From casual barbecues to chic soirees, this might just be the perfect entertainer in Red Hill

The blessing and curse of working in the property industry would be this: you know the very best and worst of homes – the finest materials, the cleverest floor plans, the details that quietly elevate daily life, and also the common missteps that don’t.

This means that, when the time comes to design your own dream home, you’re well prepped to get things correct.

That was the case for one long-time Canberra property professional, who drew on years of experience to design 8 Penrhyn Street, a serene, sophisticated family house in Red Hill.

“The floor plan is very well thought out,” says listing agent Mario Sanfrancesco of Blackshaw Manuka.

“The seller has been very prominent in the property industry in Canberra for more than three decades. Their experience of selling and being immersed in property for all those decades – all of that knowledge – culminated in putting together what would be the ideal family home for their family.

“The result is a slightly understated, well-balanced, beautiful family environment.”

Set on a 1267-square-metre block opposite green space and just 130 metres from Canberra Grammar School, the location was the first piece of the puzzle.

“It’s a little tucked-away street … but you’d think it’s miles away because it’s a very secluded, private location,” Sanfrancesco says.

The home’s architecture took its cues from its surroundings and solar orientation.

A U-shaped floor plan combines four bedrooms, four bathrooms, a study and multiple living spaces, all wrapped around a central courtyard. It’s a layout which means that you enjoy a visual connection to nature whether you’re in the formal living room, the rumpus room, the study or the guest suite.

Inside, the finishes are refined and inviting, with hardwood floors and a warm material palette. Accommodation is zoned by wings.

The main suite sits at the front, overlooking the parkland and offering a walk-in wardrobe, a Carrara marble en suite and peaceful privacy. Two more bedrooms are positioned in the same wing, with a family bathroom and a rumpus room with kitchenette.

On the other side of the home, a fourth bedroom and en suite can be used as a guest wing or for older children or multigenerational living.

But it’s the thoughtful surprises that set the home apart.

Where a door off the kitchen might typically lead to a butler’s pantry, here it opens to a temperature-controlled wine room with space for 1200 bottles and 72 magnums.

It keeps your collection close at hand for dinner parties, while the glass door transforms it into a design feature – part artwork, part conversation starter.

Or over the back of the kitchen bench, instead of your standard stools and breakfast bar, is a stylish banquette and built-in table for cosy mornings with the family akin to popping into the local cafe.

Perhaps the biggest surprise of all? The house is all set out on a single level.

“This is very, very generously proportioned home, but it’s all on one level, so you use every inch of it most of the time,” Sanfrancesco says. “Plus, you’ve still got that beautiful outdoor space in the middle too.”

Out there you’ll find a deck with ceiling fans and Velux skylight, overlooking a 10-metre, solar-powered, self-cleaning pool and with views towards Red Hill Reserve.

“Even though the pool’s substantial, there’s also enough lawn at the back for kids to kick a footy or have a hit of a cricket ball,” Sanfrancesco says. “It is a very well balanced home. Even the sunsets are magnificent from there.”

Auction 09/11/25

8 Penrhyn Street, Red Hill ACT 2603

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