Green scene: We take a look inside one of the sweetest semis in the inner west

Great coffee? Check. Cute heritage homes? Check. There’s no mystery surrounding the appeal of Erskineville. Photo: Fiona Morris

Want an authentic piece of the inner west to call your own? How about one-part character charm, one-part street smarts and one-part garden oasis?

This Federation semi at 140 Rochford Street, Erskineville is just the ticket. Unassuming from the street, it’s full of personality inside. The two bedrooms at the front of the house have high, decorative ceilings and picture rails.

The front bedroom has original floorboards while the second bedroom is carpeted. In the bathroom, a bronze mosaic-tiled partition separates the bath/shower and toilet from the vanity.

A central living room has a gas fireplace with an original timber mantle offering a cosy space.

Take a step down into the eat-in kitchen, a large, bright space with views over the garden. The kitchen runs along the northern wall and includes an integrated fridge/freezer, stainless-steel benchtops and a 900mm Ilve oven with five-burner gas cooktop.

Glass bi-fold doors open to a stepped timber deck and a compact tropical garden with a feature frangipani, palms, pebbles and stepping stones. It’s lovely and green, completely private and captures a north-east aspect.

Poke your head around the corner to see the striking painting on the boundary wall – the owners invited local street artists to add pizzazz to this brick canvas and the results can be seen from all the north-facing windows inside.

The laundry is in a garden shed and there are double gates, providing access for parking from the rear lane. Here, directly opposite the back of the house, is the Amy Street Reserve; a quiet pocket park for residents.

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In the catchment area for Newtown High School of Performing Arts and within walking distance of Erskineville village and the cafes, shops and bars in King Street, this property delivers the quintessential inner-west lifestyle.

Shaun Stoker of Ray White Surry Hills will take it to auction on July 7, and currently advises on a $1.5 million price guide.