Heiress who bought Coca-Cola boss’ house for $8m to resell for $20m

Luciana Ravazzotti Langenhoven, the daughter of South African rich-lister Giovanni Ravazzotti, and her husband Pierre Langenhoven, have put their Belrose home on the market with a price guide of about $20 million, local sources have revealed.

The couple purchased the six-bedroom, six-bathroom estate with pool for $8 million in 2020 from the late Dean Wills, the former chief executive of Coca-Cola Amatil, records show, and embarked on a significant renovation, redoing the country-style kitchen, updating the floors, fireplaces and interiors.

Wills was also a former chairman of publishing company Fairfax and a board member at Westfield and Transfield. His wife, the late Margaret Wills, was an acclaimed artist. They bought the Belrose house for $2.55 million in 1994.

A stately double-brick and concrete residence lies behind a gated entrance and the multiple terraces and verandahs offer idyllic district views.

Leisure zones include the pool and spa, tennis court, media and games room, wine room and gym.

There is also an art room with a safe and an eight-car garage.

Just a few months after the Langenhovens bought the abode from the Wills family, they sold their five-bedroom, four-bathroom home in Seaforth for $7.5 million.

Giovanni is one of South Africa’s richest men and had a reported wealth of about $462 million in 2015, according to Forbes. He founded pastoral company Rallen Pty Ltd, based in Vereeniging, South Africa, and is the founder of tiler and bathware retailer Italtile.

Luciana is the executive director of Rallen Australia, a subsidiary of Rallen Pty Ltd, the deputy chairperson of Italtile and a non-executive director of Ceramic Industries Ltd. Pierre is the managing director of a flooring company and was a managing director of Itatile Australia.

In February 2020, the Ravazzotti family completed a $70 million purchase of two significant cattle farms in the Northern Territory, establishing them as major players in the beef sector.

Ken Jacobs of Forbes Global Properties holds the Belrose listing but declined to comment when contacted.

Birchgrove renovation project

A Victorian Italianate mansion in Birchgrove that was designed in 1888 by architect Edward Buchanan has undergone a stunning transformation and is now listed with a price guide of $12 million.

Martin Donnelly, a partner at investment organisation EQT, and his wife Maria, a senior portfolio manager at Aware Super, bought the property for $4.1 million in 2013, records show, and put the home through a major renovation.

Lead architect Andrew Benn of Benn + Penna, who worked alongside interior design firm Cassandra Walker Design, said the renovation took almost four years and was completed in 2025.

“The brief was to keep the integrity of the home, a fusion of old and new, with a French Provincial and cosmopolitan aesthetic,” Benn said.

“They were inspired by the lacework of the front verandahs, the cast iron steelwork, and this influenced the design with a fusion from home to garden.”

The five-bedroom, three-bathroom house, which is a finalist in the upcoming Grand Designs House of the Year Awards, occupies three levels and comes with a terrace, pool, cellar and gym.

Benn said restoration was needed for the internal plasterwork and timber, and marble fireplaces were either refreshed or replaced.

Interiors are luxurious, with a monochrome palette, herringbone oak floors, Carrara marble and steel-framed arches.

Matthew Hayson, Rita Lopresti and Rosemary Chen of CobdenHayson Balmain hold the listing.

Lower north shore penthouse for sale

A penthouse in St Leonards, with views the agent says are on par with Crown Residences, is being offered with a price guide of $12 million.

The four-bedroom, five-bathroom residence is owned by JQZ chairman Jianqiu Zhang. JQZ has successfully completed 7600 apartments, to date, dotted across Sydney including Waterloo, Zetland, Kogarah, Lidcombe, Homebush and Macquarie Park, according to its website.

Zhang has capitalised on his density push, having bought a Vaucluse mansion for $5.28 million in 2014 that he resold for $22.88 million in April last year.

He purchased the existing property on the site from barrister Rashelle Seiden and enlisted architect Bruce Stafford for the rebuild. It was advertised with six bedrooms, four bathrooms, a pool and uninterrupted Harbour Bridge views.

The St Leonards penthouse occupies two levels and has a double-height void similar to the penthouse at Sydney’s Crown.

PTW architects are behind the design, alongside interiors by Angus Henderson. Herringbone floors, a chocolate palette and marble adorn the interiors, and there is a study and three-car garage.

A wraparound terrace with expansive glass captures views from the Harbour Bridge to the Blue Mountains.

“This magnificent residence showcases panoramic views and the highest level of interior finishes in line with the likes of Crown Barangaroo and One Sydney Harbour,” The Agency’s co-founder Steven Chen, who holds the listing, said.

“It is truly an exceptional offering and value proposition for a custom penthouse.”