Sunnyside, Kirribilli

Sunnyside, 11 Holbrook Avenue, Kirribilli, NSW

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• See also Rustic gothic style at Wikipedia

This is not a Federation style house, but the similarities in gabled style are obvious.

• (Victorian) Rustic Gothic style at Wikipedia:

157 Hotham Street,East Melbourne, Victoria. Completed 1861.

Greycliffe House, Vaucluse, New South Wales, attributed to John Hilly, circa 1840s.

Rectory of St Mark's Church, Darling Point, New South Wales. Designed byEdmund Blacket.

Roslyndale, Woollahra, New South Wales, attributed to Francis Clarke, circa 1856.

Kirribilli House

Sunnyside, Kirribilli

The "epic design" of the two famous Kirribilli houses are highlighted by the barge boards around the gable, which are highly decorative in this earlier Gothic style. If you like Queen Anne style, this will be very a very familiar look.

• Heritage listed by NSW heritage; "A fine example of its type and period."^[1]

Table of Contents

Sunnyside, 11 Holbrook Avenue, Kirribilli, NSW

$16m-plus for twin of PM's Sydney digs

$16m Kirribilli mansion: Sunnyside for sale

• "A picturesque Gothic waterfront house that is a relic of the early waterfront mansion developments of the area in the middle of the nineteenth century.
• "It relates to Kirribilli House nearby, Lindsay, Greycliffe House, Vaucluse House, The Hermitage and others now demolised. Associated with a prominent colonial administrator and a colonial politician. A fine example of its type and period".^[2]
• The steep pitch and arrangement of gables to the street, with roofs executed in slate, (constitute) the epic design of these picturesque waterfront houses: 'Kirribilli House' and 'Sunnyside'.^[3]

This house was built about 1857 for Robert Hunt, Master of the Royal Mint. Hunt purchased the land from William Maguire in 1861 and shortly afterwards built the original stone portion of the present house.Sunnyside, No. 11 Holbrook Ave, was formerly called Wyreepi.

• He lived here until 1870, and it was then leased out to a succession of occupants until his widow sold the property to the North Shore Steam Ferry Co. Ltd.
• The latter subdivided the land and sold the house and most of the grounds in 1901 to Ward Barrett (a small strip of land was retained for access to the harbour for a ferry wharf). Barrett, described as a comedian, owned the house for 9 years but lived there only till 1905 when the Hon. Dugald Thomson took up residence there and renamed it Wyreepi.

Foreshore view to Sunnyside, about 1908. (North Sydney Heritage Centre, PC 623)

• Dugald Thomson was the representative for Warringah in the NSW Parliament at successive elections in 1895 and 1898. He stood for and won the newly formed Federal seat of North Sydney in 1901. After he retired from parliament in 1910 he continued to live here.
• During this period he added the Victorian style wing on the southern side of the original house.
• Thomson died in 1922 and the grounds of the estate were subdivided.
• The house name reverted to the name ‘Sunnyside’ when, during restoration in 1949, the then owners found that the original bathroom floor was inscribed ‘Sunnyside 1885’in copper studs – the year that water was piped under the Harbour to the North Shore.

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$16m-plus for twin of PM's Sydney digs

Lucy Macken

Date September 27, 2013 - 5:53PM^[4]Lucy MackenPrestige Property Reporter
View more articles from Lucy MackenFollow Lucy on Twitter Email Lucy
The owners of Sunnyside say their home is better than the more famous Kirribilli House, just around the corner.

Sunnyside, the house in Kirribilli

It's not Kirribilli House, but it's close. Lucy Macken visits the $16 million property.
While it has new tenants, Kirribilli House isn’t for sale.

• However, its waterfront twin 100 metres away is on the market.Sunnyside, on a 1250 square metre block, is a rich person’s alternative to the Prime Minister’s official Sydney base, with no election win required. Just deep pockets: the vendors are looking for $16million-plus.
• ‘‘Our place is much better than Tony’s,’’ say the sandstone mansion’s owners, Eve and John Molyneux.

