This spacious yet energy efficient home was designed by the owner to express their passion for interior design.

Words Genevieve Meegan

Leaving his luxurious St Morris home will be an emotional goodbye for John Cocks. His late wife Nikki designed the home – overseeing every detail of the rich interior and immaculate garden.

Sadly, Nikki, a nurse, passed away in 2017 aged just 48.

“It’s very emotional to be leaving this house but you still have all the memories,” John says. “Nikki designed this house entirely herself. We didn’t use an architect. She drew it up, house and garden, even colouring everything in. She was very passionate about houses and interior design.”

The home at 35 Williams Avenue was built by Format Homes and was completed in 2011.

A highlight is the sumptuous master, with en suite bathroom and huge dressing room. Parquetry floors add warmth to the home, as do the French doors leading out to the manicured garden surrounds.

There are up to five bedrooms, two living areas, two bathrooms, a library/home office and an open plan kitchen and dining that leads to a formal dining room and large outdoor entertaining area, complete with outdoor kitchen, alfresco dining and lounge, all overlooking the large swimming pool.

Eco-friendly, energy efficient features were paramount for Nikki and John, who installed 17 water tanks down the side of the house, which not only hold more than 50,000 litres of water but also provide privacy and act as a sound barrier from neighbours.

“We also wanted lots of light in summer without the heat so the eaves on the northern side are 1.5 metres and the eaves on the southern side are the standard 600,” John says.

A hairdresser by trade, John has held a variety of managerial positions including head of hairdressing and head of multimedia at TAFE.

Now retired, he has plenty of time to pursue one of his other loves – gardening.

John planted every bit of greenery in the picture-perfect garden including 47 Manchurian pears and 700 box plants to form hedges.

He also painted the house himself, inside and out.

“I have renovated a few places over the years, so my experience and Nikki’s passion for interior design worked well together,” he says. “It’s a beautiful house and while I’ll miss our time here, I leave with great memories.”

The 940 square metre property is being handled by Peter and Eloise McMillan of Toop & Toop and expressions of interest close on Tuesday, July 23 at 11.30am.