Fall in love with this historic Wray Ave home

This historic Wray Avenue home has a location that’s hard to beat, but its heritage front conceals an expansive contemporary family sanctuary.

Built in the 1890s, the Victorian Georgian style cottage has many of the hallmarks associated with historic Freo architecture – notably the limestone double-fronted façade with graphic red brickwork, charming wrought iron gate, and even its approachable scale and proximity to the street.

It’s also got the hallmarks of the hard-to-beat Freo lifestyle – it’s just a few doors down from Fremantle icons Galati & Sons and Franks Gourmet Meats, and just across the road from small bar Who’s Your Mumma and cafes Nosh and The Little Concept.

Head inside and down that long corridor that bisects the home: to the left, a self-contained studio which has its own entry via the front porch. To the right, a lounge and dining room that capitalises off many of those charming historic features – from the fireplace and floorboards to the intricate ceiling roses, and perhaps most strikingly, the exposed limestone that connects the interior to the historic exterior.

Keep heading to the rear of the home and you’ll eventually make your way to the kitchen. Within its sunken position at the rear of the house, we can’t help but be reminded of the historic architecture of Brooklyn brownstones and their garden-level kitchens tucked away between towering walls.

Above the marble counters, bifold doors open the kitchen up directly to the alfresco dining area – skip up a few stairs and you’ll amongst the garden’s lush greenery, between an additional carport/alfresco and the stunning plunge pool.

Relax on the deck or head inside to the light-filled family room on the home’s first floor. Much like those Brooklyn brownstones we were reminded of in the kitchen, the middle of the home’s three floors has a much more grand sense of scale – although here it’s maximised for easy-breezy, sun-drenched relaxation.

Of the home’s five bedrooms, the two smallest are found on this level – although enclosed by that lush greenery outside, they still offer plenty of unique decor opportunities!

This level is also where you’ll find a rather cosmopolitan terrace, overlooking Wray Ave and nestled amongst the historic buildings either side.

With it’s own separate entry and ensuite, the studio above the carport provides another of the home’s more spacious bedrooms – perfect for visitors, older kids or a next-level work-from-home setup.

The top level of the home is dedicated to the primary bedroom and parents’ retreat. Like the family room below, the retreat makes the most of that north-east orientation, while the bedroom boasts not only its own ensuite but a gargantuan walk-in-robe.

Fallen in love? Check out the listing for 14 Wray Avenue here.

Image credits: Red Carpet Photography