Property Of The Week: 99 Fernberg Road, Paddington, QLD

Located in the desirable suburb of Paddington comes this modern family home combining traditional cottage features with contemporary, free-flowing design.

The two-storey 4-bedroom, 2-bathroom, 1-car parking home sees an open plan living design on the first level. It’s here that the living, dining and kitchen area opens out – through bi-fold doors – to a large deck that is ideal for entertaining.

The opening of the bi-fold doors allows for streams of light, giving the home an airy presentation. Once outside, one finds the pool and beautifully landscaped gardens.

Timber, in the form of panelled walls and warm-toned flooring, dominates the aesthetic of the home, and helps keep some of its cottage charm. The use of timber is showcased heavily throughout the major living zones.

Other traditional features, such as the French doors and Venetian shutters all help the home retain some of its period look.

Upstairs sees a large master suite with lush outlook, views over Paddington and a large en-suite. An additional bedroom on the upper level is perfect for a nursery or study.

A further two bedrooms are found on the lower-level.

Paddington is a highly desirable Brisbane locale, with the home nearby to Rosalie Village, Paddington Woolworth’s, University of Queensland, Suncorp Stadium and the CBD via public transport.

The listing is headed to auction on June 5 and is managed by Glynis Austin (+61 403 333 013) of Glynis Austin Properties. Glynisaustin.com

Idaho is not a place that’s often associated with Medieval castles, but a pair have just hit the market for $6.25 million.

The imposing stone structures have towers, turrets, ramparts, arrow-slit windows and even a drawbridge, and might just be the most authentic-looking castles this side of the Atlantic.

“Who expects to see a castle like this in Idaho?” said listing agent Brenda Burk of Coldwell Banker Schneidmiller Realty, who brought the property to the market last week. They are, she said, “extremely unusual.”

Schweitzer Castle and Château de Melusine, as they’re known, stand within Schweitzer Mountain Resort in the Selkirk Mountains and overlook the nearby mountain resort town of Sandpoint. They take in panoramic views of Lake Pend Oreille, Idaho’s largest lake.

The pair of ski-in/ski-out homes each have three bedrooms, two bathrooms and three stories, Burk explained. They are “so authentic,” she said. “Every single stone was handlaid.”

Schweitzer Castle, she said, wasn’t built for “functionality,” but has been modernized and adapted and now has everything a 21st-century residence requires, along with a dungeon, which for some buyers may also be a requisite.

The chateau, meanwhile, has a hot tub room with mountain views, as well as a garage.

The property is being sold furnished, and will come complete with the hand-carved statues, armor, mounted swords, stained-glass windows and a host of antiques dating to the 15th and 16th centuries.

The owner, an antique collector who couldn’t be reached for comment, “is always looking for that hidden jewel and he found that here,” Burk said.

The next custodian is likely to stem from a varied pool of buyers, Burk said, that would include “the trophy-home buyer, someone who can say ‘I own a castle.’”

The property could also appeal to someone looking for a vacation home, or a multi-generational estate, and beyond that “there’s the dreamers,” she said. “We definitely try to market to people who like Medieval history or maybe do Renaissance fairs.”

The seller “really wants it to go to someone with the same passion.”

Property Of The Week: 99 Fernberg Road, Paddington, QLD

Classic charm and contemporary living in a hot Brisbane suburb.

The imposing stone structures, with towers, turrets and a hot tub room, lord over the landscape near the mountain resort town of Sandpoint.