WATERFRONT CHARACTER
Come for the house, stay for the view, writes ERIN REILLY
The twinkle of the sun as it bounces off the surface of the water. The constantly changing shades of blue . . . no wait, green . . . no, blue again. The hustle and bustle of marinebased rush hour. The perfect mirror image of the city lights’ reflection, which becomes a series of sparkles as the sea breeze turns watery glass into white peaks.
For Fiona, the connection between the property and the sea was what first attracted her to 21 Norwood Rd.
“The outlook here is just beautiful — and it’s constantly changing. When it’s sunny, it’s beautiful. When it’s moody, it’s beautiful. At night, the bright lights of the city are beautiful.
“Living here, you know you’re part of a big bustling city; I mean, you can literally see it across the water. But the connection to the sea, the established trees near our property that bring vibrant birdlife right to our doorstep, the peacefulness, that sense of living ‘out of the way’ down the Bayswater peninsula, all these things that feed the soul . . . it’s just something else.”
When Fiona and her family bought the property in 2014, it desperately needed some love. Originally built in 1911, the home felt dark, disjointed and disconnected from the outdoors.
“To get to one of the downstairs bedrooms you had to walk through the main bathroom,” says Fiona. “When you opened another door, there was a wall right there. The upstairs didn’t connect with the outside either. The home had beautiful roots but the layout was very higgledy-piggledy.”
What resulted was a total rebuild of the original house to create a magnificent home that seamlessly connects to the outdoors, features all the modcons you’d expect in such a well-appointed dwelling, yet retains the character of the original property. The old joinery and other key character features of the house were restored and reinstated, and now almost every room in the house looks out to the sea.
Ray White agent Ross Tierney says the combination of its waterfront positioning and character home makes it an incredibly unique offering.
“It’s already uncommon to come across an absolute waterfront property on the market, but for it to be a 100-year-old character home as well, that’s incredibly rare.”
Built with a family in mind, the home features five large bedrooms including a generous master with enormous custommade windows that run the length of the room, three separate living areas, four bathrooms and a huge sleepout. The multiple living spaces offer exceptional versatility for families of every age and stage.
But for Fiona, what she gets to call “home” really centres around the outlook.
“There hasn’t been a day when I’ve not looked outside and thought, ‘That’s lovely,’” she says. “The house is absolutely beautiful, spacious and easy to live in, but looking out on to the ever-changing sea and the city, to do that every day, it’s just incredible.
“That’s what really makes this place home. It really is a privilege to live here.”
October 8
Ross Tierney, Ray White, 021 855 721; Andrew Fava, 021 575 035