A grand design in Kensington Park
Builder Vira Parsi is selling his luxury seven-bedroom Kensington Park villa that he designed and built himself, with a price tag of $6.75 to 7.4 million.
For designer Vira Parsi, planning and building his own house allowed him to harness his creativity and execute his vision without any compromises.
“Really, I wanted to create something that lasts for years,” he says.
“I bought (a builder’s licence) for myself because I didn’t want my creativity to be restricted by others; the house is a strong reflection of my purpose.”
Through his company Aria Design & Build, Vira has gained extensive experience building houses for other people, so when it came to building his own, he knew what works best.
He completed his Kensington Park home in 2023.
Located at 17 Ellesmere Street, the luxury property sits on a generous allotment of more than 1000 square metres, and includes seven bedrooms, three bathrooms, two powder rooms and space for up to six cars.
“I named it House of Light because I believe life is light and I always try to bring the natural light inside the house; that inspires me,” says Vira.
“Even if it is not achievable at night, I have created other lights that can achieve different possibilities. Every part of the house has its own mood of light, which is managed by different types of lighting.”
You might like
Vira says that choosing the right location was a key consideration.
“Usually, this sort of house needs to be in the eastern suburbs. I chose this area because it’s close to the city and it’s quite a prestigious suburb as well,” he says.
Creating an open plan, interconnected space, was also a priority, with Vira’s daughter Golroo Parsi helping with the interior design.
“Another thing that’s inspiring in the house is I have a passion for building open spaces, so I don’t want to restrict living areas with walls,” says Vira.
“None of the living areas have dividing walls.”
The open-plan entry hall leads to a formal dining room to the left and a formal lounge room to the right.
The open-plan living, dining and kitchen area includes a spacious butler’s pantry. There’s also a cellar which features custom cabinetry, feature lighting and clear satin-polished benchtops.
The kitchen includes American walnut cabinetry, Arabescato marble, Italian-made F.lli Frattini tapware, a Liebherr integrated fridge/freezer, an ILVE freestanding cooker and Teppanyaki grill, oven and two dishwashers.
Subscribe for updates
The dwelling also includes two master bedrooms, with spacious walk-in wardrobes and en suites.
An outdoor entertaining deck and kitchen features a built-in BeefEater barbecue and fridge.
Trees and plants line the rolling lawns and a nearby pool is perfect for hot summer days.
Vira particularly loves the staircase, which was created with 500 pieces of timber supported by a steel structure underneath.
“I believe most of the life of the household would be spent in that part of the home, so I wanted to create something beautiful to give enjoyment to people who are using it,” says Vira.
Vira has decided to downsize to move on to another project.
“My idea is to create something beautiful to last for years and to be functional,” he says.
Vira says his Kensington Park house will be missed dearly, particularly for its interconnected layout and soaring ceilings, which reach 3.7 metres on the lower level.
“My purpose as a designer was to create something for people to enjoy for years – that’s why I built this house,” says Vira.
“It’s just the best house I ever designed and built.”
The sale of 17 Ellesmere Street, Kensington Park is being handled by Jamie Brown of Booth Real Estate.
