Notebook

Approaching 27 Musgrave Street, Yarralumla, it’s difficult to imagine that previously the site contained a 1950s red brick, single storey duplex. Today, the striking appearance of the structure provides little indication of its previous iteration. It’s very clear that the entire site has been completely transformed.

Delving into its history, I learned that Canberra architect, Phillip Leeson, was called upon to reimagine and design the Musgrave House. The brief called for a simple, private, and uncluttered house that masterfully utilises natural light – a stark contrast to the property’s roots.

Phillip said that prior to its resurrection, the original house received virtually no sunlight, except for early in the morning and late in the afternoon. Now, all living areas face due north, maximising penetration of the winter sun and craftily dampening Canberra’s intense summer.

Expertly constructed by Sutton and Horsley, the home’s structure is boldly expressed as two, sculpted elements connected by a timber-lined link.

We are super excited to announce that our little real estate business has won big at the recent Real Estate Awards.

home.byholly comes home with just a few trophies —

REIACT Medium Residential Agency of the Year
REIACT Auctioneer Franchise of the Year
REIACT Novice Auctioneer of the Year
REIA National Awards for Excellence Achievement Award

It is such a nice feeling to be acknowledged by our peers!

“From the beginning, hbh set out to do things differently, so to be rewarded by the people who work within the industry is very gratifying. It inspires all of us here at hbh…to stay true to our mission; connecting people with homes and community in innovative ways and most of all, to work from the heart.” Holly

Judged by industry members, the REI awards go deep — prowling the process, innovation, hard work and philosophy behind the stats.

We all know the saying ‘home is where the heart is’—and for most of us ‘home’ means our house. However, in Holly Komorowski’s case, that saying rings true for a much broader definition.

Since launching six years ago, Holly and her team of 19 staff provided real estate services to Canberra and the region from their office in Braddon; originally a house, it was repurposed into a cosy working space filled with classic mid-century-inspired furniture. Instead of exuding a corporate style, the living space, separated rooms and the kitchen were very homely and made visitors feel at ease—as if they were seeing friends to discuss their property needs. This type of warm experience reflected the agency team’s genuine personal connections with their clients, giving home by holly a real point of difference.

But by the end of 2021, Holly’s team had outgrown its home and needed to find a new place to call ‘office’.

As far as team-bonding office perks go, Friday night drinks are a bit blasé. Fruit bowls and hampers are so last decade. And no one really needs a foosball table in their communal area.

But well considered, desirable, effective initiatives that not only keep staff happy but also healthy are proving to be a winning strategy for home.byholly.

Founder Holly Komorowski is known for her love of fitness, never shying away from a physical challenge or a competitive pursuit. So when it came to devising a program of staff bonding, her passion led the way.

Five years ago, Holly began offering her team optional team building CrossFit classes at the CrossFit2600 gym in Kingston. “It was important to show my team that you need to step away from the desk, turn off the phone, and embrace your competitive spirit!” she laughed.

Every now and then, a home comes along that’s anything but typical.

The Bolt house on Gidabal Street in Aranda, with its quintessentially modernist exterior, is an unassuming presence, abound with possibility. Nestled elegantly on an elevated block, the property’s roots are firmly grounded as one of Canberra’s most distinctive homes.

Designed by iconic mid-century modern architect Dirk Bolt and constructed in 1967, this home was one of many freestanding dwellings designed in the 6 years Bolt lived in Canberra.

Bolt’s stunning designs find the desirable middle ground between extremes and often create an effortless flow between contrasting materials and spaces, and this Aranda home is no exception.

Originally, designed for a public servant who was set to move to Canberra but who never actually arrived, the Aranda home was purchased by Anne Willsford in 1984. Anne’s appreciation for modernist design and love for the area meant she would occupy the home for the next 37 years.

Home.byholly are in the business of connecting humans with homes, and we love it.  We love all homes, no matter the build, the vintage, the new or the old, we love finding ways to showcase each property’s story, creating narratives that are unique and empathetic.

Not surprising, each of us at hbh has a personal passion for mid-century homes in particular. These interests have endured for all our lives, and continue to be a personal topic of conversation around the table at the coffee shop. If you’ve watched any of our at home videos, you would have spotted that each of us covet and collect unique pieces of furniture, artwork, lighting and collectables. Actually, you have probably never met a group of people more collectively excited about a room full of 70’s wallpaper, or an original cast-iron balustrade.

The genuine excitement is obviously when we arrive to appraise a home and see its butterfly roof, an atrium, exposed beams, yellow kitchen benchtops, bold decorative bathroom tile, etched glass cavity sliders, the list goes on.

The picturesque mountains that frame Canberra make the garden city unique, and they have inspired a new way of thinking for one real estate agency.

Most property consultants service their own territory or local ‘patch’, but home.by holly is taking a different approach, defining each agent’s specialist area by the city’s five iconic mountains.

HBH principal Holly Komorowski specialises in the Mount Ainslie Region, taking in the suburbs of Ainslie, Campbell, Braddon and Reid that are overlooked by the magnificent mountain.

Other HBH agents are closely connected to their areas around the Black Mountain Region, Mount Taylor Region, Mount Majura Region and the Mount Painter Region.

Ms Komorowski says 2020 was a “year of change” for everybody, including her agency.

“Changes in the way we worked during 2020 triggered this exciting new concept,” she said.

I have a lot of buyers following me on social, and the most frequently asked question I receive is how to buy at auction.

I can understand why; auctions are an emotional event! Even though I sell the majority of my properties at auction, when I was looking to buy my first home and had to bid at an auction, I was a nervous wreck! I know that emotional buyers tend to push their budget, and yet there I was with that same surge of adrenaline, bidding from my heart, not my brain! In case you were wondering, I was not the winning bidder, and the post-auction depression kicked in hard.

However, there are a lot of reasons why I prefer to buy at auction.

Most real estate in Canberra is sold via auction. If you choose to avoid auction properties, you could be missing out on some of the best homes in the market.