Canberra home with underground cinema, at Dirrawan Gardens in Reid, for sale

Behind the cottage facade - all that remains of the original house - is a grand home, complete with its own underground cinema inspired by the movie palaces of times past.

It's the vision of owners Steven Gerakiteys and Ara Nalbandian, who bought the home in the early 2000s.

Over eight and a half years, the pair designed and built the home around their vast collection of art, film posters and sculptures - and love of movies.

"My passion is movies but it's also movie palaces of the past and I mourn that they've all gone," Mr Gerakiteys said.

"I've built my own theatre and just love it."

Their home, in the coveted Dirrawan Gardens in Reid, is for sale with a price guide of $3.2 million-plus.

On paper, the house is marketed as having three bedrooms, three bathrooms and a five-car garage, all on a 1372-square-metre block.

But walking through, with its hand-cut parquetry flooring underfoot, the home unfolds as a maze of interconnecting rooms.

There is a formal dining room, kitchen, sitting areas and storage rooms in one wing, and bedrooms, bathrooms and a large sitting room with a marble fireplace in the other.

It was all intentional and designed to house an ever-changing collection of posters, Mr Gerakiteys said.

"That's why it's not open plan; I maximised every wall I could for the posters," he said.

That's only one half of the house. The rest was carved out underneath the original floor level, to create the home theatre most people could only dream of.

A travertine staircase with a wrought iron balustrade leads down to a grand atrium space, and another couple of steps takes you down into the cinema.

You're greeted with a red, patterned carpet that's customary of all good cinemas.

On one side of the room is a pre-screening lounge and film room with floor-to-ceiling storage.

On the other, tiered recliner seating, a five-metre-wide curved projector screen and surround sound system.

Selling agent Stephen Bunday from LJ Hooker Dickson said he has never seen a home like it in his 27 years of working in real estate.

"It's kind of like a living, breathing work of art," he said.

The home has already garnered strong interest, both from interested buyers and those more interested in a stickybeak.

MORE PROPERTY NEWS:

Upon entry to inspect the home, buyers are handed a movie ticket-style flyer - their admission to the property.

Mr Bunday said the house would appeal to someone who can appreciate its grandeur and high-quality craftmanship.

He thinks an interstate buyer might be the right fit.

"Somebody who wants a showpiece, somebody who really appreciates the finer things in life and can make it work for them," he said.

The doors will swing open again on Saturday morning for an open home inspection, which is expected to draw yet another crowd of curious Canberrans - and hopefully the next owner.

We've made it a whole lot easier for you to have your say. Our new comment platform requires only one log-in to access articles and to join the discussion on The Canberra Times website. Find out how to register so you can enjoy civil, friendly and engaging discussions. See our moderation policy here.