JAMIE Cooper, the man who swapped the AFL football for a paintbrush, has put his home on the market with a price guide of $880,000 to $950,000 at 67 Frank Street, Eltham.
JAMIE Cooper, the man who swapped the AFL football for a paintbrush, has put his home on the market with a price guide of $880,000 to $950,000 at 67 Frank Street, Eltham.
The former Fitzroy player, who has lived in the property with partner Jenn and daughters Zoe and Billie for the past 13 years, has completed incredible pieces of art for clubs such as Liverpool FC, Real Madrid FC, Richmond Tigers, New York Yankees and Collingwood.
“I was able to utilise the big double garage to build my dream studio that measured 8x6 metres and is a great space for people to enjoy for work or leisure,” Mr Cooper said.
“I love the green, leafy and peaceful suburb of Eltham. It’s a genuinely friendly place and over the past 13 years, my family and I have become embedded within the community and have made a number of close friends.
“We’ve renovated the entire block from front gate to back fence, inside and out. There’s a new kitchen and bathroom, renovated studio and extensive landscaping throughout the property.
“It has board walking, decking and native gardens for beautiful integration into the surrounds and low drought-proof maintenance. On many occasions we’ve had native birds and echidnas drop by.
“I can’t say enough about the living environment. We’re still in the suburbs but surrounded by bush and we’ve had some wonderful memories in the property. The varied living spaces have created ample areas for a fantastic work and home life with a growing family.
“I played four AFL/VFL seasons with Fitzroy in the 80’s, but since then, I’ve been lucky enough to be commissioned by major sports clubs all over the world to create portraits and ‘Team of the Century’ canvasses.
“My studio is the converted garage. I put in polished floorboards, plaster walls, cabinets and a new pitched roof with great lighting. It’s fully air conditioned, fully separate from living areas but only five steps from the kitchen. I’m in there 60 hours a week so it had to be comfortable.
“The only reason we’re moving on is to allow for bigger space. My daughters want a pony and despite our family home having everything we need, it doesn’t have pony space!”
The property is being marketed by Ray White Plenty’s Licenced Estate Agent, Auctioneer Leigh Pridham and Sales Consultant James McCulloch.
Mr Pridham said the Eltham home, on an 876sq m* allotment, was a quintessential retreat from the outside world that’s a sanctuary perfect for family life.
“The property is set amongst established gardens and offers a generous floorplan designed to offer flexible living and accommodation options,” he said.
“The living room is light-filled with the warmth of a striking open fireplace that opens up on to a tree deck. The area is overlooked by a contemporary stone kitchen that’s perfect for dining and entertaining and leads on to a fabulous alfresco deck.
“The downstairs rumpus is ideal for kids and their friends and includes space for a desk, access to the guest bedroom and opens to the deep rear of the garden.
“The main bedroom showcases a sleek contemporary ensuite with luxe glass vanity and the remaining bedrooms share the family bathroom.
“You’re also just metres from parklands and childcare, an easy stroll to Beard Street shops and convenience store and Eltham's station, shopping, dining and café options are easily accessible by bike, bus or car.
“The icing on the cake is that whoever buys this wonderful family home, they can tell their family and friends that they’re moving in to a property where a world-renowned artist completed around 100 pieces of work. What a story.”