Sunnyside: vendors are looking for $16 million-plus. Photo: Supplied

‘‘For a start, ours has exposed sandstone walls, whereas Kirribilli House is painted, and we have the ocean pool and the boating facilities,’’ Mr Molyneux said

• The two-storey sandstone mansion was built for Master of the Mint Robert Hunt in 1857, two years after Kirribilli House.
• Before Kirribilli House and its 4000 square metres was acquired by the government at the turn of the century, Sunnyside was the home of Dugald Thomson, the first federal MP for North Sydney.

Sunnyside is located on a 1250 square metre block. Photo: Supplied

The Molyneuxs bought the property in 1971 for $153,500 from Dr Leonard Reuben Rail.

• ‘‘That was a lot of money for us at the time. Some of our friends thought we were mad to pay it,’’ Mr Molyneux said. ‘‘It wasn’t an easy negotiation. He got me on the extra $500.’’
• At the time the property was run down, the roof leaked and neighbours had built a garish red brick house that impinged on the sandstone home’s outlook.
• The roof was quickly fixed, the interiors have had a gracious fit-out by Michael Love, and when the neighbours put their house up for sale in 1998, Mr Molyneux bought it.

The two-storey sandstone mansion was built for Master of the Mint Robert Hunt in 1857, two years after Kirribilli House. Photo: Supplied

‘‘Susan Rothwell said if we buy next door she’d design a house that suited the site better and didn’t jut out over the terrace, so we did,’’ said Mr Molyneux, who paid $2.96million for his Holbrook Avenue neighbour

• That was recouped in 2003, when the less-intrusive designer property sold for $6.1million.
• The heritage-listed Sunnyside shares the same steeply pitched roof, fretwork, French doors and wraparound verandas as Kirribilli House, and a Federation-era extension has added an ornately detailed billiards room. The wet-edged swimming pool was added by the Molyneuxs, as was the Rothwell-designed kitchen and family room.
• Beyond the sandstone terraced gardens, there are the remains of an oceanfront swimming pool, and the boating facilities are now shared with the neighbour.
• ‘‘It’s seen some great parties here, lots of dinner parties, and the house has always been packed on New Year’s Eve,’’ Mr Molyneux said.
• Sunnyside is on offer to expressions of interest until November 21 through Richard Harding and Geoff Smith of L.J.Hooker Mosman.

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$16m Kirribilli mansion: Sunnyside for sale

• PRUE MILLER PROPERTY JOURNALIST^[5]
• NEWS LIMITED NETWORK
• SEPTEMBER 26, 2013 3:39PM

SUNNYSIDE AT KIRRIBILLI 1:01 Play video
Prue Miller steps into history with one of Sydney's oldest and most historic private home

11 Holbrook Ave Kirribilli ONE of the most historically significant properties on Sydney Harbour is about to go on the market, with a price expectation of over $16 million Source: Supplied

ONE of the most historically significant properties on Sydney Harbour is about to go on the market. Expecting to reach more than $16 million, the property known as Sunnyside is just a few hundred metres from what could be it’s twin, Kirribilli House

• The Molyneux family have called 11 Holbrook Ave home for 42 years, finding the sight of a submarine parked at the bottom of Sunnyside’s garden too tantalising a view to resist when they first inspected the home all those years ago.
• The major and most immediate change they instigated was to take off the white paint that covered the beautiful Sydney sandstone walls.
• “In the end they had to blast it off — the whole suburb was covered in sand,” recalled John Molyneux.

11 Holbrook Avenue Kirribilli

Inside changes are more subtle.

• “There was a flower room here, all the homes used to have them back then” said Eve Molyneux during a recent tour of the property. That room was been tastefully, and usefully, converted to a downstairs bathroom.

11 Holbrook Ave Kirribilli

However, much of the home is delightfully original, including many panes of glass in the myriad of windows and doors that overlook the harbour.

