Frank and Sharon Van Haandel list renovated Toorak manor
Hospitality veterans Frank and Sharon Van Haandel are selling their contemporary Toorak home – asking between $11.2-$12 million – and downsizing.
The pair paid catering entrepreneur Peter Rowland $8.65 million for 7 Ottawa Road in March, 2017.
It has since undergone a major renovation, with interiors by Fiona Lynch.
The 18th century French Provincial-style residence has an unusual floor-plan, with the entrance hall at the centre of a formal lounge and dining area, which can be laid out as a banquet hall.
The front door is accessed via a large front garden and row of Red Oak trees which change colour with the season.
With another living and meals area on the ground floor, the upper storey contains three bedrooms, a study and several bathrooms.
A basement eight car garage is accessed via a unique trapdoor built into the driveway (see image, right).
The dwelling sits on a 743 square metre block near the top of the court, which is accessed off Albany Road – the street often touted as Melbourne’s most exclusive.
It also includes a heated swimming pool, at the rear.
Kay & Burton’s Michael Gibson said demand for new and newly renovated Toorak homes has been high this year.
The agent is marketing 7 Ottawa Road with colleagues Robert Fletcher and Robyn Feigen.
In September, architect Christopher Doyle sold a fully renovated contemporary home at 1 Torresdale Court for about $8.5 million – two weeks after it hit the market with a guide price of about $8 million.
Prestige home builder Glenn Eagles banked $9 million selling a mini-manor at 3 Stonnington Place to a Toorak family looking to downsize.
An Aristacan home at 4 Cloverdale Avenue traded for $7.6 million earlier this year.
With the listing of 7 Ottawa Road, the Van Haandels – who run St Kilda’s recently reopened Stokehouse restaurant – are downsizing in Melbourne for the second time.
It is understood the pair are looking at a smaller home in Melbourne and a holiday home on the Sunshine Coast, nearer to their Q Restaurant, in Brisbane
In late 2016, following an off-market campaign, the couple sold their substantial mansion in South Yarra’s Como precinct to former Swisse Wellness chief executive Radek Sali and his wife Helen, for $12.3 million.
The Van Haandels acquired 7 Ottawa Road following a campaign initially seeking $10 million.
