THERE’S a delicious mix of old beach house and spiffingly modern living at this McCleery Street, Beaconsfield home.

The original weatherboard cottage is classic 1930s, while a gorgeous two-storey addition is a mix of white timber and soft biscuit-coloured rammed earth and the epitome of gleaming modernity.

Three of the four bedrooms are in the original section of the home, two with lovely art deco ceiling roses and decorative lead light windows onto an enclosed timber verandah that is presently a tropical hothouse thanks to a myriad collection of potted greenery.

Old meets new in the soaring, light-filled open kitchen/dining area, with its vast expanse of bleached-jarrah floor and massive windows.

To say there’s nothing old world about the kitchen wouldn’t be quite correct and the gleaming modern five-burner stove, grey stone tops and plentitude of soft-close drawers gaze across to an original stove.

Next to a huge pantry, it’s an absolutely gorgeous black, cast-iron monster, with two ovens with embossed, arched doors and a cute smaller door for the firewood.

The rear rammed-earth addition holds a spacious living room, with a wall of glass onto the lush garden.

Head upstairs and an attractive curved ceiling spans a huge bedroom, with a balcony looking across trees and rooftops to the ocean—a kingsized bed and a two seater lounge are dwarfed by this generous space.

Back on ground level the garden of this 443sqm property is a shady oasis, with a swathe of grass, a huge old olive tree and a couple of mature lemon trees.

High limestone walls ensure privacy, and there’s a delightful rough limestone wall forming a circular nook for those times you want to get away from it all.

This charming home is walking distance to a swag of shops and cafes, or stroll down to South Beach for a refreshing dip.

24 McCleery Street, Beaconsfield
from $1.2 million
Mary Burns 0413 749 944
dethridgeGROVES Real Estate
9336 1166
http://www.dethridgegroves.com.au