• The property was built in the 1850s by the Master of the Royal Mint, Mr Robert Hunt and was later owned for many years by the first Federal Member of Parliament for North Sydney, Mr Dugald Thompson. Mr Thompson was a strong advocate for Australian Federation, and was also a keen billiard play, adding a billiard room to the rear of the home, where even today the fittings for the gas lights can be seen, preserved in the ceiling.

11 Holbrook Ave Kirribilli Source: Supplied

Agent Richard Harding at LJ Hooker Mosman admits it wasn’t an easy listing to secure, but he is excited at the prospect of such a high profile listing of a home he agrees has not only great value, but a soul.

• With royal visits on the calendar in the very near future, one wonders if this home is a castle just waiting for a prince to call it home.
• For more coverage, watch Hot Homes with Prue Miller - Kirribilli Edition

11 Holbrook Ave Kirribilli Source: Supplied

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1. ^ http://www.environment.nsw.gov.au/heritageapp/ViewHeritageItemDetails.aspx?ID=2180133
2. ^ http://www.environment.nsw.gov.au/heritageapp/ViewHeritageItemDetails.aspx?ID=2180133
3. ^ http://www.environment.nsw.gov.au/heritageapp/ViewHeritageItemDetails.aspx?ID=2180139
4. ^ http://news.domain.com.au/domain/real-estate-news/16mplus-for-twin-of-pms-sydney-digs-20130927-2ujg6.html
5. ^ http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/m-kirribilli-mansion-for-sale/story-e6frg6n6-1226728350356

St Georges Road Mansion, Toorak

Table of Contents

16 St Georges Road TOORAK

The beautiful rose, 16 St Georges Road, Toorak

Offshore buyer secures 16 St Georges Road, Toorak

A $20m Mansion Lists in Toorak </span></span>

16 St Georges Road TOORAK

[Previous post: Waterton, Chelmer Qld ... Next Post: ]

• See also: Federation Arts and Crafts
• See also Top Federation Houses
• See also Art Nouveau and Federation style

The beautiful rose, 16 St Georges Road, Toorak

The look is a mixture of Queen Anne and bungalow styles

By Jonathan Chancellor, Property Observer, Monday, 17 June 2013
The Toorak property, 16 St Georges Road is one of Melbourne’s most significant homes.

• It sits on just about an acre, the home of LU Simon building company director Peter Devitt and his wife Jo and their family for many years.
• It is being marketed internationally via a website and a short film with a sound track called Beautiful Rose by composer Alex Khaskin. The lead actors were professionals, Gary Glenn and model/law student Millie Davis. Not sure about the labrador.
• All co-ordinated by market leaders Goldeneye Media whose campaign secured 33,000 views in its first week.
• Agent Ross Savas was talking around $20 million for the property on its listing late last year.

Offshore buyer secures 16 St Georges Road, Toorak

from Peter Devitt in circa $20 million saleBy Jonathan Chancellor, Property Observer, Sunday, 22 September 2013
The Toorak property, 16 St Georges Road, one of Melbourne’s most significant homes, has been sold through Kay & Burton.

• It was marketed internationally via a short film produced by Golden Eye Media.
• The Kay & Burton agent Ross Savas was talking around $20 million for the property on its listing in late 2012, and while the sale price has not been disclosed, the agency suggests the sale was "circa $20 million."
• It has been billed as "one of city's biggest property deals."
• Property Observer gleans 16 St Georges Road has been bought by an off shore Asian buyer who first inspected the property several months ago.

The mainland Chinese buyer flew into Melbourne last week on their private jet to put the signature on the contract.
It last traded at $4.4 million in 1997.

• There has been no official confirmation of the price of the Georgian-style mansion on Towers Road, Toorak but it is understood to have fallen short of the Melbourne record of $24 million.
• Property Observer gleans it sold for around $21 million, a very healthy result.

