sweet SURPRISE

SHAVING A BIT OFF THE FOOTPRINT WAS THE SAVVY SOLUTION TO CREATING A SENSE OF SPACE IN THIS LOVINGLY RENOVATED HOME

Impulse buying is not usually the best way to acquire property, but it worked out surprisingly well for Catherine and Matthew, back in 2010. With baby daughter Clara, now eight, in tow, the couple were looking to move on from their little inner-Melbourne terrace, which had been a great first dwelling for a pair of urban professionals, but didn’t quite meet their picture of an ideal family home. Frustration levels were high as they missed out on yet another house, before the real estate gods finally deigned to smile on them. “We hadn’t even looked much around here, to be honest,” says Catherine of their dip into Melbourne’s eastern suburbs. “But this area has a strong heritage and we fell in love with the consistency of all the old Edwardians, and the streets lined with beautiful, established trees.” Soon the young family bought their own Edwardian home on what Catherine now describes as “a bit of a whim”. A pair of period junkies, Catherine and Matthew loved the home’s impeccably preserved facade, but felt less fondness for the interior. “It was really neat and clean, but it had been previously renovated by people with very different tastes to ours,” says Catherine. A refurbishment was always on the cards and the couple dived in, somewhat reluctantly, three years later. “Neither of us have any skills in that area and I wouldn’t say either of us were confident about visualising a finished home,” explains Catherine. “We went in feeling quite daunted.” In addition, by then, Clara’s twin brothers James and Patrick, now seven, had arrived on the scene, making the process of trawling around Melbourne tracking down taps seem like a fairly intimidating prospect. To help them navigate the murky renovation waters and achieve the beautiful and functional family home they desired, the couple brought in Linda Simons from LSA Architects. “They knew what they wanted, but the existing plan was so disjointed, they didn’t know how to get the result,” remembers Linda. Addressing the lack of flow to the outdoors was high on the agenda, as was reclaiming some garden space for the kids to play in. “This is one of the few renovations where we actually made the rear room smaller,” says Linda. “But when we altered the layout, it was so much more logical and useable that the space appears larger.” The slight reduction in the home’s footprint and the removal of a double garage – an indulgence that wasn’t really supported by the size of the block – had a dramatic impact, creating clear lines of sight inside and out and visually expanding the living room to the fence line. “The reconfiguring of the rear room is something we smile about,” adds Linda. “Sometimes it’s not the obvious solution which is the best.” The remainder of the renovation then fell easily into place. Half of a second bathroom was sacrificed to make a handy butler’s pantry, while a second formal sitting room – a redundant inclusion for these casual entertainers – was converted into a walk-in robe and ensuite. These small changes were all that was needed to transform the house into a functional, modern family home, leaving nothing left to do but furnish the new spaces. Decorating the interiors is a process Catherine has opted to tackle over a period of time. “It’s been a gradual process,” she says. “I’m quite wary of making mistakes!” But, having now successfully transformed this lovely house, has the reluctant renovator been converted to the joys of the process? “It was stressful at times, and I wouldn’t want to be one of those people who does it every three years,” she says. “But yes, I learnt a lot and I could definitely do it again!”