One of Wellington’s highest-profile real estate couples are selling their stately home in Mount Victoria for more than $5.995 million.
Designer Diana Potter and property developer Richard Burrell have listed their stylish four-bedroom Arts and Crafts mansion after carrying out a top-to-toe renovation.
The couple bought 111 Brougham Street in 2017 for $2.5m, having just completed restoring a neighbouring historic home on same the street, the Old Boys Brigade HQ.
“We were quite happy, but then I quite like a new project,” Potter told OneRoof. “I’m quite hands-on and one day Richard came back and said he heard [111 Brougham] was on the market.”
Start your property search
The property they took on was a challenge. It was built in the 1900s by famed architect Samuel Hurst Seager, but over the years it had been split into flats and then converted into a support centre for people with disabilities.
Discover more:
- Roger Walker's iconic pink and green Wellington castle for sale
- Wellington house prices feel the pinch amid public sector lay-offs
- Mortgagee sale of luxury lodge linked to Kiwi racing legend
Walls had been added and original character features had been removed.
“Some of the panelling had been mucked around with, but there was good panelling in the hallway,” Potter said.
The couple worked with an architect to restore the Arts and Crafts “charm” and put a modern extension at the back. “In the front, the portico went, and that left us able to add two garages,” Potter said.
“I downloaded English paint charts from the year the house was built and took the colours from there. The colours at the front of the house, where the wood is darker, are stronger, while the colours at the back of the house, which is modern, are lighter.”
The house was designed by architect Samuel Hurst Seager in the early 1900s and has been restored to its former glory by the vendors. Photo / Supplied
The striking home has already attracted interest from well-heeled buyers. Photo / Supplied
Potter, her 17-year-old daughter Teddy, and Burrell renovated every inch of the house, but with Teddy now leaving for boarding school, that leaves just Potter and Burrell rattling around the 442sqm home, which sits on 845sqm of land.
The family will miss many aspects of the home. “I’ll miss the fabulous sun because most of the windows face north, the proximity to the city, and how quiet it is. We used to live at the other end of the street, and it was noisy. But here you don’t get any buses or through traffic.”
Tommy’s agent Phil Mears said high-end listings like this one brought potential buyers out of the woodwork. “It’s surprising how many well-heeled buyers make contact when a bespoke property comes to market. I get calls from buyers from Wellington and around the world who aren’t actively looking but keep a keen eye open for the special homes,” he said.
A modern home on Ludlam Street, in Seatoun, sold in March for $4.55m. Photo / Supplied
Some of the details that stood out about the four-bedroom home were the superb double-height atrium, a well-appointed contemporary kitchen, the original grand staircase, and the heated in-ground pool and cabana, said Mears.
111 Brougham Street is one of just a handful of high-end properties on the market in Wellington, and the only one this year to be looking for around $6m. The capital city’s highest settled sale price so far this year is $4.5m for a modern, five-bedroom home on Ludlam Street, in Seatoun.
- 111 Brougham Street, Mount Victoria, Wellington, is seeking buyer enquiry over $5.995m
