A Melbourne home once owned by late television icon Bert Newton has been listed for sale.
The double-brick home at 11 Highbury Road, Burwood, was owned by Newton during the 1970s and has since undergone extensive renovations by its current owners, Steven and the late Kimberly Todisco.
Steven said his wife immediately fell in love with the property when she first inspected it.
“My late wife Kimberly Todisco fell in love with the house as soon as she saw it,” he said.
“She cried and rang me at work while at the open inspection and said, ‘This is the one; we have to get it no matter what.’”
The couple purchased the property in 2005 and spent years transforming it while preserving its original character.
“Kimberly was a renowned world abstract artist, Kimmi Lee Art, with a flair for design, and I have a background as a carpenter. We bought it in 2005, renovated it after work and on weekends for 12 months. Really, we have never stopped improving it,” he said.
“We did a major renovation in 2015, added a second storey, which took over a year to complete. We sourced things from around the world, tapware from the UK, and the tiles are handmade in Italy.”
Steven said the goal was to ensure the new additions complemented the home’s heritage features.
“We wanted to renovate the house so it was hard to see what was old and what was new, but with a luxurious and quality feeling,” he explained.
The home retains many of its original features, including three-metre-high ceilings, bay windows, ornate detailing and spacious bedrooms. Modern additions include hydronic heating, a handmade black crystal chandelier and updated living spaces.
The property features an indoor-outdoor kitchen and dining area with an integrated sound system and bi-fold doors opening onto a covered alfresco space with its own kitchenette.
There is also a heated in-ground pool, a separate gym and a room that can be used as guest accommodation.
“The house has everything you need, from movie nights, a gym and workshop out the back, to swimming in the electric heated pool in the middle of winter,” Steven said.
“The alfresco is perfect in the middle of summer or winter when all the walls are closed in to make its own out-of-doors room.”
Located close to shopping, schools and university facilities, the Burwood property is listed with a price guide of $2.5 million to $2.75 million and is scheduled to go to auction on June 13.
Image: realestate.com.au
