April 18th 2010

On April 18th 2010 (almost a year ago exactly), this article by Kerrie Davies was published in the Daily Telegraph. Below is an excerpt regarding our house(!):

(above) This photo was taken the day Mr Tonic attacked the garden, so please excuse the lawn mess! Note also the ladder & (yellow) vacuum on the deck...

"In Avalon, a memorable 1950s beach house is being auctioned in May. Defined by its butterfly roof and designed by architect Loyal Alexander as his family home, it was profiled in the 1958 August Australian House and Garden magazine. 

The editorial declared: “A break in the roof line at the entrance lets sun and light into the house, and walls of glass and sliding glass doors create space and light to make the house larger.’’ But for all its style, its not quite large enough for the Robson-Scott family, who have lived there for the past six years and plan to go auction next month. 

While appreciating the house’s history, Geoff, Mariana and their children were constrained by space, so they built two cabins in the sprawling backyard; one that housed a spare bedroom for Mariana’s late father and an office for Geoff; and the other, a therapy room for Mariana, a Kahuna massage therapist. They also added large bifold windows and French door opening onto a timber deck to the front. Ironically, in a reverse of family trends, the 1950s Alexander family had only two children, while the Robson-Scotts have four. 

As with most retro properties, the kitchen and bathroom that gleamed with ultra-modernism in the 1958 article are now showing age. “A smaller family who like retro could enjoy living here with renovations to the bathroom and the kitchen,’’ Mariana says. “But we’ve outgrown it, and to be honest, retro was never our style. We bought it for the northeast aspect, garden size and the close proximity to the beach. We meant to renovate and extend, but it is too costly, so we’ve decided to sell instead and buy something else.’’

And aren't we glad they did!