14 Bladen Avenue, Brunswick East VIC 3057

We moved into this 1890’s diamond in the rough 16 years ago with a dream to faithfully restore it whilst also creating a practical livable design that would suit our family and a modern lifestyle.

Working with Andrew Maynard (Maynard Architects) we met the challenge of creating a single story renovation that would create light, space, flexibility and comfort without detracting from the period character of the original residence.

This home has served our needs and our wants – as an activity hub for many wonderful celebrations, a comfortable oasis from the excitement of the inner city on our doorstep as well as a fantastic base to enjoy everything this part of Melbourne has to offer.

This home has so many great features but most especially:

• The joy of a safe and quiet cul-de-sac with no through traffic. This has allowed endless games of street cricket in summer, footy in winter, bike-riding and a real sense of community here in Brunswick East
• Fantastic local schooling options for young families like Northcote High School and Brunswick East Primary. These are both highly sought after government schools with excellent academic track records.
• Being less than 2 minutes from the tram stop that goes right into Carlton or the city
• The close proximity of shops when we are cooking and run out of an ingredient. The shops are literally a hop, skip and a jump away – very beneficial when you run out of milk in the morning! And whilst you’re there, the bakery has fresh croissants baked daily and then there’s the Brunswick East Project for a rock solid coffee
• Lygon St is brimming with cool bars and funky restaurants. Mi Corazon, has been a particular favourite as a tequila bar to wander over to for a catch-up with friends
• That said, we also have two cars and the house qualifies for parking permits, so you can park all day in the limited time spaces or park in the backyard (access from the ROW)
• This home has been very comfortable to live in. The ducted heating and split system heating/cooling (along with ceiling fans) have allowed us to always get the temperature right
• The large bedrooms with ample storage have created all the personal space and flexibility we’ve needed
• The sliding doors to the court yard and back area along with huge ceiling windows open up the living area and allow versatile spaces for entertaining.

As much as we have really loved it here the time has come for us to move on.  Our next adventure awaits – as does yours hopefully in this home…