Leichhardt home listed with shipping container in living area

Boxing clever: 58 Excelsior Rd, Leichhardt is for sale with a guide of $5.5m.

These homeowners have taken thinking outside the box to a whole new level.

A residential home with a giant shipping container in the middle of the living space has been turning heads after being listed for sale in one of Sydney’s most unusual real estate deals.

The property within inner west suburb Leichhardt – originally used as a furniture factory in the 1920s before being converted into a residence in the 2000s – had last traded in 2015 for $2.31 million, records showed.

It’s now listed with a guide of $5.5 million.

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A living space within a living space: the inside of the container, which sits within the home’s open plan zone.

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The shipping container was installed by the previous owner, an architect, who reportedly used it as an office.

The warehouse underwent a sweeping renovation in 2018 by high end interior designers Hare and Klein, who were tasked with updating the home while still maintaining an industrial aesthetic.

Current owner Jie Howells and husband Gary were faced with a key dilemma: whether to keep the unusual container within the home or have it stripped out. They decided to preserve it and paint it.

The shipping container is a key feature of the home. It sits between the entry way and an open room listed as the “sitting area”. The top of the corrugated iron structure can be accessed via a ladder.

Ms Howells told selling agency Ray White that the indoor shipping container had served various purposes during their time at the house.

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The orange shipping container is one of the first things that greets visitors upon entry.

“We used it as a kid’s playroom when our son Harry was young and as a bedroom when we have guests,” she said.

“The shipping container can be used as a meeting room for business, a sitting room, an office, and of course storage.”

Ms Howells, who has been running a business from the property, said the shipping container was an “integral part” of the warehouse and was “versatile”.

“It is a blank canvas, its use is only limited by one’s imagination,” she said.

“It can be converted to a wine cellar, an artist studio, a meditation room, a home gym, or a home theatre.

“Over the past 10 years, we have received many suggestions for this shipping container – a swimming pool, a bar, a recording studio and even a hydroponic tomato farm.”

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The up-market home has a price guide of $5.5m.

Ms Howells explained that the home was “raw but with great bones” when they bought it. Her family had lived in the home comfortably for three years before embarking on the renovation.

“Our brief was to retain the industrial heritage and majesty, but make it a special family home and add some designer opulence,” she said. “We used a light touch approach and retained most of its industrial charm.”

The Excelsior St warehouse is being marketed by Ray White Touma Taylor selling agent Walter Burfitt-Williams.

He explained that the shipping container was a key talking point among those interested in the property.

“Everyone has an opinion, he said. “People with kids love it. It would make an amazing cubby house … But a shipping container is not going to be for everyone. You can have it removed.”

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The 1920-built property was originally a furniture warehouse.

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Mr Burfitt-Williams said the double-storey three-bathroom, three-bedroom property would suit a young family, a professional couple, or even downsizers looking for something “hip and groovy”.

“It’s a quirky and a different type of property, which has been superbly transformed into a family home,” Mr Burfitt-Williams said.

The property has soaring original ceilings fitted with an array of skylights, numerous expansive living spaces and a statement dining room. The floors are a mix of polished concrete and timber.

There is also a courtyard with multiple sitting areas, and a century-old chimney.

Ms Howells said living in the warehouse for the past 10 years was a “pleasant memory”.

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