A life lived on Lumeah: Celebrating a unique home with half a century of history
Viewing 48 Lumeah Road, Caulfield North from the street, it’s hard not to be blown away. Sloping slate roofs. Arcing white brickwork. A splendid, sweeping driveway. And a garden full of flowers as exotic as the African country this home serves as a consulate for. But look a bit longer and you’ll see it’s far more than a house (or a consulate). It’s a home, with half a century’s worth of history – and a good one at that. Now, as the property’s original owner prepares for auction, we’re winding the clock back to 1973. Let’s trace the home’s origins, explore its journey, and go poolside – to revisit its most lavish soirees.
Italian-inspired, LA-looking – Melbourne-made
The home at 48 Lumeah Road was designed and built in 1973 by Michael and Heddie, its first (and only) owners. And they had some illustrious help.
Collaborating with esteemed interior designer Sonia Preston and renowned architect Michael Feldhagen, the owners began to lay the foundations – literal and figurative – of the home that would be theirs for the next 50 years.
And those foundations remain as solid as the day they were laid.
Built on a concrete slab and with double brick so durable it’s gone half a century with barely a crack, 48 Lumeah Road is that increasingly rare find: a home created to withstand not only years, or decades – but generations.
Outside, it channels the vibrant, vivacious vibe of an LA hacienda. Enter it, though, and you soon learn there’s far more to this home than first meets the eye.
Four bedrooms – each with ensuites. A powder room with a coat cupboard. (Perfect for entertaining.) Multiple walk-in wardrobes – and a large, heated pool to step out to.
Tinted windows keep the home cool in summer; hydronic heating and an open fireplace offset winter’s chilly advances.
Inside, the home is resplendent with built-in furniture. Designed and delivered by the artisans at Decro Furniture – an Italian brand so exclusive it no longer exists – it adds another luxuriant layer of uniqueness to 48 Lumeah’s classy, custom-made aesthetic.
Also included? An extendable leather chessboard, built into the lounge room cabinetry.
Checkmate!
‘The pool was the dancefloor’: 48 Lumeah’s legacy of revelry
Of course, it isn’t simply a hearth, a hallway, or hydronic heating that makes a house a home.
It’s history.
‘The home catered for children’s parties, 18th birthdays, 21st celebrations, and engagements,’ says Heddie, 48 Lumeah’s (one-and-only) owner. ‘Not to mention a Bar Mitzvah that had 150 guests all seated for dinner: followed by an entertainer, live music, and dancing.
‘The pool was the dancefloor!’
In 2007, 48 Lumeah Road wrote another chapter in its storied history – when it became the location of the Botswanan consulate. Never a stranger to entertaining, the house played host to a whole new series of soirees and shindigs.
There were African student parties, formal dinners, lavish banquets. And a litany of distinguished guests: from Canberra’s African ambassadors and High Commissioners to Melbourne’s African Consular Corps. (A Botswanan dancing crew got in on the action, too!)
The home was hired for fashion shoots, music videos, private modelling events and TV pilots, as well as providing the backdrop for an African documentary series.
And why not? With an expansive, open-plan entertaining space, a backyard veranda, and a ducted sound system connecting the house’s quartet of rooms, 48 Lumeah Road has always been a place of fun and frivolity.
So get your favourite song on – and turn it up!
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‘Wood you care to come in?’: How the timber sets the tone
‘The minute you walk through the front door, a feeling of tranquillity calms you,’ explains Heddie. ‘A welcoming warmth that guests always remark upon.’
Could it be the expansive entertaining spaces? The handcrafted, homely nature of the house’s ingrained leather features and furniture? Its feng shui?
Perhaps. Although if Heddie had to put her finger on the main reason for her home’s intimate, inviting je ne sais quoi, it’d be the wood.
The home utilises a mix of Japanese Elm and Morenti – a style similar to Philippine Mahogany. Boasting a bold, brilliant Mediterranean style, the timberwork – much of it built-in – achieves a sense of restfulness and relaxation.
‘Research has shown that the presence of timber has positive physiological and psychological benefits that mimic the effect of spending time outside in nature.
‘It certainly has for our family.’
Family first: Why 48 Lumeah will always be a family home
If the walls of the home at 48 Lumeah Road could speak, they would certainly tell a story.
What they’d say, exactly? We don’t know. But we can tell you the first, and most important, word.
Family.
‘The home has seen the birth of three children,’ recounts Heddie. ‘It’s witnessed their growth from babies, to toddlers, to schoolchildren, to university students and beyond – sometimes too far beyond! It’s weathered all stages with comfort and dignity.’
One of the home’s particularly popular family-friendly features? The privacy of its rear bedroom.
Initially built for live-in help, the room soon became sought after for its seclusion – especially amongst the home’s solitude-seeking adolescents. And swiftly prompted the parents to use it as a carrot: a kind of creative incentive to keep the kids focused on school.
‘The rules of the house were that no one could move into that room until they’d completed VCE,’ remembers Heddie. ‘And that age had priority.
‘The younger kids couldn’t wait for their older siblings to leave home!’
In 2023, all the kids have left home. (Two are living overseas; the third plans to soon.) And now, after 50 golden years, it’s finally time for their mum, Heddie, to do the same.
‘All our children are well and truly adults now,’ she says. ‘So it’s time for me to move on and downsize. (Well, it was probably time 15 years ago – but I’ve only just come to terms with it!)
‘I hope the new owners will cherish this home – and gain from it as much joy as we did.’
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Ahead of the auction: Gary Peer offers his perspective
Asked to describe 48 Lumeah Road in just four words, Gary’s response is immediate.
‘Stylish, solid, spacious,’ he says, ticking them off on his fingers, then pauses to think.
‘Unique,’ he finishes. ‘It really is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.’
But why?
‘Firstly, it’s in Caulfield North’s Golden Mile. Secondly, there are very few homes of this style on the market. Thirdly? The land opportunity it presents is extremely rare.’
48 Lumeah Road is scheduled to auction at 1:30pm on Sunday 4 June 2023. Gary’s expecting a blockbuster turnout – but from whom?
‘This home is most likely to suit a family,’ he explains. ‘It’s built for a family – in particular, a family that loves style. (And understands unique real estate!)’
That word again: unique. So, what sets this property apart from the rest – and why is it already making such a splash?
‘I love the fact that it’s built around an open pool on the north side. The new owners will forever be able to enjoy all the areas that lead onto the pool, while savouring that northern light.
‘The home’s sweeping circular drive is another rare, beautiful feature. And there aren’t many homes that channel that Spanish Mission style quite as well as this one.
‘It’s the sum of all those elements – the solid structure, design features, size, land, and driveway – that is generating so much excitement ahead of auction day. I’m excited, too!’