This Mid-Century House (With A David Hockney-Inspired Pool) Is For Sale
On The Market
Inside the living room at 9 Magdalen Street, Pascoe Vale South.
Artwork by Georgie Peach Wolfgang.
Pastel blue adds a retro edge to the kitchen.
The upstairs entry.
The sliding doors open onto the treetop terrace.
Downstairs features a retreat, study, and the main bedroom.
One of the children’s rooms upstairs.
Accessories from House of Orange.
Wild Urban Green helped rework the gardens, adding new pathways and native plants.
A pink door adds a playful touch.
The incredible alfresco area overlooks the pool — featuring hand-painted detailing in the style of famous artist David Hockney!
Mid-century homes like the one at 9 Magdalen Street, Pascoe Vale South are a bit of a rarity.
Not only has the house itself been beautifully revamped by the most recent custodians, but the gardens and spectacular heated swimming pool of the leafy 706-square-metre block make living there feel like an everlasting holiday.
It was the treetop balcony and the outlook across local parklands that instantly caught the eye of BY R.A interior designer Mary Pham and her partner Jono.
In fact, she discovered the property was for sale right here on TDF! ‘It was after I just gave birth to our third child, Charlie Rose, and of course, was scrolling through The Design Files while breastfeeding in the middle of the night,’ Mary says.
‘When we first walked through the property, we knew straight away that we wanted to turn the downstairs into a main bedroom retreat with a sitting room. We trialled it as a sleeping zone and it was just magical waking up to the greenery.’
With the main bedroom and study now on the ground floor, the floorplan makes the most of the serene views across the pool — which has also been resurfaced to maintain the David Hockney-style painted details that were installed by the previous owners!
The new ensuite bathroom is lined with taupe-toned tiles, with a curved bench seat in the shower inspired by experiences at some of Melbourne’s incredible bathhouses.
Upstairs, the redesign took cues from the house’s prior renovations with further expressive splashes of colour. In the kitchen, the existing duck egg-blue joinery influenced the blue mosaic on the splashback, while large bi-fold doors open the living spaces to the treetop deck.
Each of the three children’s bedrooms reveals distinctive painted walls, ranging from a dusty rose to a muted mustard accent.
‘The biggest challenge wasn’t the execution; it was getting the colours across the line in my mind and with Jono, my partner,’ Mary notes.
The result is a house that exudes personality, with the inimitable character you can only find in mid-century gems. And while Mary and her family have loved living at the Pascoe Vale South property, they’ve now listed the home in hopes of moving closer to family.
But they’ll always cherish their memories of the magical gardens: ‘The sunsets, the light here is something else,’ Mary and Jono say.
‘We felt incredibly lucky to have been able to live in such a magical home so close to Melbourne CBD, while still feeling completely immersed in nature.’
9 Magdalen Street, Pascoe Vale South, VIC, 3044 is listed for private sale with Michelle Portelli and Cody Bettanin at Nelson Alexander. Expressions of interest close June 23.