30 Ashgrove Avenue at Runaway Bay will be auctioned March 23. Pic: Supplied
WHAT do Alice in Wonderland, ancient pyramids and an Indian rubbish tip have in common?
They all played a part in the creation of a stunning Runaway Bay home which will go to auction next weekend.
Culture vulture Darren Fletcher was so inspired by countries he had travelled he brought bespoke features, definitive styles and intimate worldly details to 30 Ashgrove Avenue.
The reflections of his travels are bold, extremely personal and inventive and create a point of difference to a once rundown shack in the heart of the Gold Coast.
The renovated house is a life-size walk through Mr Fletcher's travel journal stopping at Egypt, India, Nepal, Thailand and Australia as well as Alice's fictional setting of Wonderland.
An interior wall imitates the effect of soft limestone blocks that line the ancient walls of Egypt's Great Pyramid of Cheops -- the oldest of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World and a sacred site Mr Fletcher visited just days after the 1997 Luxor massacre.
While in Jaipur he salvaged centuries-old antique doors from a rubbish pile and paid a local Indian man to have the ornately carved wooden doors with pressed metal features dispatched to Australia.
The unstructured look of Kathmandu's market stalls are captured on the northern facade through disparate roof elevations and a multi-dimensional facade and there is a touch of Thailand in the landscaping with tiger grass and frangipani providing a tropical influence.
An Asian cafe-style theme is depicted in an intimate alfresco space, painted timber-panelled walls depict Australia's classic beach shack characteristic and expressive frames surround internal windows for a quirky take on Alice in Wonderland.
The four-bedroom residence of solid brick construction also features modern conveniences including a pyrolytic oven, induction cooktop, Caesarstone surfaces, a bio ethanol fireplace and solar hot water.
It is being marketed by Steve and James Weir of Harcourts Coastal and will go to auction on March 23.
For more information refer to the house hunt in today's Weekend's Bulletin Real Estate guide on page 77.
