The 3m-tall horse sculpture at 9 Barkly St, Glenlyon, near Daylesford.
A house near Daylesford with striking features including a 3m-tall horse sculpture and 3D-style tiles is saddling up for a $1.3m-$1.4m sale.
The newly-built home in Glenlyon, about 11km from Daylesford, also showcases a cantilevered kitchen island bench, green rural views from its 4078sq m block and a covered outdoor entertainers’ area.
The four-bedroom residence at 9 Barkly St was built by Melbourne-based IT professional Shyam Avatapalli who does property development on the side.
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Mr Avatapalli commissioned an artist based in Indonesia to craft the silver-coloured equine statue which weighs about 150kg and stands in the Glenlyon house’s garden.
It was made from thousands of tiny steel tubes welded together with small gaps in between, so air and wind can move through.
“I had the idea to put the horse in when I started the project, it’s an important feature,” Mr Avatapalli said.
It was based on a concept he originally came up with for a previous development, adjusted from the initial idea of a Pegasus-like figurine with two wings.
In addition to equestrian sports being popular in Australian regional and rural areas such as Daylesford, Mr Avatapalli said it was a bonus that it was currently the Chinese zodiac Year of the Horse.
Developer Shyam Avatapalli with the 3m-tall horse sculpture that he imported from Indonesia.
The Glenlyon house’s kitchen is fitted with a cantilevered island bench and a butler’s pantry.
The horse sculpture is made from thousands of tiny steel tubes.
Along with the crate which the sculpture was shipped to Australia in, the combined package weighed about 500kg to 600kg, requiring several people to help lift the artwork into its final resting place.
Another creative aspect of the home is the colourful feature walls behind toilets in two separate water closets.
The walls are covered in 3D tiles depicting Pop Art-esque cartoons of film star Audrey Hepburn, the Superman logo and a green creature who looks somewhat like a Sesame Street character, among other pictures.
He said the inspiration behind the tiles was Daylesford’s vibrant arts scene.
“That kind of art is very popular in the town, if you go to shops in Daylesford, quite a few of these have similar art pictures,” Mr Avatapalli said.
Mr Avatapalli said that apart from an owner-occupier, the house could also suit an investor who would like to use it as short-term rental accommodation while not staying there themselves.
Colourful 3D tiles behind one of the toilets.
One of two bathrooms in the home.
He also has cantilevered island benches installed in the kitchen of every home that he develops.
“It’s a very important feature in the house to me, it can create a very big impact when you walk into the house,” Mr Avatapalli said.
His own Donvale house has a cantilevered island bench in the kitchen, with the room named a finalist in the 2022 Master Builders Awards.
That bench is about 4.1m wide and slants downwards at one end.
“The island in every house that I build has to be different, that’s the vision,” he said.
Glenlyon recorded a population of less than 500 people in the 2021 Australian Bureau of Statistics census.
The living and dining area opens to a covered entertainers’ owner.
Mr Avatapalli said he enjoyed developing unique luxury properties with his future projects slated to include a Renaissance art-inspired home that’s in Daylesford, plus an Egyptian-themed house.
The Glenlyon abode, which took about 10 months to build, features an open-plan living and dining domain, a butler’s pantry in the kitchen, and a main bedroom with a walk-in wardrobe and ensuite.
Other highlights include a laundry, double garage and zoned reverse-cycle heating and cooling.
Shyam Avatapalli at his Donvale house, in the kitchen that was a finalist in the 2022 Master Builders Awards.
The Donvale house that Mr Avatapalli calls home.
McQueen Real Estate director Kim McQueen said she had never before listed a house with its very own horse sculpture, although she has listed several artistic homes.
“The horse is a fantastic feature, it’s very unique,” Ms McQueen said.
She noted the home would suit families with children and people seeking a tree-change, thanks to its rural vistas and location near the well-known Glenlyon General Store, Loddon River walking trails and Glenlyon Recreation Reserve.
“Glenlyon is a beautiful village, there’s a lot of new land that’s opened up there and lots of new homes are being built on big blocks,” Ms McQueen added.
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