Upside down picket fence interiors sells Thornbury cottage

Avery Green, the quizzical Thornbury cottage was sold by the RMIT associate professor of architecture and design Pia Ednie-Brown for a stellar $972,000 at weekend auction.

Renovated and extended last year, Jellis Craig had the two-bedroom 1895 house on 228 sqm offered with price hopes of $870,000-plus.

The bidding on 6 Martin Street began at $850,000 and it was sold to the opening bidders after being announced on the market at $970,000.

Pia Ednie-Brown says she came to know her home of six years “as a person,” even more so as she renovated.

There's now an inside garden next to the kitchen sink, inspired by the wintergardens of the Victorian era. That upside-down picket fence wont be everyone's idea as a ceiling feature in the kitchen. But inspectees loved the tidy backyard with round concrete pavers. 

The property cost $345,000 in 2006, when last listed with $330,000 plus hopes. 

“My hope is that fostering a sense of personal relationship with the buildings we inhabit will also encourage deeper awareness, care and respect for our environments,” Ms Ednie-Brown said on averygreen.org.

"A house becomes part of a family whether ‘owned' or rented – by moving in you enter into a relationship with it," she said.

Avery's Victorian elegance is sprinkled with 1950's art deco and lavished with a contemporary twist, the marketing advised.