PURPLE REIGN
Framing the glossy lavender front door of this 19th century Victorian villa is a constellation of jewel-hued leadlights imprinted with softly coloured, semi-transparent swallows. In contrast with the bougainvillea lining the verandah, the exterior is blanketed in a sublime night-sky navy, standing proud despite being sandwiched between two larger and more imposing homes. The owners, a couple with children, bought with the intention of renovating but it proved more complicated than they could have imagined and things started to unravel.
Inheriting a messy mass of 90s alterations, design studio Bayley Ward admit it was some of the poorest workmanship they had ever come across. “Every time we unpeeled something to investigate we got a surprise,” says director of houses Olena Maccallum. The staircase, in particular, proved to be potentially hazardous. “When we stripped back the existing stringer we could see a significant difference in risers. There’s a theory that we subconsciously recall the step height of a previous tread and develop a rhythm for walking up and down, so if there’s a slight mismeasurement … well, it explained why everyone kept tripping,” she says. What was intended to be a light touch on the stairs resulted in an extensive new balustrade and aluminium mesh designed to cast dramatic shadows.
Despite being plagued with trouble (mould, broken appliances, waterproofing issues) owner Kerry and her husband remained resolutely optimistic. “We had lived in the place for six months so we knew it had potential. There were times I wanted it all to stop but we pushed through. It was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to have an amazing house filled with beautiful things,” says Kerry. The brief was to simplify the floor plan to create a dynamic yet peaceful family oasis. “I’m not just saying this, but I arrived at Bayley Ward with a big pile of dog-eared Belle magazines,” she says. Additional art was sourced, but big names were bypassed in favour of younger Australian artists such as Archibald Prize winners Yvette Coppersmith and Guy Maestri, and ceramicist Tessy King.
Facing one another on opposite sides of the foyer, the master suite and cosy lounge are cocooned in swathes of luxe deep charcoal, forest green and blood plum. “Primarily ‘evening’ rooms, they are a response to the original home and we wanted to give them character so we used rich, relaxing colours to emphasise the mood.
It’s nice to celebrate a dark room. Not everywhere needs to be brightly lit,” says Jacinda Jones, Bayley Ward’s principal of interior design. Bright lighting was saved for the rear of the home where its unnecessary bulkheads and up-lights were removed in favour of pyramid-style skylights and feature pendant lights such as the Roll & Hill geometric ‘Shape Up’ chandelier over the kitchen table.
Where the shared living meets the generous landing is a custom bench seat with slate-coloured leather coat hooks by Mademeasure. “The entry experience isn’t really at the door. We’ve pushed it outwards, towards the back of the house,” says Olena of the doubleheight threshold. The lounge, kitchen and dining zones are open plan, streamlined with custom patterned grey-blue oak underfoot.
The kitchen is clearly defined in a stormy colour palette inspired by ‘Blue Moon’ Turkish marble from Multiform Benchtops. Kerry fell in love with the sample but when the time came to build the stone was either no longer readily available or had an obvious flaw in the slab. Persistence paid off and the stone saga was resolved by cutting the hole for the sink over the imperfection.
Upstairs, three bedrooms have been pushed out of the existing footprint to overlook the courtyard and an above-ground infinity pool lined in textured Minokoyo mosaics from Academy Tiles. The bathroom was transformed with zebra-striped flooring, a strategic puzzle to lay due to the slightly off-kilter, non-geometric space.
Owner Kerry says the process was life-changing, despite the challenges. “I was so inspired by the journey and working with Bayley Ward that I developed a new-found love for art and design. I’ve decided to immerse myself in the field and am now studying an art history degree!” # bayleyward.com; fortemprojects.com