Vintage reno:
a run-down Victorian home is transformed
For fashion store owner Lynn Clay, her home in Melbourne’s leafy Albert Park, which she shares with her husband, Geoff, is a tranquil escape. “We’ve lived here for just over three years and it still feels like I’m on holidays,” says Lynn. “Our street is so quiet, yet just around the corner there are buzzing cafes and restaurants, and the beach is only 10 minutes away.”
The couple purchased the home after falling in love with its original, vintage features. The house had been untouched for generations and was begging for some special attention
– a real renovator’s dream.
“The kitchen had an original Kookaburra gas cooker and there was no heating or indoor toilet,” says Lynn.“We fell for the simplicity of the property, with its beautiful leadlight windows in the entrance and the fact that all the beautiful original features were intact.”
Since moving in, the couple has made many changes to the twobedroom house, starting with replastering all the walls to make them completely smooth and free of cracks. “We painted the walls straight out of the tin without any tint – painters hate doing this, as you need many more coats,” she says. The tip was passed on by a interior design friend years ago. “The look is just fabulous and we love it.”
The renovations also included adding hydronic heating, removing the old carpet (and discovering glorious wide timber floorboards in the process), adding an internal bathroom and updating the kitchen. “We left the kitchen’s original walls and tiled it in subway tiles. An industrial sink was