Changing views Cosh Living’s Colin Kupke shares his take on downsizing in style

COSH LIVING DIRECTOR COLIN KUPKE UNVEILS THE SECRETS TO CHIC, DOWNSIZED LIVING

After their three children had “well and truly” left the nest, Cosh Living director Colin Kupke and his wife Virginia moved from their family home in Melbourne’s north east to a three-bedroom CBD apartment. Colin tells HB about the challenges of trading suburban bliss for city living.

WHEN DID YOU DECIDE IT WAS TIME TO MAKE THE MOVE? Selling the family home and downsizing to an apartment was a really difficult decision. But we travel a lot for business, and for the last couple of years, we used no more than probably four rooms in the house. When the children, their partners and our grandchildren came to visit, they mostly travelled back to their own homes at the end of the day.

WHY THIS PARTICULAR HOME? We bought the apartment off the plan about three and a half years ago, and moved in while we renovated the family home. The process was going to take three to five months, which gave us a great opportunity to trial apartment living.

HARDEST THING TO LEAVE BEHIND? All those memories, and the space where we spent so much time when our kids were growing up.

DECORATING TIPS WHEN DOWNSIZING? Don’t overcrowd, and make sure some furniture pieces are flexible in their application. Another tip is to add mirrors. One of the best aspects of our apartment is the

amazing views, so we placed a full-length mirror on the opposite wall. Now, even when walking to the inner parts of the apartment, you can catch a glimpse of it. Having lived in our previous house for 15 years, storage was also going to be an issue. After hitting a roadblock, we needed some creative thinking. We turned the smallest bedroom into an additional storage and dressing space.

WHO DRIVES THE DECORATING DECISIONS? When it comes to the hard furnishings – table, chairs, sofas etc – it’s a mutual decision. For the fine tuning of the decorating, it’s certainly my wife, Virginia.

HAVE YOU APPLIED ANY CURRENT STYLE TRENDS TO THE DESIGN? Furniture design has moved towards the contemporary, and all the pieces we have used from Cosh’s Kett range are very modern contemporary. What we loved most about it – and what distinguishes the brand – are the natural earthy tones, colours and textures.

“THE SUNROOM IS a great spot to ABSORB THE ACTIVITIES on the river and A CITY UNDER LIGHTS” ~ Colin Kupke

“We didn’t want anything that would impose on the room, so we chose stools with a low back and an almost see-through wire frame,” says Colin.

PHOTOGRAPHY SHANIA SHEGEDYN

“This is the most relaxing spot in the home,” says Colin about the sunroom, furnished with pieces from the Aireys outdoor collection. Potted plants and a floor covering of faux grass help to create a sense of the outdoors.

A photo titled ‘Twelve Apostles, Great Ocean Road, Victoria’, captured by Rodney Hyett Photography, takes pride of place in the dining area.

Kett ‘Otway’ coffee table, in stained Exhibition and Calacatta Oro Venato (soft touch) ceramic, Cosh Living, coshliving.com.au.