Back of Burke

 
I drove past this home at 76 Burke Road Ivanhoe East on Sunday and looked it up when I got back home. I am intrigued by the staircase photo - will have to go and check it out!

All images courtesy Miles Real Estate

Hardy a Boyd Design

I was pretty excited to see Robin Boyd's Holford House c.1956 at 14 Hardy Terrace, Ivanhoe East come up for sale this week.  I actually had the chance to go through the house on one of the Robin Boyd Foundations Open Days back in 2010. It is one of Robin Boyd's famed courtyard houses - a layout which I absolutely love. It also has this great 'Parasol Roof' where the pavilions of the house have a flat roof that is sheltered by a floating skillion roof above. I presume this was to assist in drainage and insulation.

'Parasol' Roof

It seems like the internal room configuration has been played with a bit - as you can see by comparing these images from the State Library of Victoria's archives and the current real estate images. The kitchen has been moved from the entry, which I can understand the reasoning for, but unfortunately now when you enter the house via the courtyard you walk into a blank wall.  The original copper fireplace has also been moved from one end of the house to the other.

Image from the SLV archives - You can just see the kitchen to the entry and the copper hood of the fireplace inside.

Current sales photo from Nelson Alexander - Kitchen and Fireplace have been moved.

According the the Banyule City Councils Heritage Report of 2011 "Holford House
is of architectural, historic and aesthetic significance to the City of Banyule" so it would be great to see a Heritage Order placed on 14 Hardy Terrace if it hasn't already been. 

Distinctive Boyd Courtyard Plan

Rear elevation overlooking the Golf Course - Images courtesy Nelson Alexander Real Estate (unless noted)

Pocket Sized

For those looking for a mid-century home on a budget: a couple of apartments are currently up for sale in these groovy apartment blocks...

5/176 Lower Heidelberg Road, Ivanhoe East - you can see more of the great brickwork on this apartment here.
 

Image courtesy Miles Real Estate

1/103 Hawdon Street, Heidelberg  (seems this one may have already sold)

Image courtesy Miles Real Estate

Laurel & Hardy

Okay so this is a brand new house but... it looks amazing and has certainly taken some cue's from Modernist ideals - particularly the front facade & materials. Great bathrooms & kitchen too. Not to mention the view over the Ivanhoe Golf Course!!
 
16 Hardy Terrace, Ivanhoe East is for sale through Jellis Craig Ivanhoe and brought to you today by Jealous Renae.

Yes, that is a little bridge to get from the pedestrian path to the front door!

Carrara marble & timber kitchen - Nice & simple

Living areas with that view!

Beautiful elegant simple bathroom

All images courtesy Jellis Craig Ivanhoe

Wyalla Court Opening

I originally blogged about this great looking apartment block in Ivanhoe East late last year. Now there is an apartment for sale at 7/18 Carmichael Street, Ivanhoe East and it looks as fantastic on the inside as it does on the outside!! It always looks so great decorating inside in a style that suits the house externally. Love it.

Great living room!

Great furniture & artwork too!

All images courtesy Miles Real Estate

Steel Yourself

On the market for just a brief period of time, this cracking house at 292 Lower heidelberg Road, Ivanhoe East recently sold (for over $1,000,000!!). The architecture is credited to John Timlock c.1961. Not familiar with his work and Google is not giving me any leads on him. Pretty conservative externally I guess - not exactly ground breaking for the 60's but it certainly has charm and mid-century character.

 Regrettably, I didn't get a chance to check it out while it was open for inspection. I would have loved to have seen the original 'American Steel' kitchen and that sleek brick fireplace.

Love a kitchen up on legs and a sink with an angled fascia. They don't make 'em like this anymore!

Paneling - You guys know how I'm a sucker for timber paneling!  All images courtesy Barry Plant Ivanhoe

Back Dated

I was really quite distraught when MR sent me the link to 19 Longstaff Street Ivanhoe East. While the description reads 'tastefully updated' I couldn't help crying out its 'Back Dated' NOT UPDATED!!

In the 1950's & 1960's architects and designers were doing away with excessive embellishments. While the rations and restrictions of WWII had been lifted, the way we designed buildings and used materials had changed forever. There was a sense of creative freedom and the optimism of the post-war era was celebrated across the arts. It meant new buildings were free from the shackles of traditional decorative elements like stained glass windows, ceiling roses, timber mantel pieces, dado paneling and swags and tail drapery. Yet at Longstaff Street we seem them creeping back in and its wrong, wrong, wrong! Rather than looking rich and opulent as they would in a classic Victorian home, the interiors look like spartan and unfinished. This is because the 1960's proportions of the rooms, the ceiling heights and the windows all work against the interior decor which is designed for smaller, darker rooms with higher ceilings with ornate cornicing and smaller, draftier windows.

