Shaun Lockyer designed Highgate Hill family home hits the market

Empire Office Furniture owners Fiona and David Waller are ready to sell their five-bedroom property at 39 Gertrude Street, Highgate Hill which they purchased in 2009 as an original Queenslander set on an elevated corner block.

Ray White Collective sales agent Jack Roberts is marketing the property which goes under the hammer on 31 October at 1pm.

Mr Roberts said the home underwent a comprehensive year-long transformation and was completed in 2011.

The master plan retained the home's historic features - including 3.2 metre pressed-metal ceilings and an original bedroom wing - building over the existing garage structure to create a seamless multi-level family home. 

Interior designer and mother-of-three Fiona Waller said the home's position was one of the things they had always loved most.

“The north-facing city views are quite special, particularly because we enjoy them from both levels of the house. It's also surprisingly private and quiet for somewhere so close to the city, and having a generous, level backyard with that outlook has been wonderful for our family.”

The architectural layout features five bedrooms, including three with private ensuites, a master suite overlooking the city, a sunken music room, a library study, and a double-height secondary living space.

A self-contained mezzanine retreat with a bedroom, bathroom, kitchenette, and living area provides flexible accommodation for multi-generational living, guests, or an au pair.

“We bought the house before we had children, and the renovation was designed with the family we hoped to have in mind. Fifteen years later, it's been a wonderful home for raising our three children,” Mrs Waller said

Mrs Waller said contemporary additions were shaped around the property’s elevation and elements, pulling light through skylights and opening rooms to the outdoors.

“What I love about Shaun's design is how timeless it feels. Fifteen years on, the architecture still feels just as relevant and contemporary as it did when we first moved in.”