Living Room Greenery was the key to success at this magnificent Melbourne property.
At this 1920s home in Melbourne, rethinking the layout enhanced the serenity too.
Amid-1920s home with north-facing garden on a leafy street in a sought-after suburb in inner Melbourne – this property seemingly has it all. It is indeed a dream home now, but the owner admits it didn’t exactly sweep her off her feet. The two-storey house had undergone a series of makeovers in the 1980s and ’90s, resulting in a floor plan that was spatially inefficient and turned its back on the garden. “I recognised the home’s potential,” says the owner. “It had a real retreat feel about it.”
While all the original rooms remained intact architecturally, less than half had the hallmarks of their 1925/26 heritage. Only two – a sitting room and, directly above, one of the bedrooms – could make a claim to having that between-the-wars character.
“The house was just a series of rooms that didn’t connect to each other or to the garden,” says architect Olena MacCallum, director of private homes at Bayley Ward, who worked with the firm’s co-founding director, NickBayley,interiordesignerAdeleBatesandlandscape designer Daniel Tyrrell on the project.
The garden and the owner’s desire for a pool played a significant role in the design revamp. The entrance was relocated to the eastern side of the home and a suitably impressive entry hall created from what was the formal dining room. To the left of the entrance, the original sitting room was converted into an elegant study. To the right, the existing kitchen/family room, a bedroom, laundry and bathroom made way for a spectacular glass-walled open-plan kitchen (with butler’s pantry), dining and living area that opens directly to the verdant garden and new pool. “We wanted to bring the dining area as far into the garden as possible but we also had to be mindful of protecting the space from the hot northerly sun,” says Olena. A skylight spans the width of the living/dining area, further enhancing the home’s connection with the garden.
On the first floor, the layout was flipped so the main bedroom – now at the rear – gained garden views. Better use of space allowed the creation of a walk-in wardrobe and ensuite for the main bedroom too. Since the owner generally uses the other bedrooms as guestrooms, it made sense to reduce the size of one to allow for a more luxurious main bathroom, says Olena.
Inside, one of the main challenges was combining the heritage architecture with the contemporary elements. “It’s a fine balance,” says Adele. In the kitchen, a concrete island bench is teamed with white joinery and white subway tiles; the restrained palette allows the design – and the surroundings – to shine. Elsewhere, the owner was keen to use a vibrant abstract fabric for one of her favourite armchairs. When she discovered the graphic collection of fabrics and wallcoverings from Schumacher, she just had to have some for one of the bedrooms. Today, the interior looks fresh yet timeless and showcases the owner’s personality beautifully.
Outside, Daniel’s key task was to ‘edit’ the garden. “It was already mature and quite lush, so my role was mostly to decide what to keep and what to add to complement the plants that remained,” he says. Plantings include slender weaver’s bamboo, striking jewel-toned Loropetalum chinense ‘Plum Delight’ and deciduous Boston ivy, delivering colour at every corner, year round.
It took time for everything to come together, but for the owner, it was absolutely worth the wait. She very much enjoyed working with the design team and the result speaks for itself.
“Sunlight is filtered by the trees, which gives the light inside the home a lovely softness.” Owner
“The pool was a must. I knew my whole family would love it, especially the grandchildren.” Owner