When architect Robyn Bilkey and her husband set out to do a small development in Herne Bay, they hadn’t foreseen that it would propel them into a major lifestyle change.
The idea was to put together a development that would help their daughter and her husband get into a house, and they found a site at 6 West End Road in Herne Bay that would accommodate three townhouses, so it was ideal.
What hadn’t been on the drawing board was that Robyn and her husband would move into the second townhouse, leaving behind the lifestyle they had pursued in Parnell for 40 years.
“It was quite a change to shift to this side of town,” Robyn says. “We moved just before lockdown last year so we were able to do lots of walking around the area and now we feel really comfortable here. It’s a good area to live in and yes, we love it.”
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There are no remaining family members in need of a home so the third, just-completed townhouse, no.6A, is for sale as planned with a set date of sale closing May 26.
Ray White agent Robyn Ellson, who is marketing the property with Josh Powell, has described the house as “effortlessly cool”. “It’s brilliantly finished with no expense spared, and what’s special is that it’s been built with passion by people who have put the love into it.”
The Herne Bay property was a three-townhouse project designed by architect Robyn Bilkey to help her daughter get a house. Photo / Supplied
The spacious open plan living area comprises a kitchen that is both functional and fashionable with an island bench separating it from a casual sitting area that opens via sliding doors to the garden.
Alongside is a formal dining area, and a large living room with a gas fire and over-sized sliding doors to the outside.
Upstairs the master suite has a walk-in wardrobe, an entire wall of storage, a spacious bathroom with twin vanities and a balcony.
There’s a family bathroom on this level with a bath and shower, two further bedrooms, and a family room to which all the bedrooms have access.
The house has great natural light and an abundance of afternoon sun, and the central heating and cooling, double glazing, and underfloor heating in the bathrooms make for very comfortable living.
6a West End Road has three bedrooms, two bathrooms a double garage. Photo / Supplied
The landscaped garden and courtyard is private and low maintenance. Photo / Supplied
Unusual for a townhouse, a generous landscaped garden sits within a boundary fence that is designed to give a solid, secure, private feeling.
It’s designed for both style and easy maintenance, with paving softened by plantings of mondo and climbers already stretching up the fence. “Once that planting has developed, the walls will be green,” Robyn says.
There’s plenty of space here for alfresco dining and entertaining at home, and further afield is the alternative of Jervois Road with its variety of food, wine and entertainment venues.
Herne Bay’s lovely beaches are also close by, as is the Cox’s Bay Reserve which, as Ellson says, makes the property a great spot for either families or downsizers wanting stylish, easy living.
