This beautifully restored Queen Anne villa in the blue-ribbon suburb of Malvern is the perfect family entertainer.

Words Ben Kelly

Jane McPherson fell in love 19 years ago, the moment she set eyes on 19 Clifton Street. “I remember the first time that I walked into the home with its stunning leadlight windows. I was so excited that I got on the phone to my husband and we ended up buying it at auction.”

The couple renovated the circa-1915 return veranda Queen Anne villa and built a large modern extension. It has never looked as good as it does today.

“There are lots of villas in our area but few are Queen Anne, which are very decorative with two hallways and a crown of brickwork at the entrance,” Jane says.

Jane and Steven ran their business Unley Glass from the property until they retired. As a result, the home has fantastic glazing, mirrors and new leadlight windows. There are also some bonus features for whoever buys it, including a second air-conditioned garage accessible from Duthy Street.

With their children having moved out, the four-bedroom home is too big for the couple, who will be sorry to leave behind many memories.

“We brought up our three kids here and our grandkids have spent a lot of time with us too. It’s been a brilliant home, but it is too big for us now,” Jane says.

“It’s such a great entertaining house. We had a wedding, birthdays, a bridal shower — you name it. I had 56 people seated in my family room for Christmas from one end of the room to the other on big long trestles. We all sat in there comfortably, it was great.”

The mezzanine level adds extra entertaining and living space with a lofty cathedral ceiling. The modern kitchen was updated just a few years ago, featuring Caesarstone benchtops and Miele appliances.

The newly-polished South African Danta floorboards look brand new. “The timber is amazingly hard-wearing. They are nearly 20 years old, but look like they’ve just been laid,” says Jane. The front of the home features lighter Baltic pine.

The kitchen and living area look out to the tiled saltwater pool, which is solar heated and can be covered in winter. The other side of the home is perfect for entertaining during the cooler months, with a private courtyard terrace and barbecue area.

The renovated original rooms feature original fireplaces and traditional plasterwork, with updated bathrooms.

Jane says she took a risk building a modern family room onto the 100-year-old villa, but it paid off. “The extension is still right on trend,” says Jane, who also insisted on building the extension with genuine sandstone, sourced from Callington. 

The office is separate from the main residence. Once used to run their business, the space has been converted into a comfortable family study. The home contains the wiring necessary for security cameras to be installed.

With two garages, there is enough space to park up to 12 cars off-street. The attached carport has loft storage and even a kitchen.

 

Jane loves the neighbourhood and says passers-by often ring the intercom to ask if they can have fruit from the persimmon tree. 

“It’s definitely a family home and great for people who want to send their kids to good schools. I hope a family will love this house as much as we do, it’s just a great suburb to live in.”

The sale is being handled by Harcourts Williams.