Grand designs in South Australia: Photos

In Hawthorn, South Australia, the owners of this four-bedroom home wanted to blend the beauty of grand homes of yesteryear with modern comforts.

With a roomy 1000sqm block in a leafy green suburb of Adelaide they had plenty of space to play with. There was even room for a pool, builder and designer James Wagner says.

For James and his team at Heritage Building Group the project was a “dream build”, with the owners knowing exactly what they wanted. All they had to do was interpret their vision into a modern family home.

“Their brief was to design a functioning floor plan offering versatility and up to four bedrooms and separate living spaces and large outdoor terrace areas without compromising the charm of the Georgian era,” James says. Large landscaped gardens and that generous-size pool were necessities, as well as a spacious entertainer’s home that would embrace indoor-outdoor living.

The striking symmetrical facade features locally sourced Kanmantoo bluestone, sweeping archways with decorative mouldings and a spacious portico.

“An immediate impression is the entrance with decorative archway and European Oak flooring which continues the full length of the passageway,” James says. “It’s a double entry into a hallway that leads to four bedrooms and informal and formal living spaces.”

Adding to the grandeur are decorative archways, deep cornices, 3.3m-high ceilings and working fireplaces. The formal living room and master bedroom have double doors opening to a private courtyard. A spacious en suite with free-standing bath overlooking the courtyard adds a sense of indulgent luxury to the area.

European oak timber flooring features in the living spaces, with carpet chosen for added warmth in the bedrooms. Large square porcelain tiles were chosen for the floors in the bathrooms with a matt finish in a rectangle shape for the wet room walls.

The home was painted in a neutral colour scheme of soft muted greys and clean whites to highlight artworks and furnishings.

Dark stone was chosen for the kitchen benchtops with the deep island bench and L-shaped workspace featuring rows of drawers for storage. A simple panel-design was chosen for the  doors, finished in a off-white colour.

A walk-in butler’s pantry and servery to the rear outdoor entertaining space were high on the owner’s wish list.

“Having a wine storage area off the kitchen, outside barbecue joinery with bi fold servery to the kitchen were other necessities for the owners. These items have strong appeal for growing families and future buyers.

While the owners have fallen in love with the home, the formal living space with open-gas fireplace and double-door entry are highlights, James says.

“The owners are pleased it all came together. The house sits beautifully on the block,” he says. “The scale and proportions of this home whilst grand in scale, do not compromise the garden or outdoor living spaces. Our aim is to always build homes which uphold the integrity of the area and are proportionate to the size of the land. Our homes are built for generations to enjoy.”