When Atif Latif discovered the four-bedroom, three-bathroom bungalow at 23 Park Street, Hyde Park in 2021, he knew it was love at first sight.

“I have lived in the Hyde Park area for a number of years now and I fell in love with this property immediately – I purchased it an hour after its first opening,” Atif says.

“The sheer size of the land and the established garden really attracted me to the property.

“My dream was to own something over 1000 square metres and I have been able to tick that dream off.”

The home had received a major extension by the previous owner who modelled the back of the home around a Japanese pond and created picturesque windows overlooking the expansive yard.

Atif says the previous owner did a great job on the extension, but felt the home’s character facade had been neglected in the process.

“I have a huge love for character homes, so, as much as I am all for modern extensions and renovations, I think it is important to retain and restore a home’s character charm,” he says.

“The extension was marvellous, so it was the front of the home that really needed my attention.”

Atif says light was a big driver in the restoration process – in addition to refurbishing character elements, he repainted the walls white and replaced the old pendant lighting with downlights.

“The home has beautiful, amazing cornices, but with the age of the building there were parts getting a little worn, so I made sure to restore them.

“The front verandah was plain concrete, so I got a tiler in to make it a rendition of character tiles – it is an area now that my friends always want to sit out at and have a cup of tea or a sip of scotch.”

“I needed to return the home to its former glory, but with a little sparkle to it.”

Towards the rear of the home, the modern extension offers the ideal space for entertaining with its huge kitchen overlooking the living room and floor-to-ceiling windows looking out to the back yard.

“I am a bit of a foodie and love entertaining, so the kitchen is just awesome,” Atif says. “The walk-in pantry is huge and there is the unmissable wine room that can fit an excess of 120 bottles.

“While you’re cooking, you can look to the living room and chat with your guests and offer up a bottle of wine from the cellar beside you.

“During the summer, I open up the large double doors to the outside terrace so you can enjoy the summer breeze and move freely between the spaces.”

Beside the terrace is an outdoor dining space that grows a whimsical ceiling of wisteria during summer months.

The expansive back yard ignited a passion for gardening in Atif, who has spent every weekend since he purchased the home working away outside.

“I planted a row of magnolias on one side and added around 65 outdoor spotlights across the property so it looks quite amazing when it lights up at night,” Atif says.

“There is a little orchard with six fruit trees and four citrus trees plus the vegetable garden.”

After a year and a half owning the home Atif feels he has achieved everything he can in restoring the original bungalow and creating a flourishing garden.

“It takes a lot of time and a lot of energy, but I have loved every bit of it and now it is time to move on,” he says.

“I think I need to take some time from a property of this size, and I have done all I can to make it ready for its next family.”

The sale is being handled by Stephanie Williams and John Williams of Williams Real Estate.