Live la dolce vita in this maximalist Italian-inspired Applecross home

A mosaic grotto, eight car garage and spectacular city skyline views? Now that’s amore!

We were innocently scrolling through our feeds when this Applecross home abruptly stopped us in our tracks – and it just got better as we dived in for a closer look!

From the get-go, the exterior is all-out Tuscan-inspired maximalism: arches, columns, ornate wrought iron, stone cladding, geraniums tumbling from terracotta urns…

This is one home that looks almost as good from the back as it does from the front… After all, how could anyone not be impressed with those flanks of garages and intricately scalloped brick paving? (If you’re running with the crew from the Fast & the Furious, you’ll be pleased to know that between the front and rear of the home there’s also six more bays of visitor parking.)

Split over three levels, the home’s undercroft is – in our humble opinions, at least – the most exciting. And we challenge you to not be excited at the sight of the pool and spa terrace, complete with mosaic mural, columns and twinkling star-filled ceiling.

Complete the Italian-holiday fantasy with a pizza fresh from your own oven – perhaps accompanied by a nice drop from your personal wine cellar?

The entertainment doesn’t end there, with the other kind of pool room adjoining your own tiled grotto – as well as a plush home cinema, steamy Swedish sauna and home gym. It ain’t all fun and games though! The parquet-floored study (one of two studies, by the way!) is tucked away on this level as well.

Head upstairs and you’ll be faced with a more traditional approach to Italianate-inspired maximalism: ornate archways and grand, spiralling staircases, gleaming marble chequerboard floors and custom-made Murano glass chandeliers.

While the home has an undeniable scale that makes the flow between spaces as easy as can be, the addition of fireplaces in the more casual kitchen-adjacent meal area and the upper level’s cosy lounge lends a luxuriously cosy feeling to these more intimate spaces.

And if the first two floors are devoted almost entirely to entertaining, the upper floor is dedicated primarily to four of the home’s five bedrooms – with the main bedroom boasting spectacular river and city views, a palatial dressing room and huge ensuite.

Fallen in love? Check out the listing for 7 Tuart Street here.