If you’re anything like us you love looking at property, like all
the time, so when we first saw this grand old home we were
drawn to it immediately, and one of the main reasons is that
this is the type of property that’s irreplaceable. No one’s
building homes like this these days and yet they are still so
sought after and therefore, it was obviously already unique.
This house is in a thriving and vibrant area of Melbourne, in a
great location close to the city center and on the top of a hill
so it has a view - what’s not to love. Welcome to our journey!

After a bit of fenagling on our part, we were indeed lucky
enough to secure Bayview and were pretty much able to
move in straight away, so you probably didn’t know that
we lived in the house ‘as is’ for almost two years before we
started renovating. What that gives you is time - precious
time to live, breath and dream of the right vision. We didn’t
want to get this one wrong!

What we discovered about this house is that it had great
bones, but it was a rabbit warren. Two kitchens, two living
areas, a few bathrooms and a number of bedrooms -
effectively two separate houses under the one roof. We
had the opportunity to change the whole flow of the house,
making it more functional for family style living with modern
convenience, and was able to give it the love and polish it
deserved - we brought it back baby!

So we kind of had an idea about the front of the house but
the back was a little more tricky, but the vision came with
the help of an architect and an interior stylist. The way we
approached - the architect was instrumental in working out
the key design outcomes (a home for large style modern
living; the space, function and flow) and the interior stylist
to help work out the more detail orientated interior spaces
(cabinetry, aesthetics, tones and textures all allow the house
to unfold into fully glory).

We always knew this house was going to be a development
project, so it was about creating the best possible home for
the market and I’ve got to say we love it - a lot. We love the
flow, all of the natural textures and finishes, the different
zones - adult and childrens / upstairs and downstairs. When
you’re looking for a house for development, it’s good to see
what’s there when you purchase it and what can be there
when you sell it. We had a plan from the start - that’s key
because you need to understand the value of the house when
you’re looking at it from a development perspective.