Starting Afresh
Six years in the making, this much-anticipated Melbourne renovation was executed with flair and passion, netting a treasured family home layered with gorgeous details.
Attracted to their home’s period details, a Melbourne couple went up and out in style.
After several years spent living in London and subsequently moving home to Melbourne, Jessica and Cameron Vallve were looking for just the right home for their growing family. In 2010 they discovered this Federation-era house in Melbourne’s inner-northern suburbs. They were impressed with its spacious rooms and original features, including fireplaces, mantelpieces and exterior fretwork. “It’s south facing, on the high side of the street, and also we loved the authentic stained glass in the front windows,” says Jessica.
The house had been in the same family for some 70 years. It went to auction in October 2010 – on the same day the Vallves were attending a wedding. “A good friend bid on it for us, and it was quite stressful
not being there!” says Jessica. “We moved in at the end of February 2011, when I was six months pregnant with our second child.” The single-storey house was perfectly live able; still, the interior was dark and dated, with heavy curtains, a cottage kitchen, peach-coloured ’80s bathroom, shoebox ensuite and, to top it off, the rear of the dwelling was a DIY renovation from the 1990s. “Right away, we took the old curtains down and installed blinds, and painted the kitchen white,” says Jessica.
But the couple would take their time embarking on a proper renovation. In 2016 they engaged architecture firm Nine Muses Design to refit the bones of the house. The facade and four original front rooms were to be kept, but everything else was to be knocked down and started again, with an upper storey added.
‘We wanted a functional family home that our young children could grow into. We were keen to have space for them to play, and room for us to retreat from the toys and chaos.’ Jessica Vallve, owner
For the interiors, Jessica and Cameron wanted a hybrid of what they had loved in London – high ceilings, plenty of cleanlined joinery, a medley of wallpapers – and a Hamptons-inspired style maximising light and airiness, all while retaining as many of the period features as possible. Jessica had seen the work of Melbourne interior-design firm Bloom in a magazine, and arranged to meet practice principal Terri Shannon and her team to discuss the interiors. “They immediately got the look and feel of what we wanted – we didn’t even speak to anyone else,” says Jessica. Bloom took charge of all the interior design, including joinery, fixtures, fittings, equipment selection and decorating. “We had a great time working with Jessica to select all the furniture, wall treatments and soft furnishings,” says Terri.
Now with three children in the fold – Charlotte is 10, Abigail, seven, and Xavier, two – they hired DSS Constructions to carry out the build. Work began in June 2017, and Jessica says the whole process was enjoyable for all. “It helped that I was on maternity leave after having Xavier. I had time to meet with the builders and the Bloom team as the house developed. We trusted both Terri and our builders. They really understood the look Bloom was trying to achieve and they were also excellent craftsmen – the attention to detail here is amazing.” Their tools were downed in February 2018.
‘Jessica and Cameron were receptive to pushing boundaries with colours and textures, which was very fulfilling.’ Terri Shannon, interior designer
From front verandah to back deck, the renovated home is everything they’ d hoped for. The main bedroom suite is at the front of the home, with a sitting room across the hall. Further up the hallway, which has been treated to period panelling, is Xavier’s nursery. A powder room and laundry come next, with french doors at the end of the hall leading to the airy openplan zone at the rear – kitchen one side, living room the other. Here there’s a study nook and a TV concealed behind joinery. The dining table is central, with easy access to the spacious north-facing deck – a suntrap year-round.
Materials help to deliver texture and colour; oak flooring in communal areas, Spanish subway tiles in the kitchen, patterned encaustic tiles in the bathrooms and neutral carpets in the bedrooms all work together beautifully. Ample soft furnishings and accessories provide enchanting decorative accents throughout. And storage is plentiful. This is a family home for the ages if ever there was one. Bloom, Williamstown, Victoria; (03) 9397 4343 or bloominteriordesign.com.au.
DECORATOR NOTES
This is a home where brave moves and bold flourishes have well and truly paid off. A beauitful example is Charlotte and Abigail’s bathroom. “Jessica was happy to go for the beautiful pink joinery, which I was so excited about,” says Terri. Pattern pops up throughout the home, helping to link each room. “We love all the little details,” adds Jessica, “especially the wallpaper, the pink Italian wall tiles and graphic floor tiles.”