For sale: large and elegant executive house in the Perth hills

The house has 468 square metres of living space. There are four large bedrooms, three bathrooms, three lounges, and a very substantial office. Outside there's a pool, tennis court, triple garage, separate cottage and detached studio.

The block covers 7398 square metres (just under two acres). The house sits among gardens and natural bushland. Paths lead from the pool area to a creek and then over a stone bridge to the tennis court.

The house was designed by architect Lynthorne Matthews and built in 1980. The construction is mainly stone and brick, with a great deal of natural timber inside. Its multiple levels are hidden and kept private behind sloping granite outcrops along one side of the house. The unusual granite formation is also a spectacular backdrop to the alfresco terrace and pool area.

Hamalyn Properties Pty Ltd bought the house in late 1980. As a member of the Board, I have lived in the house since 1990. After 40 years in the oil, mining and gas industries and consulting, I am retiring and will relocate to Bali. Therefore the Company is disposing of the property.

    –– Ted Gloor, Director, Hamalyn Properties

Advantages of the house

• The house is part of the picturesque and lively village of Darlington. But the property is so secluded and private that it might be in the country.

• It lifts your spirits to live here. Lynthorne Matthews houses are always like that, but this one also has an extraordinary setting as well.

• It is hard to imagine a better house for entertaining. There is a separate guest wing, a beautiful pool and surrounds, and three lounges on different levels that connect to each other with little cascades of steps.

• The property also plainly has potential as a corporate centre-cum-business retreat.

• Wide wall areas, open cavities and rich natural light are perfect for displaying artworks (as you can see from the photo tour).
  

• Exposed natural boulders, rough limestone walls and a concrete slab ceiling (covered with pine boards) tend to keep the temperature in a comfortable range across the seasons. This lightens the work of three split-system air-conditioners, the gas wall heating in the guest wing, and the back-up slow combustion convection heater in the summer lounge.

• The house is built almost entirely from natural materials that are increasingly expensive and now rarely seen.

• The property is so large is could readily be sub-divided, if that was ever of interest.

A few highlights

The photo tour takes you in great detail through the house and grounds. Here is a little taste:

View from the front door, to the right. Directly ahead is the formal dining room. Through the door to the right of that is the kitchen and a casual dining area.
Kitchen and casual dining room.
The office, with built-in bookcases. The window looks out onto the entrance walkway.
The winter lounge with its large fireplace. A wide veranda offers views across Nyannia Creek. Steps on both sides lead up to the top lounge (which can be seen to the left.). Other steps lead down to the summer lounge.
A winter view of the house as seen from Nyannia Creek, which flows through part of the property.
View of the pool, with a granite rock formation on the right.