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Reprinted from the Radical Terrace

A $20m Mansion Lists in Toorak

Comes With Awkward Video

A $20m+ listing emerged on the market last week on what has historically been considered the most prestigious stretch of St Georges Road in Toorak. Directly across the street from Toorak House, 16 St Georges Road is an early-20th Century self-described “Art Nouveau” (although it’s not Art Nouveau at all, “Arts & Crafts” would be more apt) estate sitting on a full one acre spread of land. 

• The home has been extremely well-maintained; so much so that the Radical Terrace ventures to say the floor plan is mostly in original shape (save for the placement of the master bedroom).
• The home sold to the current owners in 1997 for either $4.4m or $5m, depending the source. It’s a fun listing for a few reasons: for starters, the home rests on what is today considered a large parcel of Toorak land.
• However, in its original state, it was one of many 1-acre parcels that sat north of Toorak Road in between far larger multi-acre estates, almost all of which have since been heavily subdivided. And although we can’t get our hands on an exact date of construction, it’s non-existence on MMBW maps date the home post-Federation.
• The exterior Arts & Crafts treatment speaks to a popular style of that era, but the lack of orientation to the outdoors and grouping of all public rooms at the front of the house indicates a slightly dated and thoroughly Victorian floor plan. A floor plan, mind you, that hasn’t changed much since.

The interiors are of a certain indiscriminate period, but thankfully Kay & Burton alongside Goldeneye Media produced a video that helps us viewers better understand the lifestyle associated with such a residence. 

• The four minute video titled ‘Imagine a Place’ features a happy blonde-haired, white-skinned family playing with a labrador retriever, meeting foreign dignitaries, and hosting dinner parties with name cards! All in, it’s four minutes of our life we’ll never get back. And there wasn’t even any of the fun homoeroticism (and vague diversity?) of Goldeneye’s previous film that apparently helped sell Portsea’s Ilyuka for $26.5m last year.

Ross Savas of Kay & Burton has the listing: 16 St Georges Road, Toorak
More listing photos below!

A Victorian era style, with baroque trim, however the use of white and cream is Edwardian era
Beautiful fireplace, wood panelling is not ornate, so more Edwardian than Victorian era. An Edwardian interior, beautiful leadlight glass.

This is a Victorian era interior, although the leadlight glass is from the 20s or even 30s Transom windows above patio doors, parquetry floor would be original
Art Nouveau leadlight, probably the reason the agents described the property as Art Nouveau

Waterton, Chelmer Qld

Waterton, 17 Laurel Ave, Chelmer, Qld

[Previous post: Redcourt, Armadale ...Next post: St Georges Road Mansion, Toorak]

• See also: Queenslander Tropical styles

On a large, flood-free prime site of 4,335m2 (currently zoned Community Use area - CU5), this heritage property is a charming centerpiece; the foundation residence (c1900) has many original features including prominent gables, sweeping verandahs, lead lighting, decorative fireplaces, french doors and bay windows.

• The expansive additions, including an adaptable dormitory building and separate staff quarters, were all architecturally designed and sensitively placed to maintain the stunning streetscape.
• The entrance is flanked by spectacular mature fig trees, in keeping with the nature of the street, and features landscaped gardens.

The estate includes:

• The original Federation home, with a northern addition adjacent to the house comprising two storeys, with over 20 rooms in total;
• A separate dormitory building behind and parallel to the main house consisting of a central hallway leading to a series of 25 dormitory rooms and amenity rooms, flanked by verandahs with French Doors that open to take advantage of river breezes; and
• A separate, detached single-storey building on the south-west corner, which was previously used as staff quarters.

With a detailed and rich history, this is a property with a special story and plenty of soul.

