Juliette Alush and Dana Nelson weren’t looking for a new property, but they couldn’t pass up the opportunity to buy 22 McCracken Street in a neighbouring Kensington street seven years ago.
‘It is very unusual to find an elevated block this size in Kensington, and we were very keen to design another house with the added luxury of a pool,’ they say.
The couple engaged Nicholas Murray Architects to realise their vision, transforming the previously dated interiors into a sleek contemporary home, filled with light, and little luxuries.
The updated home incorporates restored period rooms at the front of the house, and the new open-plan extension, separated by a glass corridor with outdoor ponds on either side. These ponds, with the property’s landscaped gardens and fully retractable extension doors, open the property up to nature at every opportunity.
‘We will definitely miss our fantastic purpose-built office, that is positioned looking over one of the ponds. It has its own separate entrance and is swathed in sunlight,’ say Juliette and Dana. Alternatively, this office could serve as a fourth bedroom.
Appliances and materials have been selected with quality and timelessness in mind, including Gaggenau dual ovens, Artemide lighting, Mafi floorboards made in Austria, travertine tiles, and underfloor heating.
Locals say this house was once ‘the place to be’ on New Year’s Eve – a tradition Juliette and Dana have loved continuing via their own annual celebrations around the heated outdoor pool and suspended indoor Focus fireplace.
All of Kensington’s amenities are within walking distance of the home, including two train stations; shops and restaurants on Macaulay Road; and several parks.
Juliette, Dana and their daughter are off to start the next chapter of their lives, so this fantastic home is now for sale!
22 McCracken Street, Kensington VIC is being sold by Paul Harrison and Jayson Watts at Nelson Alexander via expressions of interest closing December 17 at 5pm. For more information, see the full listing.
