Adelaide food identity to sell spacious entertainer in Myrtle Bank
Food identity and former MasterChef contestant Mandy Hall is selling her spacious family entertainer, creating an opportunity for a new owner to snap up a gorgeous character home in the leafy suburb of Myrtle Bank.
Mandy Hall and her husband Kingsley weren’t looking for a heritage home, but as soon as they saw 21 Clinton Avenue, Myrtle Bank, they knew it was “the one”.
It offered the luxury of space they were looking for, and ultimately would become their family home for the next two decades.
“We were looking for something to fall in love with. I was drawn to it because it’s an early 1900s house, and it’s in a beautiful street in a beautiful area,” Mandy says.
“Myrtle Bank is this unassuming pocket that is close to everything. It’s close to Unley and King William Road, it’s four-and-a-half kilometres out of the city, and the tollgate is just up the road.
“It just ticked every box.”
In addition to the prime location, the character villa had great potential.
“We instantly fell in love with it and knew what it could become,” she says. “It was up to us to do that extra work.”
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Space was paramount in their search, and with a 1355 sqm block, including the tennis court and swimming pool, 21 Clinton Avenue had it in droves.
After purchasing the home, Mandy and Kingsley were in no rush to extend or renovate straight away.
“We wanted to get a feel for everything . We wanted to ensure that the credibility and the authenticity of the renovations would be as premium as the rest of the house,” Mandy says.
“A house that was built in 1910 was built to last and we wanted to make sure the renovations were exactly the same.”
The couple sought to create a timeless upgrade to the century-old home.
“Our brief to the architects and the builder was that it needed to be seamless, but not of that era. It needed to complement the heritage villa, without taking over.”
The result is a modern extension that is subtle in its transition from old to new.
Mandy says she can host more than 100 people, but when it is just the four of them – or now the two of them since their two children have flown the nest – it still feels like a cosy family home.
The home features three-metre ceilings, a large kitchen with a three-metre-long island bench, a generous butler’s pantry and a temperature-controlled room for wine storage. Mandy and Kingsley jokingly refer to this as their panic room.
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“For us it was important that we could have a tonne of people in that house, or if we were on our own it wouldn’t feel too much for a family,” she says.
The extension includes an alfresco entertaining area that feels connected to the interior spaces.
And over the years, the home has become the ultimate entertainer.
“That house has seen year 12 formals, it has seen parties, it has had 18th birthdays, 21st birthdays, it has had wakes, you name it,” she says,
“I’ve had beautiful people and really interesting people from across South Australia come and sit at my dining table, who we’ve cooked for.
“It is a house that you can fit as many people, or as few people, as you want. That has been a joy.”
Mandy is looking for a new project now that her family doesn’t need as much space – something quirky and mid-century.
“It’s been a house that’s seen so much. It’s a family home, it’s a party house,” she says.
“I’ve cooked so many meals in that kitchen, there’s been so many swimming races and tennis matches.
“We feel really lucky to have had that home and it’s very hard to give it up, but to think that another family might get anywhere near the joy that we’ve had out of it, that would be great.
“We’ve really had the time of our lives.”
The sale of 21 Clinton Avenue, Myrtle Bank, is being handled by Sally Cameron and Makeeley Abraham of Toop+Toop.
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