• Originally a luxury residence, Waterton was built at the turn of the last century for Brisbane insurance agent Thomas Beevor Steele.
• However, from 1913-1940 it was home to EA Harding Frew - a prominent Civil Engineer who specialized in Bridge design.
• While residing at the property, he was the designing engineer for Brisbane's iconic William Jolly Bridge as well as a number of other landmark Queensland bridges.
• The property was transferred to the Red Cross in 1941 and additions made to convert it to a convalescent home/hospital for servicemen returning from WWII. It subsequently served the community as barracks for the Royal Women's Army (10 WRAAC), and as a training centre for the Queensland Police Service.
• This impressive estate is now offered with vacant possession and is literally a massive, unique and versatile grand opportunity to suit an astute buyer with vision. While heritage-registered, its record suggests that a multitude of uses may still be possible - and the purchaser will have the rare chance to write their own chapter in Brisbane's history.

Historic home of Brisbane bridge designer and WWII servicemen hits the market

• Kieran Rooney "The Australian"
• From: Quest Newspapers
• September 19, 2013 12:00AM

An iconic heritage home once occupied by WWII servicemen and police trainees is now for sale.
Built about the time of Australia's federation the home at 17 Laurel Ave, Chelmer, known as Waterton, was originally owned by insurance agent Thomas Beevor Style.

• CLICK HERE FOR A TOUR OF THE CHELMER HOME
• It was later bought and occupied from 1913 to 1940 by civil engineer EA Harding Frew, the man who designed the William Jolly Bridge.
• From 1941 the home was passed on to the Red Cross where it served as a home for servicemen returning from WWII, the Royal Women's Army and later became a training centre for the Queensland Police Service.

A picture of the home from 1906 (SOURCE: State Library of Queensland and Johny Oxley Library)

"You have the original federation home which has more than 20 rooms in total and has a northern addition which is two storeys high," she said.

• "Behind that you also have a separate dormitory and another detached building which was a staff quarters, two things you very rarely see in a property sale.
  
• "The dormitory itself has 25 rooms and is surrounded by verandas with French doors."

Returning WWII servicemen, police trainees and the Royal Women's Army have all used the home over time.

Ms Buchanan said potential buyers had plenty of options for the property.

• "This is the kind of sale that only comes around once in a lifetime," she said
• "It is currently zoned as a community use area and within that code the three ideal uses are community facilities, education or health and medical.

The listing: MAGNIFICENT LANDMARK HERITAGE ESTATE

Redcourt, Armadale

Redcourt, 506 Orrong Road, Armadale Vic

Table of Contents

Redcourt, 506 Orrong Road, Armadale Vic

Melbourne's ultimate renovation

REDCOURT - A Mansion

How Adam Garrisson saved Melbourne mansion Redcourt

[Previous post: Renovation Good and Bad ... Next post: ]

• See also Federation Queen Anne style
• See also Melbourne's Federation Heritage

Abandoned in 1996, Armadale's Redcourt now has price hopes of more than $10 million plus.

Redcourt, 506 Orrong Road, Armadale Vic Redcourt was built in 1888, and was in a state of abject neglect when Garrison bought it from the government in 2009. Picture: Earl Carter/Vogue Living.

Redcourt, 506 Orrong Road, Armadale Vic

Melbourne's ultimate renovation

September 21, 2013

Stephen Nicholls

Stephen Nicholls
National Domain Editor
View more articles from Stephen Nicholls
The owner, entrepreneur Adam Garrisson, bought the Queen Anne-style mansion in 2009 in a derelict condition from the state government for considerably less than the original 2008 $8 million asking price, but industry sources said he'd spent more than double what he paid on restorations. 

• The heritage-listed 3497-square-metre property had been a residence for art and music students in the 1950s, but was abandoned in 1996. Vandals damaged several rooms.
• ''For many years I would drive past it once or twice a week and I was absolutely enamoured by the building,'' Mr Garrisson tells Domain. ''It was very mysterious to me. I was always intrigued by it and I thought I'd love to get inside, wondering if there was ever any potential to do anything with it.''

Redcourt before the renovation.

