By Jacqui Hammerton and Mary O'Brien
Looking for your next home in Melbourne? We’ve got you covered.
1 Chrystobel Crescent, Hawthorn
Growing families will love this house, which is steps from the L.E. Bray Park playground. Period details shine in the sitting room while the modern family zone offers a leafy outlook. The office, study space and first-floor kids’ zone are practical. The large block and pool are a bonus. “You can walk to many of the best schools,” the agent says.
G02/2A Hampden Road, Armadale
Award-winning architect Rob Mills has designed and developed this upmarket block. One of nine, this ground-floor apartment combines high ceilings, oak floors and arched windows. The living zone features a kitchen with porcelain benchtops, and a light-filled living space that opens to a terrace. A seven-star energy rating is impressive. It’s steps from ritzy High Street shops, tram and trains.
31 Hopetoun Street, Elsternwick
A short stroll from buzzy Glenhuntly Road, this renovated period house is a surprise package. Skilfully extended by B.E Architecture, the pitch-perfect family zone includes a stylish kitchen, a serene dining and living space, and a brilliantly designed terrace with an outdoor fireplace. A ground-floor office and upstairs study are handy. “It’s on the doorstep to Harleston Park,” the agent says.
892 Glenferrie Road, Kew
In the same family for three decades, this 1890s mansion boasts grand heritage interiors and a return verandah. Entertain in the stately living room or the architect-designed family extension. It’s set on a huge block, with a pool surrounded by Michael La Fontaine gardens. “It’s a tranquil escape yet just a stone’s throw from top schools,” the agent says.
3/1 Heller Street, Brunswick
This 10-residence parkside development by Six Degrees Architects won sustainability accolades in 2012. “A bunch of creatives own and live there,” the agent says. The townhouse’s basement home office and its sunroom with sundeck – added by the owner, who bought it off the plan – are possible fourth and fifth bedrooms. We love the courtyard outlook from the grapevine-draped pergola to the grassy knolls beyond.
161 Bank Street, South Melbourne
For locals upsizing from an apartment or a cottage, this balconied Victorian terrace house offers rare liveability with affordability. “Two million is the bridge to three bedrooms these days, so this is entry-level,” the agent says. “It’s renovated, in a lifestyle location near South Melbourne Market, and has flexibility with two separate ground-floor living rooms. It caters well to a growing family.”
102/339 Toorak Road, South Yarra
If you wish for swish, this modern first-floor Rockley Gardens apartment has it in spades: a swish fit-out of Miele and marble inside, and swishing leafy tree canopies across its broad park frontage. “You hear the tram from the balcony, then close the door and you’re in another world,” the agent says. “It’s beautiful and there’s no compromise in its living space.” The Elenberg Fraser development was completed in 2022.
404/71 Rouse Street, Port Melbourne
The nearby waterfront and foreshore vegetation inspired Wood Marsh’s architecture and the colour palette of the low-rise Mint building, but the focus inside this apartment is its oversized living area. “You could fit two or three couches and a 12-seater dining table,” the agent says. “Having three bedrooms, it can suit a young family.” The top-floor pad has two balconies, a glimpse of water and an urban concrete style.
18 Phoenix Street, South Yarra
In a tale of two eras, the lace-trimmed red-brick facade of this single-level cottage, on the city side of Chapel Street, hides contemporary charm within. Crisp presentation and a smart floor plan are universally appealing to young couples, singles and downsizers. There’s beauty in restored fireplaces and in the light-filled bathroom, modern kitchen and high-ceilinged living room that meets a rear deck.
This article was originally published by Domain.com.au. Reproduced with permission.