million-$1.1million

Auction Noon, September 21, through Matthew Iaco and Associates, 95328845

Melway 67 G4

© 2008 The Age

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