I WAS prepared for soaring spaces given the stature of vendor Luc Longley. And I was prepared for the fantastic urban-chic of the interior thanks to his ultra-fashionable partner, chef and musician Anna Gare. But nothing prepared me for the amazing garden of this Knutsford Street abode that they’re selling.
As the large automatic gate rolled back at the former industrial building, a veritable manicured parkland is revealed, with a huge sweep of grass, a row of citrus trees, and a mass of passionfruit vine against a bold ochre wall.
The lawn continues around to form a verdant swathe between the alfresco area and a very funky, white-washed pizza oven and the mother-of-all fire pits.
It’s all the more remarkable given this 933sqm property is quite some metres above ground level at the rear, overlooking (on tippy toes for most of us, but not for Luc) a mix of homes and industry.
I’d loved to have sat in the enormous patio area with a cuppa and simply soaked it all in: this space is entertainment on overdrive, with a massive curved, stainless steel bench/bar and built in barbecue.
The polished concrete floor matches the floor inside, an uber-industrial space where steel girders hold up a ceiling with a roof height of around seven metres.
Tucked in a corner of the gargantuan open-plan an original warehouse safe has been converted into an impressively spacious wine cellar, with a ladder affixed to access a reading nook on top, with two walls of bookshelves to choose from.
I’d been keen to see the kitchen of a celebrity chef and was again surprised, because it wasn’t all glitzy sleek, but rather industrial and practical—albeit in a very funky way.
Stainless steel benches line two walls and a huge central island is topped with marine ply. And as you’d expect there’s plenty of storage, including a very practical scullery, and a heavy-duty six-burner stove.
Overhead, a colossal mezzanine is a second sitting room, games room, or anything-you-like space really.
The main bedroom is as large as its occupant and is accessed via a spacious dressing room and the gorgeous ensuite. The clawfoot bath is actually in the bedroom against a wall of glass onto an atrium garden.
As if this isn’t enough, the former warehouse adjacent has a full sized basketball court and a gym, with a wall of glass to watch anyone frolicking in the pool, another bedroom and masses, and masses of storage.
The only limit when it comes to living in this amazing residential compound is your imagination.
by JENNY D’ANGER
28 and 30 Knutsford Street, Fremantle
Mack Hall | 0417 744 600
Adam Lenegan | 0417 286 163
Mack Hall Real Estate
