Birkdale House, owned by interior designer Anna Spiro, is on the market.
Birkdale House was not just another design project for Anna Spiro.
Undoubtedly, the interiors of the historic home are a homage to the eclectic, colourful style for which the Brisbane designer has become famous.
MORE NEWS Anyone for golf … on the roof? The home with a putting green
Darius and Kayla Boyd’s amazing new home revealed
NASA-inspired bubble house in Brisbane gain global attention
Yet the passion with which Ms Spiro speaks of the property tells me her love of 27 Roger Street goes far deeper than the finishing touches that she has come to put on it over the years.
The pretty pool at 27 Roger Street, Birkdale.
Ms Spiro’s first encounter with the charming 1880s Queenslander was an accidental one when she was in her early twenties and on her way to a client.
“I drove up Roger Street because I had become a bit lost and I saw this house and was like ‘Oh, my God, look at that house, it’s amazing’. It wasn’t for sale and I was really young but even then I thought, that is my dream house.”
The house was built in the 1880s and has wide, wraparound verandas.
Little did she know she would, ten years later, be the owner of that house after a fortunate twist of fate. Ms Spiro was making a return visit to her client, when she decided to drive past Birkdale House once more.
“I couldn’t believe it, the house was for sale. That is when I figured it was meant to be.”
The pairing has been a match made in heaven for Ms Spiro, who professes to have a love of historic homes.
Ms Sprio has added her eclectic touches to the home’s original interiors.
“I think the way they used to build homes hundreds of years ago was extremely beautiful, and the quality of the materials and the timber they used were so solid, I am drawn to that,” she said. “The other wonderful thing about this home is it’s all on one level and from a family
perspective, with the verandas spilling out on to the lawn, there’s nothing quite like living like that,” she said.
Birkdale House is certainly testament to the longevity of a Queenslander.
Admirers of Ms Spiro’s work have the opportunity to purchase the house as it is.
The three-bedroom property and adjacent two-bedroom guest house sits on the same footprint as the original homestead, with a wide veranda wrapping around both like a protective blanket.
Ms Spiro said it was the first home to be built in the area, and sits on a 2000 sqm block. “It was built in the same manor as Whepstead House, the famous old mansion at Wellington Point,” she said.
27 Roger Street, Birkdale, as the original homestead of the area.
“I don’t like changing a house too much. You can learn to live in a home as it is, otherwise you can end up stripping away too much. There’s a loveliness to just embracing what a house is, and this home is just lovely.
‘For instance, the bricks used in the two fireplaces were made by the convicts on St Helena Island [The island in Moreton Bay functioned as a high-security colonial prison from 1867]. It’s pretty incredible stuff.”
A place for contemplation.
Aside from a paint job inside and out and some general tidying up, Ms Spiro said the house was in good condition when she bought it. “The only thing we did was replace the original roof, which blew off in a particularly bad storm,” she said.
Aside from a new roof and a lick of paint, the house is all original.
Regaling the times she has spent at Birkdale with her family, raising her two sons Harry and Max, Ms Spiro’s emotion is palpable.
“This place is like a different world. It’s so peaceful, the birds are amazing. We get the bayside breeze all summer long. The boys have grown up playing football and cricket on the lawn and riding their bikes down the drive. Being here feels like being in another world, in another time, it’s just so special. It’s almost magical.”
Living at Birkdale House is like living in another world, according to Ms Spiro
Despite this, Ms Spiro said the time had come to move on. “I’m really excited about the next chapter in my life and the new projects I have forthcoming, including a new book which will be out next year.
“We all have to embrace change and it’s time to let someone else experience the joy that I have had in this home and go on to create something else.”
Ms Spiro said it will be hard to walk away from Birkdale House and she hopes that it will be bought by someone who loves it as much as she has. “This house evokes a real sense of nostalgia. It has been owned by many people over its lifetime and I’ve often had past owners
The bricks used to build the fireplaces were made by convicts on St Helena Island.
knock on my door wanting to see it again,” she said.
For those who appreciate a historic home and are also fans of Ms Spiro’s designs the sale of Birkdale House could be a dream come true as Ms Spiro said she was open to selling the home as it is, decor included, if someone was interested.
“It would be lovely to walk away from the house knowing someone keeps all the lovely things that I’ve done to it,” she said. “It would be a shame to tear it all apart, but we’ll see. Whatever happens, I hope it goes to someone who loves it. We have to keep our fingers crossed for this old girl. She deserves to be kept intact.”
The house is open to expressions of interest up to 4pm on September 12, through Sarah Hackett of Place, Bulimba.
The post Anna Spiro’s passion for ‘magical’ and historic Birkdale house appeared first on realestate.com.au.