240 Colwyn Road, Mount Helena WA 6082

BUSH MODERNIST

Designed by architect MJ Dryker, this four-bedroom home with a study or fifth bedroom is a rare example of the Hills Modern aesthetic-a local expression of the Bush Modernist movement. Its wide eaves and deep verandas temper the summer sun, while large windows and sliding doors capture cross-breezes and connect the interiors to a paved patio and central courtyard. Following the natural fall of the site, the split-level plan creates a sequence of formal and informal rooms: some made for gathering, others for retreating with a book.

• 4 Beds 2 baths plus study
• 1979-built brick and tile
• Split-level, exposed beams
• Updated kitchen and baths
• Sunken lounge and hearth
• Seamless indoor-outdoor
• Patio and central courtyard
• Garage shed and lean-to
• 2.58 hectares (approximately 6.4 acres)
• Classic Hills Modern design

A transitional space, softened by low plantings, leads to a lateral foyer where a material palette of jarrah and Besser-style brick and tile is introduced. Beyond the foyer, these materials work to express the era's style - exposed beams, a raked ceiling and blurred boundaries between indoors and out carry it through impeccably.

Arranged on this uppermost level are a formal dining room, a study/guest bedroom and a central kitchen. The dining room leads to a carpeted sunken lounge with an exposed-brick fireplace, large windows to the north and south, and raked ceilings overhead. A substantial central beam runs the length of the room and sets its proportions. A sliding door opens onto a paved, sheltered patio - the living space carries on outside.

The kitchen has been sensitively updated with painted exposed brick, new cabinetry, a central island and stone-wrapped benchtops. Throughout the home, changes in level rather than walls define where one space ends and the next begins. High ceilings and clear sightlines maintain a sense of connection between the rooms.
The family room flows from the kitchen, with a door to the central courtyard, split-system air conditioning, and a slow-combustion fireplace forming a year-round hub. The home encloses the courtyard on three sides with direct access from the bedroom wing hall and the principal bedroom suite.

The bedroom wing comprises three generously sized bedrooms, each with built-in robes and a south-facing window. Two of the junior bedrooms are carpeted with exposed beams and a raked ceiling overhead. They share a beautifully renovated family bathroom with a modern and stylish appeal.
Spanning the width of the wing is a light and airy principal suite with south-facing windows framing views of the bush and a sliding glass door to the courtyard. Exposed brick contrasts with soft carpet underfoot, and richly toned jarrah connects the room to its site. Split-system air conditioning, a fitted walk-in robe, and an updated ensuite complete the principal suite layout.

On a hot afternoon, the deep eaves keep the sun off the glass, so the sliding doors can stay open. The breeze crosses the patio into the lounge, and moves through the courtyard to the family room and the bedroom wing. The paved patio and the courtyard give you somewhere to sit, whichever way the day is going - in the sun, in the shade, or somewhere in between.
At the front of the home, the double garage is currently set up for outdoor entertaining with a Nectar bakers oven positioned in one corner. At the rear of that space are a workshop and a laundry with direct access to the lateral foyer. A large Colorbond workshop with a lean-to, towards the front of the block, has room for cars and other vehicles.
Easy-care gardens surround the house, watered by manual reticulation fed from scheme water, so you switch the taps on when the garden needs it and otherwise leave it be. Beyond them, most of the block is left in its natural state. That suits the way the house was designed: the site comes first, the line between indoors and out stays soft, and the building responds to its setting instead of the other way round.
Mount Helena is a friendly Hills town with its own IGA, a popular pub and coffee shop, a GP and a vet. Mount Helena Primary School, Eastern Hills Senior High School, sporting facilities, and the Heritage Trail are all within minutes of the property. Mundaring village is a short drive away, and Midland, with its rail link to the CBD, makes for an easy commute.

To arrange an inspection of this property, call Jo Sheil - 0422 491 016.