Featured in Domain Prestige | Words by Lou Sweeney
Steps from Port Phillip Bay, this reinvented Victorian house blends coastal elegance with cutting-edge design.
Turn into Normanby Street and the first thing you see, like a blue ribbon across the end of the road, is our beautiful Port Phillip Bay.
Waterperry has taken its cue from the bracing beauty of the beach and spun it out into the form of a majestic coastal compound.
There are equal parts elegance and cutting-edge confidence in the application of the material array here, especially in the stone that trims the bathrooms and communal spaces.
From the outside, the house looks every inch a Victorian classic. A crisp white, double-front with a glorious bay window and entry leadlight panes is offset by a dark slate roof and accents. Set inside a deep green front garden with hemming colour, it’s an august introduction.
There are a few tell-tale signs that it’s not all just reimagined period pomp. The wrought-iron gates open automatically onto a side driveway that slides under the house to a subterranean 12-car garage. A running planter box drapes greenery along the side and top of the basement entrance; even the parking gets design detailing.
Once you’re inside, the period and progressive meld to create a villa for the ages.
The long central hallway showcases a reinvented Victorian classic: the hallway arch. Here, there are two of them, banded with steel but still soft-edged, mixing refined style with the sophisticated shine of now.
European oak floors flow from the entry into the lush library, where a big bay window is a fine feature, together with soaring ceilings and handsome cabinetry. Across the way, a formal living room, accessed via black-banded glass doors, is similarly endowed with loft and light.
Crossing the hall again brings you to the extraordinary main-bedroom suite. Anchored by a majestic marble hearth, the bedroom proper opens up to the west-side sun and private courtyard. Two vast walk-in wardrobes/dressing rooms are set at a right angle and contain marble handles, refined display units, a make-up station and plentiful storage options.
Turn on your heel from here and head to the north end of this space and its epic en suite. Calacatta viola marble pairs with the circular Italian Moda tub, brass tapware and a smooth, curved vanity to arrive at panache plus polish.
An adjacent bedroom would be fine primary accommodation for any other home. Its own appointments – fireplace, lovely windows, large walk-in robe, a striking marble en suite – are simply exceptional.
Before we make it out to the dazzling rear open-plan section, we need to talk about the quartzite. The stella rossa stone that appears first as a delineating strip on the hallway floor is a marvel of green, ochre-brown and white, captivating in its swirling, organic composition.
“This is the definition of luxury: timeless style, flawless function, complete ease across every level of the home. Grand scale and sophistication but warm, liveable and completely inviting. Every part of Waterperry has been designed to elevate everyday living.” Says the agent, Will Maxted.
On the living room’s west wall, set against honed plaster walls, the fireplace is clad in more of this elemental stone and rises in style. Arrayed judiciously throughout the area, it feels dynamic. (Its application on the bar adjacent to the dining room’s picture window is brilliant.)
Its opposite can be found in the kitchen, where the Taj Mahal stone’s lustre is soberly handsome, with subtle just-gold seams picking through the layers. Brass tapware, door pulls and lighting fixtures bring a durable texture; the combination is effortlessly sophisticated.
Wind around behind the kitchen to the butler’s pantry with an array of ovens, appliances, workspaces and storage. Wine fridges, warming drawers and a walk-in coolroom underscore the comprehensive amenity here.
Just beyond the kitchen, in a section near the end of the central passage, is a plush powder room and a splendid cinema with a dual-level, stepped configuration accommodating individual armchair seating.
You could take the lift near here up to level one – but that would mean missing the gorgeous stairs with a platform of stella rossa stone underpinning the smooth American oak risers. Whichever way you get upstairs, there are three bedrooms, two with luminous en suites, the third serviced by the central bathroom.
At the rear of the level is a radiant retreat with access to the full-length, north-facing balcony, also accessible via the north-east bedroom.
Back on the ground floor and that languid living area, a wall of full-height sliding glass takes you out to the heated, covered terrace.
Krause ghost grey bricks form a mesmerising loggia that arches across the north-facing rear and over to the west, taking in a brilliant multipurpose area that includes a barbecue kitchen and lounge. Beyond is the mineral pool and spa, as well as the pool house with a gym.
Every conceivable luxury has been laid on, but not for the sake of show. Here, it’s the high-end kit, thoughtful configuration and attention to the smallest detail that will see this home endure, with a soft sea breeze to seal the deal.
