House of the Week: Getting the royal seal of approval in Carlton

How good is Melbourne? Winter has just got the memo to push off, spring is here, footy finals are upon us and some of Melbourne’s best, and most interesting properties, are hitting the market.

If there’s a better place to be right now, send us a postcard.

The Royal Antediluvian Order of Buffaloes. It might sound like all this spring guff has gone to our heads, but the old Carlton headquarters of the buffalo boys is where we find ourselves this week.

The Buffaloes, essentially a men’s club dedicated to dressing up, enjoying life and raising money for charity, had some pretty cool home grounds and this one in particular, on Neill Street and built in 1918, is a cracker.

The ruby red brick, gorgeous triptych of arched windows and prominent nameplate pique an immediate interest in this home’s provenance, but once you’re beyond the gated entry the contemporary takes over.

Often the light is dim and the air tight in these handsome old piles but here a renovation introduces both superbly.

On the curve of the hall to the left, the first bedroom is a beauty with three high, bright windows to bring in the light but maintain privacy in this buzzing part of town.

A chic en suite completes a terrific beginning.

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The hallway elegantly arcs along past another bedroom, a fine side deck and beyond the stairs and bathroom to bedroom three, with its own little outside space.

Across the way is internal access to a double garage with car turntable; a boon for the sometimes parking-poor Carlton streets.

We love the first level up here with loads more of that fabulous light filtering through the entire floor as the open stairs track the north-east facing glass to the landing.

Head south and find the excellent kitchen with plenty of storage, stone benches, breakfast bar seating to the side and a dining space in front. Double glass doors lead out to the deck here with its views to the top of town.

Jag back past the powder room, stairs, another side deck and up into the deeply lovely living room. It’s here those arched windows draw in all that lush light and create a most luminous living room.

Often the light is dim and the air tight in these handsome old piles but here. Take another set of stairs to the gorgeous main bedroom – light, space, en suite and city views aplenty. It once was a home where the buffalo roamed; but now you could put your stamp(ede) on it too. 

95 Neill Street, Carlton

Photo: Nelson Alexander

$1.7 million-$1.8 million
4 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, 2 car spaces

Auction: 1pm, October 7
Agent: Nelson Alexander, Rick Daniel 0409 737 985