Modern marvel wrapped in a 1930s Perth original

When it comes to bringing the 1930s into the modern era, few have done it better than the Kirman family. And now they’re ready to move on.

Samantha and her family at the Peppermint Grove house. Picture: Colin Murty

Samantha Kirman knows she and her husband have unusually itchy feet.

While they love their home in Perth’s western suburb of Peppermint Grove, they find that after a handful of years, a desire for a change of scenery and setting begins to nag at them.

“I always said that with house no. 10, that we’d stay for a while,” Samantha said with a laugh.

“But as we always do, three or four years is coming up and we get itchy feet and we’re like ‘OK, what’s next?’ So we’re on to house no. 11.”

No similar promises are being made about their next home when they find it.

The backyard sports a heated pool for year-round swimming. Picture: Colin Murty

They looked at a nearby property that recently on the market, mostly out of curiosity. The family of five had just returned from several months travelling in Europe and US and while that one went on to sell, it had ignited that familiar feeling.

“That was sold and then we said, ‘you know what, we still kind of want to sell, don’t we?’” Samantha said.

“What are we going to do next? We’re just winging it.”

The five-cargarage has become a place for entertainment. Picture: Colin Murty

They listed their home at 58 View St, Peppermint Grove with Ray White Cottesloe and Mosman Park principal Jody Fewster last month, with a price guide in the high $6m zone.

The original home was built in the 1930s, with the Kirmans moving in back in 2019.

They were drawn to the renovation and extension of the property by architect Lendis Golic, which blended the original features of the home with contemporary living.

The five-bedroom home has several formal and informal living spaces with jarrah floorboards used throughout the spacious two-storey property. The five bathrooms feature Italian marble, which has been carried through to the kitchen, where functionality has been met with high-end fit-outs and European appliances.

The interior is a clever mixture of old and new.

But it is the home’s entertaining attributes that the family love to this day.

The kids and their friends can often be found playing in the gated front yard or in the heated pool in the backyard all year round.

Meanwhile, the large five-car garage has been partially used as the entertainment hub, proving the backdrop for many parties and celebrations. It is connected to a temperature-controlled basement cellar, complete with cedar-panelled ceiling and a built-in bar, which is often used for late into the evening with friends.

The back alfresco is fitted with a wood-fired pizza oven and rotisserie BBQ. It’s positioned off the open plan kitchen, dining and living room, and Samantha explained that at Christmas time, the sliding doors are kept open, with family and friends inside and out.

While the house has distinctly period features, they are nestled in modern equipment. Picture: Colin Murty

“I love hanging out by the pool but then I love being down in the cellar with my friends and having parties because it’s noise-proof. You can be down there to all hours in the morning and no one can hear you,” Samantha said.

“Then in winter, I love being down in the garage where it could be raining outside and the kids have got their scooters and hoverboards and we can go down and sit there and drink wine.

“There’s so much to love about it, so I can’t pick; it’s hard.

“I guess, it’s just entertaining. That’s what I love about the house. I think that’s a common theme that we have with all the houses that we’ve lived in. All our friends say ‘you always buy the best party houses’.”

They hope to sell their home soon and find something nearby.