The enchanting Hawthorn home is set to go to auction on October 26.
Behind a tall Hawthorn fence lies a hidden garden oasis inspired by a husband playing the violin for his wife 21 years ago.
Surrounded by mature trees and high walls, 8 Robinson Rd is a private universe few beyond its owners will fully appreciate.
And it all started with a chance encounter when vendor Megan Dicks walked in on its former owners in an intimate moment.
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“I had a four-year old and a teething baby, and walked into the house and saw the owners sitting under a wisteria arbour,” Ms Dicks said.
“He was a lawyer, but he was playing the violin with his wife there and I thought, ‘this is so beautiful’. There’s a character to a home like this, it has a voice; and we became a part of that.”
Even then the garden was filled with whimsy and points of interest. It was the perfect blend of home and nature that the South Africa-born Ms Dicks and her husband Joe had been seeking.
The open plan living space.
A living and dining space off the kitchen.
“I wanted this to be a sanctuary for my family,” she said.
Several years after they bought the house the pair had now celebrated architect Stephen Akehurst and landscape garden guru Rick Eckersley work in concert to extend and better connect it with nature.
The result is a perfect marriage of the Victorian facade with a more modern rear that gives the garden a voice throughout the home.
The landscaping also provides a backdrop to a pool, a pavilion with a powder room, a pergola with a plumbed-in barbecue and a stand-alone studio with a bathroom.
Mature trees surrounding the home also provide privacy to a rooftop deck, where the pair have often enjoyed a glass of wine or a cup of tea with their Jack Russells at their feet.
It has been their take on violin beneath the wisteria, and one they hope the next owner will share.
The lounger room with space for wall-mounted TV.
The pool in the backyard.
Picturesque.
“That’s what we will miss the most,” Ms Dicks said. “I really hope the next owner finds themselves sitting there and thinking, ‘this is so beautiful’.”
There is plenty more that will be hard to part ways with, including the kitchen and living area where a more than 4m-high mansard roof and expansive glazing, including bi-fold doors, links to the backyard.
Aesthetics aside, the kitchen is also functional – with a mix of Miele and Gaggenau appliances as well as a butler’s pantry.
The open-plan extension includes a meals area and family room, while the home’s original footprint houses a formal dining room, a study and a large living room with a bay window facing out to the front garden.
The modern kitchen.
An office space.
The main bedroom suite hosts the rooftop terrace as well as an ensuite and dressing room on the upper level.
The remaining three bedrooms have either an ensuite or ready access to a travertine tiled central bathroom.
Ms Dicks founded Prahran gallery Otomys Contemporary and has had artists including Sophia Szilagyi and Greg Wood visit for a meal or evening soiree.
Fittingly, the home’s renovation added a gallery-style hanging system so collectors can suspend pieces from aluminium wires concealed where the ceilings meet the walls.
Kay & Burton Hawthorn executive director Scott Patterson said the “extremely picturesque” home was attracting families with its “enchanted garden”.
Sit out in the garden with its own pond.
A dining space.
“And being a double-fronted Victorian in the heart of Hawthorn with a pool and on nearly 900sq m, it’s pretty impressive,” Mr Patterson said.
“Everyone who has walked in has just felt very comfortable straight away.”
The property has a $5.8m-$6.3m price guide and is scheduled for private auction on October 26.
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Agency: Kay & Burton Hawthorn, 8862 8001
Agent: Scott Patterson, 0417 581 074
Price guide: $5.8m-$6.3m
Land size: 881sq m
Private auction: October 26
