The Brisbane doctor found the house almost by chance when he spotted it in a newspaper advertisement. While not looking at the time, Mr Hawes said he loved the architecture and location and was eager to make it his own.
“We hardly ever go to McDonalds but for some reason we were there that day and I saw a ragged newspaper in the corner, picked it up and opened it up to the real estate section and that was that,” he said.
“The house really intrigued me, I was drawn to the arched window and living on the river near to the city was attractive so I made it my ambition to buy the house and had a viewing that same day.”
After purchasing the property, he bought in well-known Brisbane designer John Croft to help him restyle and renovate the massive mansion. The result was an eclectic look keeping with Mr Croft’s signature extravagant style.
But in 2018, Mr Hawes brought the renowned designer back to re-envision the home with a more minimalistic style as well as overseeing another enormous two year long renovation project.
“When I first bought it, I wanted a bold style which was impressive in the early 2000s but with the recent renovations we decided to pare it back,” the Virginia Avenue seller said.
“We decided to paint the inside and outside and replaced 1000sqm of tiling with European limestone, which was a major undertaking.
“The house had a complete colour change with every internal wall and the entire outside being brought up to date with the latest colour palette.
“John Croft came back and while he is famous for his wild and bold colours, he changed direction and recommended we use neutral colours like Charcoal and Whisper White.” | 
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