FEATURE LISTING: Parkside Paradise
Adriana and Joseph Calvanese left nothing to chance when building their expansive home with a lounge bar, upstairs retreat and sparkling swimming pool. With a price tag of $3 million, this home is the ultimate in luxury.
On a plot of land that held great meaning to Adriana and Joseph Calvanese, they aspired to build a home that would not only pay homage to their family heritage, but would embrace the relaxed, modern lifestyle they enjoy with their three children.
“The land was owned by my husband’s grandparents,” Adriana says. “It was the first land they owned in Australia after they migrated from Europe. We purchased their home after they passed away and lived in it for around six years.”
Then, it was a 100-year-old house, but its character elements – that would have made the home untouchable – had long been done away with; the windows replaced with aluminium frames and the fireplaces removed.
“Although there was sentimental attachment to the bones of the house, it was falling apart,” Adriana says.
“We thought we could build something on the land that was a representation of the people who migrate to another country.
“We wanted to pay homage to this land and build something that the owner would be proud to call their own.”
In 2021, the couple demolished the existing property and got to work building a new home.
“We worked with Daniel Jordan Homes and architect Mario Civitarese on the design concept,” Adriana says.
“They allowed us to be very involved in the process and particular attention was given to what feelings we wanted the home to evoke and how our family would reside in the home.”
The home now standing at 99 Leicester Street, Parkside is the ultimate luxury family home, boasting four bedrooms and three bathrooms alongside bespoke, architectural design.
“We wanted a high-end home feel,” says Adriana. “We went to Natuzzi and their concept represents how best to live in a space and elevate daily living.
“We found a bar there and thought that instead of doing a barbecue area, we could create a lounge bar in our home – a space to escape from the world with an Aperol spritz and an antipasto platter.
“It was those ideas that the entire house was built around.”
Through the enormous front door is the grand gallery with 3.6-metre-high ceilings and a glass door leading to one of the home’s most incredible features – a floating steel and timber staircase fixed to a structural concrete wall.
“What I love about concrete is that it is timeless; it connects the past and the present,” Adriana says.
“So many people want these beautiful, modern homes, but, if you add elements of architectural past, it adds a new dimension to a home that can set it apart from others.
“Any time somebody comes over they want to have their outfit photographed in front of that wall. It has become a backdrop to our growing family.”
The master suite is an understated luxury with its minimalist interior design, with a splendid ensuite boasting a double basin floating vanity, a full tub and an oversized shower.
Upstairs is the dream teenager’s retreat alongside two bedrooms and a bathroom where Adriana’s twin teens can enjoy spending time with their friends.
At the back of the home is an incredible open-plan living area, combining the kitchen, living room and dining room into a single space with views of the sparkling pool and indoor-outdoor lounge bar.
“The tiles on the pool are a marble white to reflect the light blue water,” Adriana says. “Sometimes it has a green tinge that reminds me of Santorini and the Amalfi Coast.”
“I love night times in the home when you put on the pool lights and watch the reflections dance across the walls.”
The bar lounge is a seamless blend of indoor and outdoor living. If you close the outside doors, it acts as a cosy extension to the home to enjoy a drink with friends on a winter night, however, opening it up in summertime transforms the space into an alfresco masterpiece.
“We grew up with this obsession that everybody must sit down around the table and eat together and there was so much chaos, but this house allows people to take that down a notch and relax,” Adriana says.
“You can pop everything on the buffet and graze as you will, maybe have a swim at the same time while mum and dad sit down and enjoy a drink.
“You’re on holiday until you’re going to work tomorrow.”
With the family’s busy schedules, they feel they don’t spend enough time enjoying the house and want a new family to come and make the most of the space.
“For now, we will probably get an apartment in the city where we can drop in and out throughout the day, but, one day, we will build another spectacular home,” Adriana says.
“This isn’t going to be our first and last project. We are brave enough to go again.”
The sale is being handled by John McRostie and Thomas Krajnc of Belle Property.