Redcourt was built in 1888 by the glass and timber merchant Edward Yencken and is one of Melbourne's most prestigious houses
PROPERTY INVESTOR Adam Garrison is believed to be the mystery buyer of a 14-bedroom “renovation rescue” in Armadale.
The co-founder of charitable restaurant Fifteen Melbourne – and until recently the part owner in Spring Street’s iconic Windsor Hotel – plans to fully restore the heritage listed Redcourt mansion on Orrong Road into a family home, a move which some speculate could cost more than $2 million.
Mr Garrison, who could not be contacted, is understood to have paid about $3.9 million for the Redcourt estate in April, far less than the approximate $8 million vendor the Victorian Government had anticipated when it listed the Queen Anne style mansion for sale last year.

Sitting on a 3,497 square metre block with a tennis court, servants quarters, coach house and pavilion, all of which are rundown, the 121-year old heritage protected Redcourt home includes a grand hall, dining room, billiard room, library, drawing room and attic, all of manor style proportions.

Bennison Mackinnon marketing agent Andrew Macmillan was unavailable for comment.
Amongst Mr Garrison’s biggest property venture is the $95 million retail redevelopment of Bourke Street’s General Post Office. ^[1] The following is from Walking Melbourne:

REDCOURT - A Mansion

• This distinctive mansion is located in Orrong Road, Armadale and has only come to my attention because it is currently up for sale. Oddly enough I have been unable to locate any photographs of the property beyond those provided with regard to the forthcoming auction; it seems difficult to believe that no one took any photographs of this beautiful house - if anyone is able to locate some I'd love to see them.
• Recourt dates to 1887-1888, architects being Reed, Henderson & Smart. It was originally erected for a E.L.Yencken, then subsequently changed hands a number of times until agent T.Burke acquired the property in around 1930 and subdivided the grounds to create Redcourt Avenue. Later still it was run as Redcourt guesthouse and at some stage a hostel.
• Here is Redcourt - from Walking Melbourne:

The shots of the beautiful and apprently intact interiors are evidence of a grand mansion which has fortunately survived. Hopefully it will be purchased and restored to its full glory.

Look at the great fireplace, ceiling and wall panelling in this room:



This is similiarily attractive:



You can see by some of the fluorescent light fittings that this elegant mansion has been used to other purpose, but thankfully the interiors themselves seem - on this viewing anyway - to be relatively preserved:





The first room shown here looks as though it may have been partitioned, note the flimsy wall on the left, which appears to have been erected across a fireplace - the ceiling hints at a room of once grander proportions:







Here's a link to the agents site

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September 21, 2013

Stephen Nicholls

Stephen Nicholls
National Domain Editor
View more articles from Stephen NichollsThe owner, entrepreneur Adam Garrisson, bought the Queen Anne-style mansion in 2009 in a derelict condition from the state government for considerably less than the original 2008 $8 million asking price, but industry sources said he'd spent more than double what he paid on restorations.

Redcourt before the renovation.

• The heritage-listed 3497-square-metre property had been a residence for art and music students in the 1950s, but was abandoned in 1996. Vandals damaged several rooms.
• ''For many years I would drive past it once or twice a week and I was absolutely enamoured by the building,'' Mr Garrisson tells Domain. ''It was very mysterious to me. I was always intrigued by it and I thought I'd love to get inside, wondering if there was ever any potential to do anything with it.''

Redcourt after the renovation.

• Developers were proposing to covert it into 28 bedsits.

After reaching a deal, Adam Garrisson brought in

• Shannon Bennett, the chef and owner of Vue de Monde, to design the kitchen;
• leading fashion designer Akira Isogawa for the music room makeover;
• artist David Bromley for a children's bedroom and some sculptures.
• John Warwicker, of the British design collective Tomato, was responsible for the art.
• It comes complete with tennis court, servants' quarters coach house and pavilion.

''It's an extraordinary property in every way,'' says Ross Savas, a director at Kay & Burton in South Yarra.

• Agent Ross Savas, Kay & Burton, 03 9820 1111.^[1]

Mystery: With expansive gardens and intriguing features, the restored Queen Anne-style mansion is a place of sheer beauty.