Images Miles Real Estate

I won't include more interior photos here because, well frankly, its too upsetting for me! But I hope that the new owners can breathe some new life into this home. Peel off the layers that are aging it un-gracefully and reveal (and celebrate) the modern young building within.

Charteris Drive

oooohhhh myyyyyy gaaaawwwwdddd!!!!!

I finally went to check out the amazing looking house at 2 Charteris Drive, Ivanhoe East on Saturday and I was pretty blown away. Although in a sad state of disrepair externally, the house has lost none of its regal splendor inside.

View from East facing terrace through to formal living area

As you climb the bluestone crazy-pave steps to the entry, your eyes are drawn to the glazed entry, blurring the boundary between inside and out with a buried window frame that makes the garden appear to extend inside. The indoor plants are presided over by what I guess is a custom made glass chandelier. You pass a shag carpet covered staircase and through to the formal living area (pictured) with waterwall. Here a central timber clad bar divides off the formal dining area. Servants or the host can discreetly slip from here through to the kitchen - complete with its own sunny hollywood style meals area.

Double height formal living area - and view to the Dandenongs from the Mezzanine 

Also to be mentioned downstairs is the glorious yellow accented powder room and green metallic wallpapered bedroom, opening - of course - onto the pool, again oozing hollywood style. 

Ground floor bedroom with amazing wallpaper & pool view

Upstairs on a mezzanine style level is a large parents retreat carpeted in orange striped shag!

That orange shagpile on the mezzanine retreat!

The master bedroom has one of the best walk in robe/dressing rooms I have ever seen - soooo many drawers, all with crystal knobs. The ensuite, while not exactly masculine, has the most amazing lilac tiles. Not sure if they are glass or Marblo but they appear to be individually glazed, and they match the hob bath and basins perfectly.

Amazing Ensuite oozing Hollywood glamour! (All photo's courtesy Mile Real Estate)

Designed and built for former Mayor of Melbourne Ralph Bernardi and his family by L.U. Simon (the founding Professor of the School of Building at The University of Melbourne no less!), this house is not only an amazing time capsule of the era, but would make anyone building their own home today covert the floorplan and design.   


Okay, must dash and buy a lottery ticket!!

Lovely Locksley

I have trawled through the RE pages today and there is just not much on the market in the Banyule area that exhudes 50's / 60's style :(

I did however find this little beauty at 6/53-55 Locksley Rd, Ivanhoe. It is pre-modern as it was built in the 1930's but it has great character about it and an interesting garden.

Mad about those green splashback tiles! so 'Heath Ceramics'!

(All images courtesy Miles Real Estate)

Charteris Drive

I have a bit of a 'thing' for steel windows. Probably because I have them in my own home but they are slim lined, easy to use, and give homes an architectural feel - particularly when painted in a dark colour (my long term plan!). This home at 35 Charteris Drive Ivanhoe has steel windows and an unusual Deco style curved window to the front of the house. Somehow I think even in the 1950's that the Art Deco period was looked on as a glorious time! I also love crazy paving and the landscaping at this home displays it in spades!

Images courtesy Jellis Craig Real Estate

Relief Brickwork

While the interior shots do little to impress, the relief brickwork on the facade of 176 Lower Heidelberg Road, Ivanhoe East really expresses the mid-century style.

There are two units currently for sale - Unit 2 & Unit 11.

(Images courtesy Bedford Dewar)

Wyalla Court

Wyalla Court, Ivanhoe

Went for a walk yesterday afternoon and spied this gorgeous block of units at 18 Carmichael Street, Ivanhoe East. There is great house coming up tomorrow so stay tuned!

High on a Hill....

Just before mid-century modernism there was Art Deco.... a style for which Ivanhoe is particularly renowned.

Sitting proudly on a corner and stretching out to the city view is 'Bukit Raja' at 2 St. Hubert Road, Ivanhoe East. For sale through Miles Real Estate, this once would have been an impressive Art Deco home with potential for amazing views. Sadly the upper extension has not been realised to the quality of the original building and the access is via a spiral staircase placed rather inconveniently in the main entry. Nevetheless, this house has amazing potential. M and I hope to check it over the weekend.... and buy a tatts ticket. 

What a fabulous project it would be!

Impressive at street level (all images courtesy Miles Real Estate)

'Bukit Raja' was apparently an estate town in the Klang district of Selangor, Malaysia housing an oil palm plantation. There were many managers from the UK - I wonder if they later relocated to Ivanhoe East?

Don't trip over the shag covered stair as you walk in!

Original kitchen layout

View to front Terrace - City to the Dandenongs view

Impressive Deco windows