On The Market

A Thoughtfully Renovated 1950s Gem Hits The Market In Mount Martha

We love seeing homes that have been renovated with their period in mind, just as this one has.

Even before Georgie Marks, owner and design principal of George Marks Design, bought the 1950s abode with her partner Ben Coombs, she knew it required a sensitive touch. In fact, the designer went as far as drawing up 3D plans of the potential renovation a mere four hours after viewing the property in January 2020.

Fast forward four years and her original design has now taken shape. The home remains as it was — perched among the towering gum trees — but lovingly updated for modern living.

Ready for their next project, Georgie and Ben have decided to put it on the market. Take a look below.

Written
by
Bea Taylor
|
Photography
by
Supported By The Vendor And RT Edgar

The 1950s home has been lovingly renovated by designer Georgie Marks and her partner Ben Coombs.

The kitchen and dining nook are surrounded by windows that look out to the trees beyond.

Georgie reconfigured the kitchen to allow for open-plan living and dining.

The dining nook.

The kitchen features dark green G Lux ‘Da Vinci’ Marble, which mirrors the colours of the trees outside.

Stairs lead down from the kitchen, living and dining to the entrance.

Georgie and Ben added extra decking around the home, extending from the bedrooms.

The bathroom features handmade tiles by Tiles of Ezra.

The main bedroom.

They also added space to drink and eat on the deck in the beautiful outdoors.

Georgie and Ben’s home has views across the bay of the Bellarine Peninsula and the You Yangs.

This peaceful retreat is just a mere 350 metres from the sea.

Writer
Bea Taylor
Photography
18th of October 2024
Interior design
Landscape design
Location

Mount Martha, VIC/Bunurong Country

Georgie Marks, owner and design principal of George Marks Design, and her partner Ben Coombs ushered in the start of 2020 by locking eyes with their dream home — on New Years Day, no less.

They spied the three-bedroom modernist home for sale in the window of Warlimont & Nutt in Mount Martha, quickly contacted the agent and by the next day had inspected it in person.

By that same evening Georgie had completely remodelled the home using 3D software. And in February 2020, they purchased it.

The couple are only the second owners of the home, having bought it off the original owners who built it themselves in the 1950s. The home had barely been touched since, even the five different coloured carpets inside remained the same.

‘It was ready for reawakening,’ says Georgie.

Determined to preserve and breathe new life into the period home, Georgie first tackled structural changes, which included stabilising the front end and rebuilding the existing structure of the house.

‘We needed to enhance the footings, correct the interior framed structure, realign walls and improve thermal properties with new glazing and insulation,’ she explains.

‘While the process was at times tedious, it felt like we were respecting the original build in order to welcome a new age style of living.’

The home sits perched among the towering gum trees, with a view to the ocean — just 350 metres down the road — and is surrounded by birdlife. ‘It feels as if we’re living in a treehouse,’ says Georgie.

In fact, when searching for inspiration for the interior palette, Georgie needed only to look out the windows to find it.

She selected an eye-catching dark green G Lux ‘Da Vinci’ marble for the kitchen bench, and a palette of ochres, greens and silvery hues throughout the rest of the home to mimic its beautiful natural surroundings.

The home stands exactly as it did, but updated for modern living (and not too dissimilar from Georgie’s original 3D modelling back in January 2020).

‘It didn’t require obnoxious design outcomes that competed with the modernist period style,’ she says. ‘It required a rebirth with clever, efficient design thinking to better the house and support contemporary family living for us and its future occupants.’

The renewed home is now on the market and ready for its third owners to make it their own.

13 McLeod Road, Mount Martha, VIC 3934 is listed for sale with Vicki Sayers of RT Edgar.

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