Surprise: Colourful Collingwood terrace hits the market for $1.5m-$1.6m

This neat inner-city terrace conceals several surprises.

The red-brick property at 129 Hotham Street in Collingwood, which has price hopes of $1.5 million to $1.6 million, defies categorisation.

“It’s not a house, it’s not a warehouse or an apartment, it’s something completely unique and visionary,” says agent Steven John Scalise of Little Real Estate Victoria.

It presents itself as a heritage classic from the outside. However, within are vivid tones, double internal courtyards, industrial concrete flooring and what Scalise calls “the vortex” – a long, colour-drenched hall that draws buyers in.

“The facade has the tradition, it has the period spirit of the suburb, but it also connects with buyers who are looking for heritage but do not necessarily want to be constrained by living within that,” he says. 

“You cross a heritage threshold, and the expectation is that you’re going to be walking into a hall separated by bedrooms. But it’s just not like that.

“I think the most exciting aspect is the surprises, and also the variation.”

Scalise says there has been international interest in the unique home, including prospective buyers from Canada.

However, he suspects a local buyer from a similar city-edge suburb will likely hold the keys when the auctioneer’s hammer falls on September 13.

The owners of 12 years engaged Steffen Welsch Architects to reimagine the property, and the project was completed in about 2013.

Orange dresses the hallway, yellow is used judiciously in the kitchen, and green comes alive in one of the courtyards. A perfectly balanced blend of all three colours features in the tiled bathroom, which opens to a small, tranquil garden.

An art gallery was one of the inspirations for the property’s transformation. The colours evolve depending on the light, Scalise says.

“The colours are impacted by the windows from the courtyards, which filter or saturate light into the hall,” he says. “And all along is track lighting, which you can manipulate to make it a stronger orange or a more neutral orange. For that reason, it’s constantly changing.”

The open-plan lounge, living and kitchen area unfolds to a 14-square-metre courtyard. Beyond is a bedroom which flows to another 10-square-metre outdoor space, and the second bedroom.

The outdoor spaces between key rooms improve ventilation, light and thermal performance – the pillars of passive design.

The flow of the floor plan enables the owner to stand in the very rear bedroom and see through the entire length of the home.  

The owners have shared their enduring love of the property in the listing.

“Our house is so easy to love and to live in; it makes you feel good because it is a beautiful and calm place to be and to come home to,” they say. “It is a place you can entertain, relax, rest, share, and delight in. After 12 years, we still say ‘wow’ every time we come home.”

$1,500,000 - $1,600,000

129 Hotham Street, Collingwood VIC 3066

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