Birchgrove Lace, a reimagined Victorian Italianate manor

One of Birchgrove's finest, Oliveto is a grand Victorian Italianate mansion originally designed in 1888 by Edward Buchanan, the architect of Balmain Town Hall and a key civic figure in the peninsula's history. One of just four landmark residences fronting Birchgrove Park, the three-storey home commands a rare park-side setting that speaks to both its heritage importance and enduring presence. Reimagined in 2025 through a meticulous collaboration between Benn + Penna and Cassandra Walker Design, the home has been transformed with exceptional sensitivity and architectural clarity. Original grandeur is honoured while a dramatic new double-height atrium introduces light, volume and contemporary expression while a landscaped garden and resort-style pool make for easy entertaining. A refined monochrome palette, layered materiality and bespoke craftsmanship create interiors of depth and sophistication, balancing moments of theatre with spaces for retreat. Recognised with a Inner West Built Environment Award, Oliveto stands as a rare fusion of history, design excellence and modern family living in one of Sydney's most tightly held harbour enclaves. • 11m frontage to Birchgrove Park with a sunny NE aspect • Grand proportions, herringbone Oak floors, soaring ceilings • 4 large bedrooms with custom built-ins and a home office • Parents' wing with an ensuite, dressing room and balcony • Magnificent formal rooms, family lounge, custom joinery • Marble fireplaces, Simple Studios curtains, Broadleaf joinery • Carrara marble island kitchen, Wolf and Sub Zero appliances • Stunning dining/entertainer's atrium, steel-framed arches • Landscaped garden with a bbq terrace and heated pool • Lower level guest suite with separate entry, kitchenette • Home gym/wellness, cellar with custom joinery and marble • Luxurious marble-finished bathrooms, Brodware tapware • Powder room with microcement walls, high-end lighting • Garage with internal access, double pkg, zoned air • 2026 Finalist in Grand Design Awards • Highly commended in the Inner West Built Environment Awards • Opposite Birchgrove Playground and Gladstones Store • 500m to Birchgrove Public School, 850m to the ferry wharf