Radio star Chrissie Swan lists her mid-century stunner for $2.86 million

When Chrissie Swan first laid eyes on 14 Mayston Street, Hawthorn East, she thought the two-dwelling property resembled Judy Garland and Liza Minnelli.

Split into two dwellings – a two-bedroom in the front that Swan has since converted into a three-bedder, followed by a smaller one-bedroom unit (now two) – she thought the property needed a name.

“So I called the first one Judy after Judy Garland and the second Liza, after Liza Minelli,” she says. “I don’t know why people don’t do this more often - we name our kids, pets and cars, but not houses, despite them being the most important part of our lives.”

She bought the property intending to live there but soon realised her three kids were too attached to the family home, and instead embarked on a renovation project that is now for sale with a price guide of $2.6 million to $2.86 million.

While it was obvious the mid-century home needed some TLC (“I gardened the hell out of it – I don’t think it had been touched in 60 years,” Swan says), she could tell it held the magic of a showgirl.

Chrissie Swan is selling her Hawthorn East property. Credit: Chris Hyde/Getty Images

“The guy that built it, Ewan Fraser, was an engineer, and he designed it for himself and his beloved wife,” says the host of the Chrissie Swan Show and former host of TV shows including The Circle and The Project. “It was built expensively for the time: the cabinetry is all beautiful and bespoke, there is timber everywhere, and the garage looks like a wing.

Chrissie Swan renovated the mid-century home.Credit: WHITEFOX

“You just don’t get that kind of quality any more.”

She decided to turn it into a project that would make a lucky renter happy.

The home has a price guide of $2.6 million to $2.86 million.Credit: WHITEFOX

“Whenever I look at rental properties, they are so depressing. The way this country is going, some people will only get the rush of a beautiful house through renting, so why not make it beautiful?

The home features bespoke touches. Credit: WHITEFOX

Leaving the two separate houses largely intact (Swan just added a bedroom to each one), the main changes include the addition of colour, new timber floors – “but not oak. Everyone has oak” – and quirky wallpapers, including one she made up herself by cutting out “little circles and squares out of Dulux samples” and getting a friend to print it.

The front residence, “Judy”, which sits behind a high front fence and overlooks a serene private garden, includes three bedrooms, a study nook, bespoke wallpapers and floor-to-ceiling windows.

“Liza”, the smaller two-bedder, comes with a light-filled living and meals area, a separate kitchen, a large bathroom and laundry with a shower and bath.

Whitefox Real Estate’s Michael Torcasio says the property, set on a 600-square-metre block and offering two courtyards attached to the self-contained residences, has drawn interest from parents with older children as well as investors keen to capitalise on the unique format.

“Parents love it for the two residences, as their kids want privacy and their own space. And from an investment perspective, it offers a good yield, as you can rent out the two properties separately,” he says.

The property is listed for auction on May 24.