'Luxe doesn’t just happen': What is luxury living in the ACT and the surrounding region?

“Luxe living” is often written into agent listings to describe the positive attributes of a particular property – especially high-end features or an aspirational lifestyle.

Anita Roelivink of Stone Southern Highlands, who lists this Mittagong property, says the Livingstone Court residence is an example where a home has been brought into and beyond today’s contemporary living standards.

“It’s about 20 years old, but has been totally transformed from the inside out,” she says.

The Mittagong home now offers luxuries like underfloor heating in bathrooms, a butler’s pantry and a generous walk-in wardrobe in the main suite. The luxe theme continues in a careful selection of fixtures, fittings and finishes.

“Luxe as a term can mean different things to different people, but generally speaking the expectation is that buyers anticipate something that goes beyond and gives them a greater quality of life,” Roelivink says.

Mario Sanfrancesco of Blackshaw Manuka has had the opportunity to see more expressions of “luxe living” than most.

“The best analogy I can give is that luxe living in the home is like spending time in one of the great hotels of the world – but enjoying it as your ongoing lifestyle,” he says.

“There’s usually a level of sophistication in the execution and an exacting attention to detail.

“Luxe doesn’t just happen; it’s carefully planned into the design, architecture and interiors.”

Sanfrancesco says features that communicate “luxe” include spacious his-and-hers dressing rooms, wine cellars, home theatres, basement garaging and outdoor “resorts”.

• Vision: “Luxe living” is more than a descriptor applied to a few indulgent features within a home. It’s the driving vision behind the creation of an aspirational way of living.
• Detail: That vision is defined by the detail built into a home – those individual elements that add up and translate into something much bigger. And in that realisation is “luxe living”.
• Lifestyle: Fixtures, fittings, finishes and furnishings all play significant roles, as does the integration of brand appliances, his-and-hers dressing rooms, theatre rooms, home basement garages, fitted wine cellars and more.

Check out our top picks on the market:

Mittagong

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Here’s the secret to aspirational “luxe living” – it’s all in the detail, and this Mittagong house has absolutely nailed it.

The four-bedroom home, which sits on a 700-square-metre block in a peaceful cul-de-sac, began life some 20 years ago but has since undergone a renovation that has transformed it into a spacious family home with all the extras.

Natural light is welcomed through extensive double glazing and amplified by crisp white walls and engineered oak timber floors.

The floor plan leads past a study, a minor bedroom and an open media room.

Opposite is the main suite with a generous walk-in wardrobe and an en suite with heated flooring, and decor highlighted by bronze tapware, a floating vanity, black accents, shiplap feature walls and mosaic tiles.

The hub of the home is, of course, the central kitchen, dining and family zone. The “luxe” continues in the bespoke kitchen that offers high-end appliances, an oversized island with a breakfast bar, an integrated dishwasher and a beautiful, tiled splashback.

Further support is offered by a generous butler’s pantry with floating shelves, stone benchtops and a mosaic splashback.

Two further bedrooms are accessed via a hallway off the hub.

There are plenty of outdoor living options, with a pergola-covered deck, an open courtyard and wraparound pathways.

An emerald lawn and landscaped garden beds frame the home at the rear. There’s a double garage with side access for further parking.

Price guide: $1.4 million

Private sale

Agent: Stone Southern Highlands, Anita Roelivink 0409 367 678

Or try these:

Watson

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Price guide: $1.15 million+

Auction: 1pm, June 3

Agent: Confidence Real Estate, Alvin Nappilly 0426 146 118

Duffy

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Price guide: Circa $2.5 million

Auction: 10:30am, May 13

Agent: Belle Property Canberra, Josh Yewdall 0430 213 909

Googong

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Price guide: $1.7 million-$1.8 million

Auction: 5:30pm, May 18

Agent: Belle Property Queanbeyan, Will Peterson 0481 571 404