A Textile Factory Turned Family Residence Hits The Market

This grand North Melbourne property has had many lives before becoming the house it is today. The original red-brick building was built in the early 1890s as part of a textile mill and remained in the warehouse complex until it was subdivided in 1995.

The current owners stumbled across 6-8 Jones Lane after looking in the inner-city suburbs for a larger home where they could raise their family. ‘We saw it very quickly on a Wednesday afternoon open, came back on Thursday for a closer look and bought it at the auction on Saturday,’ the owners say.

The family have since transformed it into a spectacular four-bedroom, three-storey home with a series of renovations over the years. They first engaged architect Richard Kerr to create an addition they envisioned as the property’s ‘cool cousin’ – a wing for their two teenage children at the time. It thoughtfully continues the original second-hand brick theme with modern window styling and interiors that still complemented the main house.

The two buildings are connected on the first floor by a glass walkway, which the owners dubbed the ‘Myer walkway’ for its similarities to the department store’s pedestrian bridge in Little Bourke Street!

‘Our children have often sat there watching the rain fall and the cats like finding the warm spots in the sun,’ they add.

It wasn’t until 2017 that the dream home was truly complete, after interior designer Amanda Lynn designed the final updates for the main house. ‘The brief was to bring it into the 21st century, while maintaining the historical warehouse charm of the exposed brick,’ the owners explain. Updates to the living and kitchen area on the ground floor helped create purpose-built ‘hub’ where the family have enjoyed coming together daily.

But now the unique residence is up for grabs for a new growing family. ‘It is too big for just the two of us as the children move out to start their own lives,’ the vendors explain.

Besides the home’s ‘unique charm’ they’ve built on over the years, the family say they will miss the ‘secret garden oasis’ secluded at the rear, and the sparkling city views from the third floor!

6-8 Jones Lane, North Melbourne is listed with Peter Stephens and Isabelle McEwan Marion at Nelson Alexander Fitzroy and will go to auction on Saturday August 20 at 11:00am.