A perfect Port Elliot escape
With sweeping coastal views from its coveted location atop Port Elliot’s headland, this enviable four-bedroom beach house has received stunning upgrades inspired by Three Birds Renovations and now it could be yours.
Mel and Eddy Stradiotto, who own the advertising agency WOW Creative, had passed by 1 Merrilli Place, Port Elliot, dozens of times before they decided to take a peek inside.
The couple also own acreage in the Adelaide Hills and had been looking for a place near the coast for some time.
“The house had been for sale for a little while, and we drove past it time and again, and then we decided, ‘What the hell, we’ll go have a look through’,” says Mel.
“We made an appointment with the agent and looked through the property. When we went inside the house and upstairs, we realised that there were absolutely no windows facing southwest towards the views.”
With the home being so close to the beach and cafes in Horseshoe Bay, they decided the Port Elliot address would make a perfect renovation project.
“We absolutely love Port Elliot and my husband proposed to me down there,” says Mel.
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“I spent my childhood down there at a friend’s beach house in Middleton, and our kids love going down there.”
It wasn’t long before Mel and Eddy got to work on their planned renovations, which were completed in 2022.
They pulled the entire house back to the frame and built a new steel frame to support a cathedral ceiling upstairs, as well as reconfiguring the downstairs bathroom and laundry and changing the direction of the stairs.
Mel says a priority was to take advantage of the incredible views and to bring in abundant natural light, which was achieved by installing double-glazed PVC windows and doors, meaning the property now faces full north and west.
“You can see all the way back to Middleton beach. You can see all the way to The Bluff and Victor Harbor through multiple windows,” says Mel.
For the interiors, Mel drew design inspiration from Three Birds Renovations, selecting every product, finish, furniture piece and artwork herself.
These days, 1 Merrilli Place, Port Elliot sits on a lot of 536 square metres and includes four bedrooms, two bathrooms and space for two cars.
Outdoors, Mel and Eddy extensively landscaped the garden, which had become overgrown with weeds.
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They replanted two dragon trees from their Adelaide Hills property and relocated a fully-grown Canary Palm from a property in McLaren Vale.
“That was quite a day. We had to have a big hole dug and get a big excavator in to cut through the sandstone,” says Mel.
Mel and Eddy planned to transform the property’s historic stone coach house into a high-end couple’s retreat or a cafe, utilising the wide front window.
“The place has so many different opportunities, but if we were going to stay there, we were going to potentially build up on top of the cottage and then connect it back to the main house via a glass atrium,” says Mel.
When asked what her favourite part of the property is, Mel says she loves all of it, including the deep bathtub, the his-and-her double shower, the combustion fireplace, the views, the abundant light and the cathedral ceilings.
“At nighttime, you can see the moon and the stars coming through from those top windows – it’s a special place,” she says.
With their daughter entering the senior years of high school and their son’s busy sports schedule, Mel and Eddy have taken the tough decision to sell.
“We are finding we’re just spending less and less time there … it’s such a gorgeous place and we would love it to have a bit more life and be enjoyed,” says Mel.
Mel says she will miss the ability to go on weekend escapes to Port Elliot the most.
“It’s like a little mini holiday. We’ve had so many fabulous parties and gatherings. We’ve had Christmases and girls’ weekends away – we’ve been very lucky to have that property.”
The sale of 1 Merrilli Place, Port Elliot, is being handled by Mark Forde of Harris South Coast.
