THIS IS THE LIFE
While Bridie and Justin’s home may be just a quick tram ride to the CBD, a relaxed haven unfolds beyond the front door. “It’s incredibly quiet here, but we’re also so close to our favourite cafes and lots of buzzing eateries,” says Bridie. “The parks are great for our beloved labrador Barkley and will be wonderful places to visit with our baby, Archer, as he grows up.
It’s the perfect location for our little family.”
Many renovations turn up the unexpected. But not every journey unveils such a sweet surprise as the one Melbourne homeowners Bridie and Justin uncovered: a magical view of the city skyline and, on clear nights, the moon, from the landing that leads to their new upstairs retreat. “Every time I walk up to our bedroom, I pause on the stairs for a few seconds to take it all in,” says Bridie. “It’s a very special view and a wonderful bonus of the renovation.” Certainly, though, the couple were confident they were in good hands when they engaged Mikayla Rose, principal designer and director of Heartly, and her team to reimagine their home. “The house, a singlefronted Edwardian brick cottage, sits on a 136-square-metre block in a narrow one-way street surrounded by cobbled laneways,” says Mikayla. “The home had been tidied up, with a lean-to added at some stage, but it was very tired. The walls seemed paper thin and it was very cold – very difficult to live in during winter. Bridie and Justin wanted to substantially renovate and extend the house.”
As well as improving its liveability, Bridie and Justin were keen to stamp their personality on the place. And that they definitely did. “We bought the house in 2014, just after we got married, and started thinking about the renovation a year or so later,” says Bridie. “We knew we
“W E WA N T E D T H E H O U S E TO BE AS LIGHT AND BRIGHT AS I T C O U L D P O S S I B LY B E .” Bridie, homeowner
could give it a new lease on life but really wanted to live in the house and get a good feel for it first.” After the design was finalised in 2019, building works commenced in May 2020 with Bridie, Justin and their rumbunctious labrador, Barkley, moving temporarily into a rental apartment nearby.
Just six months later, the transformation of the couple’s beloved home – one that delivers lashings of natural light and space – was complete. While the heritage rooms facing the street have been carefully restored to reflect the cottage’s architectural past, a luminous two-level addition that wraps around two north-facing courtyards ushers in a beguiling new chapter for the property.
“Bridie and Justin had a strong vision for the interior aesthetic, and we embraced that wholeheartedly,” says Mikayla. “We were very much on the same page, so they felt confident allowing us creative licence to come up with unique ideas within their broad brief. Together with the builder, Jordan Ames of ACS Builders, we really had a dream team working on the project.”
This home now puts every centimetre of this compact block to good use too. But perhaps best of all, this is a home in which comfort comes to the fore, one that adapts efficiently to the ever-changeable Melbourne climate. “The concrete slab of the extension and northern orientation of the windows creates thermal efficiency, which is boosted by doubleglazing with ‘thermally broken’ frames,” says Mikayla. “This type of frame is really important for double-glazing as it separates the glass from the surrounding material – often aluminium, which is a
“M A K I N G T H E M O ST O F T H E L I M I T E D S PAC E WA S PA R A M O U N T. E AC H A R E A N E E D E D TO B E S U P E R F U N C T I O N A L A N D H AV E A M P L E STO R AG E .” Mikayla Rose, interior designer
THE PALETTE OF GREY, WHITE, OAK AND B LUSH IMBUES THE INTERIORS WITH A SE RENE AND SOPHISTICATED VIBE.
good conductor of heat and cold. The ‘break’ ensures there is no thermal transfer between the glass and its frame, and therefore no heat gain or loss.”
Throughout, cloud-like Elba marble is teamed with tactile oak, leather and polished concrete, with pretty accents of blush pink for warmth. This scheme imbues the interiors with a serene and sophisticated vibe. “Bridie and Justin love this palette. It works beautifully to create a very calming space,” says Mikayla. “My team and I really enjoy working with heritage buildings. The challenge of restoring original details and breathing new life into an old space to create a home for modern living, without losing the character and patina of years gone by. I love the way it’s all come together here.”
As does Bridie. “We wanted the house to be as light and bright as it possibly could be, and we’re just thrilled with the result,” she says. “The house, with the concrete floor in the new downstairs living area, is also surprisingly robust and easy to maintain.”
With the vision brought to fruition, all that remains is for Bridie, Justin and their new baby Archer to relish their time as a young family in the home. “During the renovation, I went to bed at night dreaming of the finished product and how we would live in the house,” says Bridie. “It’s even better than I could have imagined. It was definitely worth the wait.”