Former film studio turned luxury North Adelaide home
Hidden behind a simple brick exterior is a film studio-turned-luxury home, previously owned by a Penfolds heir, who was known as a visionary eccentric of Adelaide’s music scene.
Just off of North Adelaide’s bustling Melbourne Street sits an unassuming white brick building that owner Ian Little describes as a “cardboard box”.
But 22 Dunn Street offers much more than meets the eye.
“When you come in, you’d never know what you’re coming into,” says Ian, retired CEO of Australian Gas Networks.
Previously owned by Adelaide entrepreneur Derek Jolly and later used as a film studio, the North Adelaide warehouse was converted into a home in the late 1990s before Ian and his wife Jane Yuile, former JamFactory chairperson and ANZ chairperson, moved in more than 10 years ago.
It features four bedrooms, four bathrooms, a three-car garage and a pool.
Ian and Jane moved to the area to be closer to the city where they both worked and their children attended university.
“When we moved to North Adelaide, I just loved the area because you’ve got parks at the end of the street which are really well maintained by the council, and well used,” Ian says.
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“Melbourne Street is around the corner, so it’s convenient for shopping and restaurants.
“You’ve got the Kentish Arms Hotel [nearby], which I think is the best hotel in Adelaide.
“It’s just a great area.”
Living in a converted warehouse wasn’t unfamiliar to Ian and Jane, having previously lived in Melbourne where they converted one themselves.
The Dunn Street property’s luxury of space – particularly its spacious, open living and dining area that opens out onto the pool – was one of the features that appealed to them most.
Ian says the home has been ideal for hosting parties, events and large Sunday lunches.
“We just loved the idea of a warehouse with big, open spaces,” Ian says.
“You never had to worry about neighbours, because the walls kept the sound in.
“There are huge Cyprus trees in the front, which are probably some of the tallest in North Adelaide.
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“It gives total privacy to the house, not that you need it because there’s a big wall there anyway.”
Ian says one of the biggest adjustments from their previous home in Mitcham was the low maintenance.
“We’ve got a small piece of grass and a beautiful wall garden and it’s on a watering system,” he says.
“So, there’s practically nothing to do in the house in terms of maintenance.”
Ian says he loves the industrial look of the converted warehouse.
Other than some renovations to update the kitchen, the bathrooms and redo the floors, the only major change they made to the house was the downstairs bedroom.
After Jane had an accident that left her quadriplegic, they converted the downstairs bedroom into a completely accessible bedroom and bathroom.
Although the only access to the second floor is via stairs, Ian says the house is completely liveable from the ground floor.
When it was a warehouse, it had a lift which is now sealed over, but the space is still there to be converted back.
Since his children have moved out and his wife has passed away, Ian is now downsizing.
With an apartment on O’Connell Street, he will remain in the area, and still close enough to The Kentish Hotel.
The Dunn Street property’s proximity to “the best hotel in Adelaide” will be one thing he’ll miss the most.
The sale of 22 Dunn Street, North Adelaide, is being handled by Sally Cameron and James Campbell of Toop+Toop.
