An entertainer’s dream in leafy Hazelwood Park
This architecturally designed Hazelwood Park villa features separate zones for adults and children, a resort-like master retreat and a spacious alfresco dining area that blends indoor and outdoor living.
Trevor and Lesley Edmond hadn’t planned to build a house; it was a happy accident.
It was at an engagement party that the couple first met award-winning architect Don Iannicelli, who had recently set up his own firm, Glasshouse Projects.
“We always liked the north-east side of Adelaide, and we talked to Don about designing a house with him. He started looking, and he found this location for us,” says Trevor.
The couple was drawn to the prime location of 34 Russel Avenue, Hazelwood Park. The plan was to demolish the existing 1950s-era property and construct a new home.
“By that stage our kids were teenagers and young adults, so being somewhere a bit closer to town was appealing to us,” says Trevor.
Don collaborated closely with the couple to design the home, which was the first project to be designed by his new firm.
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“We told Don we wanted something light and airy, and warm and cosy,” says Trevor.
“I still remember vividly my wife wandering around with a bag of offcuts and bits of wood and bluestone wall as we were trying to match things together with colours and tiles.”
The home was completed in 2010. It includes separate entertaining zones for parents and children, as well as a chef-worthy kitchen for Lesley, who enjoys cooking and baking.
“Don looked at natural and warm things, so that’s why we’ve got the bluestone wall that starts at the front and curves around the house,” says Trevor.
Attention to detail was also important when selecting the interiors.
“The table and chairs that we ended up getting were lower than some people would normally have, so that you still have a continuous look through the house without blocking it,” says Trevor.
Set on a 730-square-metre block, the house includes three bedrooms, two bathrooms and space for up to two cars.
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The parents’ retreat features bamboo flooring, a private courtyard with a prominent Chinese tallow tree, a spacious walk-in wardrobe, a double-sided gas fireplace and a luxurious en suite with a freestanding bath.
Other highlights of the property include the four-metre-high ceiling in the entrance and master wing; the open-plan living, dining and kitchen area; floor-to-ceiling windows to bring in abundant natural light; a feature wine wall for the couple’s extensive wine collection; a home office with a built-in desk and shelving; and an undercover alfresco dining area.
The spacious garden was also extensively landscaped and now features quince, pomegranate and lime trees as well as irises, a herb garden, a bay tree, frangipanis and viburnums.
The double-sided gas fireplace in the master suite is one of the couple’s favourite features of the home.
“It’s nice of an evening to be sitting there with a glass of wine, the lights down, music playing,” says Trevor.
Trevor also enjoys the outdoor entertaining area, which features a built-in wood-fired pizza oven.
“It’s a lovely entertaining house … and inside the parents’ retreat, it’s nice to curl up on the sofa with a book and a cup of coffee,” he says.
After about 15 years in the home, Trevor and Lesley are now looking to downsize.
Trevor says he will miss the sense of accomplishment he and his wife feel at having built their own home.
“This is a house that we had input in, and we’ll miss that,” says Trevor.
“Now that the kids are well and truly grown up and we have grandkids, we think it’s time that somebody else gets to enjoy this lovely home.”
The sale of 34 Russel Avenue, Hazelwood Park, is being handled by Jordan Begley of Toop + Toop.
