Originally built in 1920 and poised at the end of a quiet street in Malvern, this striking red brick bungalow is a seamless combination of period charm and timeless style.

Jane and Richard Mills purchased the six-bedroom, four-bathroom home 25 years ago and lived there with their two children who were just beginning secondary school at the time

Upon entry, the house presents beautiful fretwork, ornate ceilings and polished floorboards throughout the entry hallway that leads to the open-plan kitchen, living and dining space.

Upstairs are two bedrooms and a bathroom that Jane and Richard’s children claimed as their own.

“They loved having their own rooms and bathroom away from the hum and drum of the downstairs living,” Richard says. “It was perfect for them and to give them separation from us.”

Downstairs, the couple enjoy the primary suite located privately by the front of the home with a walk-in-robe and modern ensuite.

Both former teachers, Jane and Richard have enjoyed using their creativity to transform the home into their own, each working on key elements of the property.

“My wife is very good with crafts, especially knitting and crocheting,” Richard says.

“I do a lot of small renovations as I am trained as a woodwork teacher. So, I have enjoyed doing little jobs that come up every now and then while also working on the grounds.”

Part of the home’s transformation included expanding the kitchen and dining area to create the open-plan living space seen today.

“We doubled the size of the kitchen and dining area to turn it into a big, family area,” Richard says.

Flooding with natural light and designed for hosting large groups of guests, the living area boasts a large kitchen for entertaining and further extends through bi-fold doors to the undercover alfresco.

“Out of the 25 Christmases we have been here, we have hosted 23 of them at our house. We will have up to 30 people out in that area,” Richard says.

Jane and Richard spend plenty of time together enjoying the outdoor area.

“We will spend probably seven months of the year outside,” says Richard. “The curtains to the outdoor entertaining area come down and we have two gas heaters in there, so you can get it up to about 20 degrees there in the middle of winter.”

Beyond the outdoor entertaining space is Richard’s pride and joy, his expansive, lush garden.

“Everything in the garden is mature and happily growing, so you don’t need to spend a lot of time maintaining it,” Richard says.

Between the hedging, agave and agapanthuses surround the manicured lawns and beautiful fruit trees of lemon, nectarine, apricot and peach.

“The fruit trees were the first thing we planted, so they are quite mature now,” Richard says.

“You always have lemons on the tree and in summer there is all the stone fruit.”

Out the back, there is also a granny flat which, over the years, has been used as a bedroom for Jane and Richard’s son, a home office and a guest suite.

As the family has begun to move away, Jane and Richard decided it is time to move out of the city and downsize.

“We need to downsize the home a bit, but I don’t want to downsize in garden space because I love gardening,” Richard says.

Although ready for a change, Jane and Richard will miss their Malvern home and the great times they have had there.

“It has been a wonderful home to us,” Richard says.

The sale is being handled by Sharee Redic of TOOP+TOOP.