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From the outside, the home in Brunswick West looks like a stereotypical suburban nonna’s house that many European immigrants lived in when they first came to Melbourne.
‘It’s an early 70s block of six villa units, the type that we feel remains very much under appreciated in the inner city housing mix,’ owner and architectural designer Leif Canuto says, who purchased the house with his partner Roya Azadi in 2020.
The couple were looking for a relatively simple renovation project, and the two-bedroom abode ticked a lot of boxes. In addition to being more accessible for trades, being on the ground floor meant they could spill out into the courtyard and enjoy the building’s outdoor spaces.
‘Maybe it’s the Italian in me but I have a real soft spot for these ‘ugly’ brick boxes,’ Leif says.
‘Demolition should be the last resort. Architects and designers should be jumping at the chance to renovate these little gems!’
So that’s exactly what they did. It helped that the previous owners had already done a nice job updating the kitchen. Leif and Roya took a light touch to refresh the rest of the interiors, even going to the effort of repurposing parts of a wall they ripped out to create a new mirror in the second bedroom.
After removing ‘the tired 1980s bathroom’, they found a gold amulet under the floor, which the couple later found out is something Italian builders would do for good luck!
They refreshed said bathroom with a custom-made bath lined with Japanese green tiles, reminiscent of a luxurious ‘natural pool’.
These deep, forest-green coloured tiles helped inspire the rest of the interiors, with green accents in the multi-purpose wall unit that serves as a workspace and bookshelf, and a wardrobe, all in one.
New sliding doors between in the northern half of the house also help to maximise space in the compact abode. ‘The flexibility of the sliding partition that means the front room can be used in many different ways; extended living, home studio or second bedroom,’ Roya says.
One of the best parts about the home is its northern aspect, providing great light from the early hours of the morning right until golden hour in the afternoon.
With the home now for sale, the couple say they’ll miss the charm of their new-and-improved abode, and their welcoming neighbourhood.
‘I love the mix of neighbours: from young families to old nonnas who will give you cuttings of flowers from their gardens and a tiny glass of wine if you walk past at the right time of evening,’ Roya adds.
2/7 Gordon Street, Brunswick West is listed for sale with Andrew De Angelis of Nelson Alexander and will go to auction at 6:00pm on Wednesday December 4.