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How Adam Garrisson saved Melbourne mansion Redcourt

• Annemarie Kiely
• From: Vogue Living - Reprinted in the Australian newspaper
• September 18, 2013 11:48AM

ADAM Garrisson (Oriental Pacific Group, previous owner of The Windsor Hotel and current owner of Kitchen Cat - ex Fifteen) is a publicity-shy Melbourne investor who rescues significant old buildings from the bulldozer.

• But don't imagine he is a tweed-wearing National Trust zealot intent on freeze-framing architecture and the "ye olde" times in which they were built.
• Rather, he affects the unassuming air of a Silicon Valley software mogul (neat sneakers, hoodie and jeans) and makes big business of recycling existing buildings for modern use.
• He bankrolled and creatively briefed the redevelopment of Melbourne's neo-Renaissance GPO into a thriving retail hub.
• He co-founded socially responsible restaurant Fifteen with celebrity chef Jamie Oliver, and is currently creating a six-star eco-resort (with Vue de Monde owner/chef Shannon Bennett) out of the Art Moderne mansion of Burnham Beeches, a 1930s estate on the edge of Victoria's Sherbrooke Forest.

Old buildings "encase the character of a civilisation," says Garrison. Picture: Earl Carter/Vogue Living.

His most recently completed project is Redcourt, the landmark Armadale, Melbourne, residence that Garrisson spent four years and untold millions rescuing from the ashes of ignominy.

• It was built by glass and timber merchant Edward Yencken in 1888 to the design of architect Joseph Reed, whose firm also designed the State Library of Victoria and the Royal Exhibition Building. Reed's exuberant Queen Anne design consists of Tudor-style half timbering, turned porch posts, ornamental spindles and stained glass.
• The building passed through the hands of a series of eminent pastoralists, politicians and mining entrepreneurs. In 1935, the property was repurposed into a guesthouse, after which it was bought by the Ministry of Education for the residency of music students, before slipping into abject neglect and ultimate government sale in 2009.

Garrisson appointed John Warwicker of London art and design collective Tomato as creative director. The pair walked through the building dozens of times before deciding on a theme. Garrisson says the idea was to achieve a "universal language" but with "different dialects" within each space.

• Other creative people were enlisted for different rooms.
• Fashion designer Akira Isogawa conceptualised the music room as an exotic Bedouin tent;
• British-born, Australian-based artist David Bromley designed the children’s room in the style of a Boy's Own annual;
• and Warwicker himself steeped the Great Hall in the visual vocab of an eccentric English manor - all dark panelling and decorative cross-pollination.

  he White Room, featuring a cloud-like sculpture by Naomi Troski. Picture: Earl Carter/Vogue Living.

• Melbourne artist Naomi Troski Naomi created a cloud-shape ceiling installation of white netting for a room Garrisson has dubbed the White Room. It's a place for meditation - "nothing to over-stimulate, just room to reflect".
• The adjacent study counterpoints the White Room's ethereal effect with space-swallowing black walls, one of which Warwicker swamped in gilt-framed, Dutch-style still life paintings sourced from op shops and the odd auction sale.

"I wanted to create an environment that fostered a cultural and artistic exchange," says Garrisson, who is legendary for hosting jazz afternoons, gourmet evenings and poetry readings by such Redcourt regulars as actor Jack Thompson. "Some people don't care about old buildings, but they are defining, contextualising and encase the character of a civilisation."

• Or, translating from the truisms of Danish philosopher Kierkegaard: Life must be lived forward, but it can only be understood backward.
• This is an edited extract from the September-October issue of Vogue Living, out now.

- See more at: 

• http://www.theaustralian.com.au/executive-living/home-design/how-adam-garrisson-saved-melbourne-mansion-redcourt/story-fngmet9f-1226721878096#sthash.j7yojL4o.dpuf
• Interior photos from Walking Melbourne:http://www.walkingmelbourne.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=4936

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1. ^ http://news.domain.com.au/domain/real-estate-news/melbournes-ultimate-renovation-20130919-2u0ag.html