The Most Bonkers Perth Homes We Showed You In 2022
We showed you a whole bunch of homes in 2022 – a real bunch of stunners! On our hunt for where to give you all a sneak peek inside, our number one qualifier was “is it whacky?”, and we think we did pretty well finding some truly unique homes around Perth. To celebrate the end of a great year of peeping into people’s houses, take a look at the most weird and wonderful Homes features of 2022:
This Insanely Cool Italian Mansion In Vic Park
Mama mia! The house that launched a squillion shares – and for good reason. Within the Perth Is OK! offices we’ve been referring to this maximalist beauty as “the Italian wedding cake disco house”: a sculptural white exterior mimics retro icing, while the interior is the embodiment of the expression “more is more”.
Italian-flag windows, rainbow Rococo domed skylights, disco-ball pillars, about a dozen religious icons, patterned tiles and psychedelic carpet as far as the eye can see… It may not be to everyone’s taste, but we’re in love.
Photos courtesy of Crib Creative
This Iconic, Opulent Cottesloe Mansion
When we saw this incredibly luxurious mansion – WA’s most expensive reno! – we weren’t even sure that we were wealthy enough to be allowed to look at it. Peeking at all that marble, grand columns and extraordinarily sweeping ocean view (all while quietly humming the Succession theme tune), we couldn’t help but feel like we were sullying its grandeur with our mere presence!
While we feel its opulence is interesting enough, the home also has a pretty intriguing history – originally built in 1893, it fell into extreme disrepair before eventually undergoing that aforementioned $11 million renovation. In September, Andrew “Twiggy” Forrest was confirmed as the Le Fanu’s new owner – we can only imagine because he saw our article about the home, obviously.
Photos courtesy of Crib Creative
Cute As A Button: This Historic Darlington Cottage
From the grandest of homes to the itty-bittiest! This teeny-tiny Darlington cottage may be a whole lot smaller than Le Fanu, but it also has an interesting historical past.
Originally built in 1918, the cottage was initially used as a coach house for Darlington settler Alfred Sandover (namesake to the Sandover Medal), who later converted the building into a home for his chauffeur. The modest home has just two rooms in addition to the kitchen and bathroom – it’s nevertheless been maintained beautifully and retains its original, quaint character. Nestled in its verdant surrounds like a fairytale cottage, this home is truly one of a kind.
Photos courtesy of Crib Creative
Iwan Iwanoff’s Own Leafy Home And Studio
From one icon to the next! The mid-century masterpiece is an icon of WA architecture, designed by the one and only Iwan Iwanoff. The architect’s own home and studio, it features many of his signature motifs – from cast concrete forms to flowing, open-plan spaces. Since its previous purchase, the home has been lovingly restored to maximise liveability while maintaining its gorgeous, mid-century charm.
Photos courtesy of Crib Creative
This Curvaceous North Perth Home That Featured On Grand Designs Aus
We can only describe ourselves as shook when we saw this curvaceous, brutalist beauty.
From the brain of Perth architect Nic Brunsdon, the home features parallel and intersecting cast concrete panels with repeating archways – both inspired by, and in opposition to the owners’ childhoods in classically Greek and Italian arch and column-filled homes. The arches are stretched and squeezed: sometimes forming a doorway, other times filled with frosted polycarbonate or walnut veneer – or, in the case of the wardrobe, draped luxuriously in olive green velvet. Paired with the veneer alongside colourful, abstract artwork, the effect is an interior that is both brutalist, mid-century and yet intimate.
All photos by Ben Hosking, courtesy of Nic Brunsdon
Attention Green Thumbs: Check Out This East Freo Urban Farm Home
Sometimes we like to daydream about packing it all up for a tree change… But then we remember that in our hearts, we are truly city folk. Luckily, properties like this allow us to live out our farm-life fantasies while staying in the big smoke.
The home is an impressive blend of industrial design, a sustainable ethos and a dedication to permaculture – the the most magnificent part of the property has got to be the vast, impressive garden. Not only is it home to an array of established, fruiting trees (think almonds, apricots, grapefruit, lemon, avocado, bananas, jackfruit, guava and many more), herbs and veggies, it’s also been fitted out with infrastructure to ensure your long-term success. Rainwater tanks, an automatic grey water system that feeds the drip reticulation, compost stations, chicken runs, worm farms and even bee hives are all set up ready to go. The previous owners even got two meals a day from their backyard farm!
Cliffside Claremont: One Of Perth’s Bougiest Homes
With the help of reiwa.com.au, we checked out some gosh-darn schmick houses – but we’ll be honest, we audibly gasped when we saw this Claremont home. Built into cliffs overlooking the Swan River, terraced gardens boast a cliff top viewing deck, tennis court and spectacular infinity pool. The home itself was built in 1905, and is just as grand as you’d expect for its era and prime location – with the warmth of a family home.
Take A Look Inside This Grand (Slightly Bonkers) Mount Lawley Home
we’ve got a technicolour dream on our hands with this historic hunk, located on Walcott Street just moments away from the hustle and bustle of Mount Lawley.
The grand home was originally built in 1930 for prominent pawnbroker Phineas Seeligson. The esteemed businessman and member of the Perth Jewish community also commissioned WA’s only purpose-built pawnbroker building, an ornate 1894 Federation Romanesque-style building designed by Henry Stirling Trigg, still located at 143 Barrack Street.
The home was – and remains – one of the grandest single level homes in Mount Lawley, with ornate details throughout the home that have been maintained over its almost century-long lifespan – like ornate ceiling roses and plenty of Gothic arches!
Check out the most exciting homes around Perth via perthisok.com/homes.