12 Norwood Avenue, Brighton Simone Callahan selling up Photo: Nick Johnstone Real Estate - Shane Warne buys his old Brighton house back
- Inside Warnie’s new (old) pad
- Shane Warne sells another Brighton home
The Shane Warne-Simone Callahan Brighton property roundabout has cranked up again with the listing of the luxury Mediterranean-style house that the cricket legend’s former wife has called home for just under three years.
The couple has traded many a multimillion-dollar mansion in the elite precinct, individually and together, clearly rating highly its exclusive tree-lined streets of quality residences, proximity to the beach and access to good schools for their three teenage children.
Former model Simone Callahan hasn’t been idle in the time she’s enjoyed the two-storey property with pool at 12 Norwood Avenue, Brighton. Impressive as it was in July 2014 when she paid $2,615,000, according to land titles, Ms Callahan has since completed major renovations which included reconfiguring the living areas, redoing the kitchen and bathrooms, laying wide-board French oak flooring, painting and converting part of the over-sized garage into an en-suited bedroom as a teen retreat or guest suite.
12 Norwood Avenue, Brighton Simone Callahan selling up Photo: Nick Johnstone Real Estate
She also turned a backyard cabana/solarium into a glass-domed yoga room with adjoining powder room — a big selling point, considering Ms Callahan has attributed her fitness and physique to yoga practice.
The private-sale price guide for Autun, a five-bedroom, four-bathroom house with formal and informal living rooms, is about $4 million, according to leading bayside agent Nick Johnstone. He said it would be “great value” at that price and it had created a stir of interest immediately it was listed.
Mr Johnstone declined to comment on Ms Callahan’s reasons for selling but was happy to praise the elegance and spaciousness of the upscaled property. “It’s just a beautiful home, and six doors from the beach,” he said. “The fixtures and fittings are all excellent, it flows through to the outdoor area perfectly, and it’s beautifully finished.”
12 Norwood Avenue, Brighton Simone Callahan selling up Photo: Nick Johnstone Real Estate
A 10-minute stroll from the cafes and boutique shops of buzzy Church Street, the cul de sac between the railway line and The Esplanade is private and neighbourly. Brighton’s pretty bathing boxes are at the nearby beach, where Callahan was snapped paddle-boarding with style in the shallows over summer, looking fit and tanned.
Back home, the pool has been the summertime centre of attention, along with the new covered alfresco barbecue and dining spot that has direct access to the family room. Adjusting internal walls has flipped the emphasis from formal to casual living, so that almost the entire rear width of the house is an open-plan living/dining and kitchen with French doors, including half a dozen forming a semi-circle, to the paved terrace.
And for stylish entertaining, the kitchen has gained Miele appliances and Calacatta marble surfaces as well as a walk-in pantry.