Living Legacy

Putting a contemporary spin on a grand old home has completely reinvigorated it for a new generation.

- Carli Philips

A deceased estate of epic proportions, this house in Melbourne’s beach side suburb of Brighton was a messy rabbit warren of rooms when it went up for sale. To make it liveable would be a daunting task that required immense foresight, and this young family of five were the only bidders come auction day. The inherent conviction of “just knowing” its potential was a sure thing for designer Mardi Doherty’s clients, Alexandra and Brodie. Its vastness was overwhelming, but after a sensitive refurbishment, it has come into its own, a home “very much of the moment with proud references to its rich and important heritage”, says Mardi.

Built at the turn of the 20th century, the property has had an intriguing ‘nine lives’ with varied incarnations, evolving from doctor’s rooms to lawyers’ offices and a halfway house with three separate entries and eight sub-divided rooms. At one stage it was split into two self-sufficient levels, and the last resident was living in an adjoining lean-to while the sprawling house sat empty. When Alexandra and Brodie bought it, one of the rooms was mysteriously boarded up and, at handover, they were given a garbage bag of keys to unlock the hodge-podge of individual letterboxes and doorbells.