This Converted Milk Bar + Reimagined Victorian Home Is For Sale!
On The Market
Since its renovation, the unique home has become known as Milk Bar House by Kennedy Nolan.
The charming restored entrance.
The original milk bar wall retains its old newspaper signage as a nostalgic touch.
What was once the milk bar entrance with now marks the side entrance of the home, complete with an awning.
Crazy paving lines the pathway to the central courtyard.
The spectacularly lush central garden!
Amanda Oliver Gardens designed the landscaping for the renovation.
The space blurs the lines between indoors and out.
The sweeping living room and kitchen.
A light-filled dining space.
The splashback of zellige-style tiles matches the soft green joinery in the kitchen.
Blackbutt timber adds warmth throughout.
Sliding doors frame views of the gardens.
Pops of terrazzo and textured tiles add personality in the bathroom.
A light-filled bedroom.
Before its striking architectural transformation, the corner block at 558 Rae Street, Fitzroy North was a classic milk bar with a late Victorian home attached as the owner’s residence.
It was unconventional, but the vendors — a young family of four — were taken with its potential after stumbling across the property in search of a place they could put their own ‘stamp’ on.
‘The block had quite a lot of space for the area, and we were able to see something in it,’ the owner adds.
After purchasing it from the original milk bar operators’ family, the couple engaged Kennedy Nolan in 2019 to reimagine the weatherboard and milk bar into a contemporary home fit for their growing family.
‘Milk bars hold a special place in the cultural mythology of Australia. Sadly, they are few and far between now but it would be a shame if they were completely forgotten,’ principal architect Patrick Kennedy says.
‘We were careful to retain the memory of a milk bar — including familiar elements such as the awning and the old newspaper signs [on the exterior].’
While the perimeter wall and Victorian were maintained, the rear of the house, the garage and milk bar interior were demolished to make way for the sweeping living room, sage-green tiled kitchen, accompanied by a surprisingly lush courtyard garden hidden in the centre.
The redesign draws inspiration from the Medina-style architecture famous in North Africa and the Arabian Peninsula; employing a series of walled spaces to create the feeling of an intimate sanctuary.
‘There are two gardens at Milk Bar house — the indigenous meadow that surrounds the heritage house, and the completely private oasis behind the high garden wall,’ Patrick adds.
‘We wanted the house to feel soft, nurturing, domestic and connected to nature at every turn.’
Across the interiors, shades of green enhance this calming atmosphere, as bagged masonry, polished concrete floors and earthy blackbutt timber add warmth to the sun-filled family rooms.
There’s even a thriving productive garden with vegetable garden beds and an oversized carport at the rear.
And beyond its playful backstory and architectural appeal, the East Brunswick Village shops, Merri Creek trail, and local schools are all within walking distance — making this a truly idyllic inner-city abode!
558 Rae Street, Fitzroy North, VIC 3068 is listed for sale with Mark Verrocchi from Nelson Alexander Ivanhoe and will go to auction on Saturday 21 February at 11:30am.