A triumph of design with panoramic views and a lush garden oasis

Victorian grandeur meets bespoke design

Art meets architecture in this peninsula beauty in a tightly held enclave by the water’s edge affording panoramic views over Sydney’s iconic city skyline as a spectacular backdrop to daily life. 30 Grafton Street, Balmain is a collaborative masterpiece of Victorian grandeur and bespoke design, the Italianate style terrace has undergone a creative transformation by celebrated interior designer Kate Bell and renowned landscape architect Adam Robinson that captures the essence of harbourside glamour.

Built in 1896 as part of the historic Hampton Villa estate, the three-storey home has featured extensively in high-end design journals and lifestyle magazine including The Design Files (March 2019), Inside Out (June 2019) and ABC TV ‘Dream Gardens’. The design is inspirational with every detail carefully considered and beautifully crafted to deliver a dreamy interplay of colour, texture and light creating a highly resolved yet wonderfully liveable family haven.

An artful family haven with dazzling views

Making a stylish first impression with its elegant façade and quintessential Victorian good looks, the impeccably revived terrace is set behind a landscaped front garden with dynamic views across ever-changing harbour and city spectacle views from all three levels. Exceptional attention to detail sets the home in a class of its own with a fusion of classic elegance and high-end design creating a soul-soothing oasis of calm with intimate spaces for quiet retreat and social areas designed to embrace a private north-facing garden sanctuary.

Carefully curated interiors showcase an inspired use of colour and a playful spirit with artisan finishes, layered textures and finishes in stone and timber that make the home not only incredibly stylish but a joy to live in while delivering a perfect environment for both family living and year-round alfresco entertaining.

Grand proportions and artisan finishes

Introduced by an elegant corbelled arch hallway, the home’s family focused layout features four large bedrooms conceived as private spaces with three on the upper levels and the master retreat spread out over the top floor. All four bedrooms feature custom built-ins, one graced with an original marble fireplace and one with double French doors to a traditional iron lace balcony and the master conceived as a luxurious sanctuary with a luxurious marble-finished ensuite. The crowning glory is the unique rooftop terrace with unobstructed views over the city and Anzac Bridge offering a perfect spot for sunset cocktails or simply watching the theatre of the harbour.

Curated design

Soaring 3.4m high ceilings serve as a gracious nod to the past with the lounge anchored by a Jetmaster gas fireplace with custom media joinery and limewashed Kauri floorboards. Conceived as the social heart of the home, a custom European-appointed island kitchen and family living room with custom leather banquette opens out to the sunny garden. Italian flooring creates a seamless transition between indoors and out while the landscaped outdoor space features an entertainer’s terrace with a built-in BeefEater gas bbq, handmade Moroccan tiled wall and automated blinds for sun control.

Built-in seating and established plants effectively create an outdoor living room anchored by a pair of sculptural Cloud Trees with lush greenery all around and custom lighting transforming the space into a magical alfresco space by night. Custom designed powder-coated laser cut aluminium sliding screens create a stylish backdrop to the garden and conceal a double garage with polished concrete floors that creates extra outdoor entertaining space when required.

‘With this garden I really wanted to create an atmosphere of private seclusion with a real sense of being able to get away from it all in a tranquil, green oasis’ Adam Robinson

Perfection on the peninsula

Steeped in history, homes in this peaceful village enclave are among the most significant and tightly held on the peninsula. Away from the hustle and bustle but reassuringly close to the action, cosmopolitan Darling Street is just a few hundred metres away where you’ll find everything from alfresco cafes and designer boutiques to beer gardens and artisan bakeries. Picturesque Ewenton Park is at the end of the street and it’s an easy walk to Balmain East Wharf for a relaxed commute to the city offering the very best of harbour village living and urban convenience.