Former AWB chairman Brendan Stewart's Spring Hill home an inner-city oasis

Perched in one of Spring Hill’s most exclusive pockets with sweeping views of the CBD, Brendan Stewart’s elegant inner-city home is a world away from his background.

A grains, cattle and cotton producer from Chinchilla, Mr Stewart started out on a family farm, his ensuing high-profile career in Australian agriculture including appointments as the chairman of the Australian Wheat Board and vice president of the National Farmers Federation.

When he bought Claydon House, a charming double-gabled cottage with a bullnose verandah and lacework balustrading, it was as much about finding relief from the harsh realities of farm life as it was about having a Brisbane crash pad.

“I found it very relaxing to have that change of scenery from droughts and floods – a break from the vagaries of rural farm life,” he says.

“When I bought the property I had a vision of creating a sanctuary; my own oasis in the city.”

To say Mr Stewart was successful is an understatement. While the house was appealing when he bought it in 2008, it was dated and claustrophobic, decked out in heritage colours and heavy on the dark timber.

Mr Stewart removed a number of walls, opening the house up to the natural light, increasing the space and giving it a better sense of flow.

He also committed timber treason in the process.

“I took out all the red cedar doors and had them painted white, which some people thought was sacrilege,” he laughs. “But I basically removed the heaviness of the dark timber and the red features that dominated the home. I wanted a contemporary classical feel, something which could give me that feeling of being in a sanctuary.”

Now fitted out in soft greys and crisp whites, the interiors are light-filled, sophisticated and luxurious; a spectacular result considering Mr Stewart actually carried out a lot of the renovation work himself.

“I spent a lot of weekends here and got so much satisfaction from doing it,” he says.

“When I bought the home I still had eight acres at Chinchilla and this was the perfect lock-up-and-go city pad.”

Featuring a formal and informal dining and living rooms, designer kitchen with crisp Wyer & Craw cabinetry, oversized marble bench tops and and walk-in pantry and alfresco entertainment deck with bi-fold plantation shutters, metal work and multiple double doorways connecting to the adjoining living spaces, it’s a home steeped in elegance.

Functional as well as beautiful, the house takes in sweeping views of the city skyline from almost every room and is only a short walk from the CBD and new Boundary Street redevelopment.

These days Mr Stewart is moving from an executive career to non-executive career and no longer needs to be in the CBD. Currently a director at Austsafe, a super fund for rural and regional communities, he has his sights set on a new challenge: renovating an acreage property.

“This one will be much bigger. Now that I’ve sold the farm and moving on in my career, I’m ready for something different and another challenge.”

Claydon House will be auctioned onsite on February 18 at 10am.

10 York Parade, Spring Hill

Auction onsite Saturday February 18, 10am
3 bed, 2 bath, 2 car
Open for inspection Saturday February 4, 11am – 11.30am and Thursday February 9, 6pm – 6.30pm
Agent: Angela Mastrapostolos, Space Property Agents 0407 000 225