Perth Voice Interactive

PERTH’S strangest, rarest and most beautiful buildings will be opened to the public this weekend for the third Open House Perth.

The project was a massive hit in its first two years, with many tours packed out and nearly 50,000 visits across the 56 locations in the first year.

Lisa and Clem Tay are opening their East Perth home for tours this year. They live in a converted warehouse on Saunders Street, in an old furniture factory called Boans. It’s a prime example of adaptive reuse whereby old buildings are reimagined for new purposes rather than demolished. Their shop is on the ground floor and they live in the storeys above.

“We were looking for a house when we moved back from Melbourne,” says Lisa, a one-time pharmacist who now sells rare homewares.

“And when we saw it was zoned for a shop as well we thought, why not have both?

“It was a joke at first,” she laughs, but they stuck to the idea and now love living in an old converted factory.

“We love it. It’s not for everyone, it’s not terribly kid-friendly with four levels and a spiral staircase, but with a young couple it’s very good.”

They got on board with the not-for-profit organisation Open House Perth after director Carly Barrett wandered through the place and asked if they’d let people into their curious home and shop.

The tours visit everything from humble houses to our tallest skyscrapers, with walks through 108 St Georges Terrace, the Bishops See Gardens, His Majesty’s Theatre and the new boutique Alex Hotel.

All tours are free but book on http://www.openhouseperth.net

by DAVID BELL