9 Richmond Road, Westbourne Park. Supplied by Ouwens Casserly Real Estate
Looking for your dream home but finding it hard to find something both unique and good for the environment? Call off the search. This Westbourne Park home ticks all of these boxes, and has so much more going for it.
Michelle Kewell and Megan Roodenrys bought the home in 2000 and have since renovated and extended it, taking it from a small dark home to the breathtaking open-plan entertainer it is today.
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“We bought it because the block had potential and I think we’ve realised the potential now,” Ms Kewell says. “My partner Megan Roodenrys is excellent with aesthetics, and an artist, and she worked with Troppo architects to transform it under her eye. She helped design that back room and the gardens, too. It’s a lovely home and a work of art, and it’s time to move on.”
9 Richmond Road, Westbourne Park. Supplied by Ouwens Casserly Real Estate
The couple have a history of taking tired spaces and transforming them, starting businesses like the Flinders St Project and The Pantry on Eggmont, before selling them and moving on to repeat the process again somewhere else. They simply applied the same process to this home, resulting in a home that just works.
9 Richmond Road, Westbourne Park. Supplied by Ouwens Casserly Real Estate
“We just love making things beautiful and comfortable and we travel a lot and we’re always bringing home ideas for projects,” Ms Kewell says. “This home was really inspired by natural materials and we wanted to make it north facing to embrace the sun and make it feel like you’re outside and inside at the same time.
9 Richmond Road, Westbourne Park. Supplied by Ouwens Casserly Real Estate
“It’s been lovely – we’ve raised kids here and we walked them around to the primary school and had other people’s kids around after school all the time, so it’s a very friendly, inviting place. We’ve had weddings here, New Years parties and we’ve been part of the Open Gardens scheme and we’ve also opened our house for Sustainable House Day.
9 Richmond Road, Westbourne Park. Supplied by Ouwens Casserly Real Estate
“We’ve always invited people in and we’ve enjoyed sharing it. Because we’ve set up three commercial kitchens prior, we had an eye for commercial functions, so we’ve had multiple chefs working in here doing pastries and cooking and it all works and all flows. There are two ovens here and a butler’s pantry so you can have plenty of people working in here prepping multiple dishes and it functions really well.”
9 Richmond Road, Westbourne Park. Supplied by Ouwens Casserly Real Estate
The front of the home has been set up as luxe Airbnb accommodation Two Birds Bungalow and features two bedrooms, a lounge, a kitchen and meals area – easily converted to a bedroom – and a spacious bathroom. A hallway door leads to the main home which features the master suite with a dressing room, a study, a bathroom and large laundry and a generous open-plan kitchen, dining and living area overlooking the yard. Numerous decks surround the home, and the property also has a large shed and a separate studio or guest bedroom.
9 Richmond Road, Westbourne Park. Supplied by Ouwens Casserly Real Estate
“We looked at what usable space we needed and no more, because you’ve got to consider the environment and your energy needs,” Ms Kewell says. “We’ve got this house on solar panels and because we’ve had the panels since 2010 we’re on a really good sell-back rate. We’ve also got 45,0000L of rainwater storage and all the materials we used are as good for the environment as possible. It’s important we reduce our reliance on the grid and the environment.”
With the couple having found their next project, it’s time to move on.
“Megan says, it’s like an artwork – you finish it, you’re happy with it and then you sell it to a new owner and move on to your next work,” Ms Kewell says. “Our three kids have all grown up and are young adults and are moving on. We’ve only got one left here now and it’s more than we need and it’s taken us 20 years, and now we’re finished and done it.”
9 Richmond Road, Westbourne Park. Supplied by Ouwens Casserly Real Estate
9 Richmond Rd, Westbourne Park
$1.45 million
Agent: Ouwens Casserly Real Estate, Sharon Gray 0418 835 322.
Land size: 1253sqm.
Auction: Saturday, August 1 at 10.30am.
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