25 Kelvin Road, Alphington, Vic 3078

A detached studio settles into the rear garden of this beautifully kept 1920's weatherboard at 25 Kelvin Road, a quietly handsome frontage in Alphington. Behind its period face of panelled walls, leadlight and original mantelpieces, a rear addition extends above an open kitchen, dining and family space that opens out to the garden. Held on a deep, established block in a quiet residential street, it sits within an easy walk of creek-side parkland, the station and the local shops, in a pocket of the Inner North that still feels more village than suburb.

From the footpath the house gives little away. Painted weatherboards, a covered porch, a driveway running along the boundary to a covered carport and a front door that does all the talking, deep red and adorned with leadlight in a stylised motif finished with a brass knocker.

Behind it, a central hallway runs deep into the plan, walls fitted with strapping and picture rails, the length of it hung with artwork, lit by a period pendant and skylights that brighten the space. Timber boards run underfoot with rooms open either side. The main bedroom claims the front corner with windows on two aspects, a white timber mantel and cast-iron insert of its own, a walk-in robe and a contemporary ensuite finished in soft square Italian wall tiles paired with olive floor tiles with a timber vanity, vessel basin, wall-mounted tapware, heated towel rail and highlight windows. Across the hall, the living room curls around a bay window and gathers at a timber mantel with a tiled cast-iron insert, panelling carried up and across the ceiling.

The room that gives the house much of it's personality is the study. Lined floor to ceiling in white joinery and deep enough to accommodate a baby grand with room to spare, its leadlight casements throwing colour across wide timber boards. It opens directly off the living room, so the two spaces provide flexibility, reading as one when you want them to.

A pair of original timber doors with hammered glass panels marks the handover to the newer half of the house, and the shift is immediate. The ceiling lifts to a gable with a highlight window and beneath it the kitchen, dining and family zone unfolds in one long, light-filled run. Deep green cabinetry sits below speckled concrete benchtops on polished wooden floors, and a long window serves as the splashback looking out onto an evergreen native vine. The kitchen features open timber shelving, a walk-in pantry, a new Nef induction cooktop and electric under-bench oven, a dishwasher and a skylight. A distinctive recycled timber post stands where old house meets new, earning its keep structurally and visually at once. An island with bar seating turns the cook towards the family end, where a built-in fireplace sits between two timber-framed casement windows, and timber-framed doors open the whole rear wall to the deck.

Two further bedrooms occupy the quiet end of the plan, with built-in robes both served by a newly renovated bathroom. A freestanding bath is set beneath a window against deep green tiles, a rain shower behind glass, a timber vanity with a vessel basin and a round mirror
above. A separate laundry with external access sits nearby the kitchen, with wall-mounted hydronic heating panels appearing throughout the home.

Outside, a generously scaled undercover alfresco with a Danpalon roof runs along the northern side of the house, timber-decked and draped in an ornamental grape vine, deep enough to function as a genuine outdoor room. The garden continues well beyond with a built-in curved seat, established greenery, raised vegetable garden beds, and a private standalone studio fitted with a built-in desk and its own skylight, well positioned away from the main residence.

Alphington wears its advantages lightly. Darebin Parklands lies a short walk east, with a stretch of creek, bushland and trail, while a neighbourhood park and cricket ground sit a few streets the other way and the weekly farmers' market nearby. Everyday needs are met by the grocers and cafés of Fairfield's Station Street village, with a smaller cluster of cafés and eateries gathered around Alphington's own station precinct. That railway station is close enough to walk to without thinking about it, making the city commute straightforward on the Hurstbridge line. For families, the address is zoned to Alphington Primary School and Thornbury High School, with Alphington Grammar School also close at hand.

Type

House

Bedrooms

3

Bathrooms

2

Parkings

2

Study

1