This gracious Victorian home with its sweeping verandahs and country-homestead appeal had a mix of styles introduced by a 80s-90s two-storey renovation. The brief was to renovate the first floor kitchen, living and dining areas in a way that complemented the original home's character while making the main living spaces fit for modern day family life – blending a classic, timeless and minimal aesthetic layered with colour and shaker cabinet detailing to link and pay homage to the original house.

A more spacious and interactive main living hub was created by relocating bedrooms that shared the north-facing aspect with the existing kitchen, informal dining and living areas. The existing square kitchen with one access in and out was replaced with double floating island benches that frame access to the upstairs deck overlooking the backyard and the pool. What appears to be an ‘all on show’ kitchen with connectivity between the living and dining areas has a concealed wall of joinery to the rear housing the fridge, pantry, appliances, a second sink and breakfast bar and ample storage to make the elegant kitchen functional. The cooktop and ovens are on the dining side bench while the sink lives on the opposite bench facing the lounge – allowing for those in the kitchen to feel very much a part of the happenings of the home.

The renovation was achieved on a budget using cost effective measures including painting out the fireplace to match the wall colour, minimising joinery and creating multi-purpose spaces. The lounge has a kids study space to the rear wall and then custom banquette seating stretching over a double window view out to pool, while the large Mark Tuckey table in the dining area can be flipped to align with the backyard, allowing the family to have armchairs beside the fireplace during winter. The process was very collaborative – our lovely clients had great style and a great understanding of what would work for their family.

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Ceramics by Anna Skermer of Pipkorn Kilpatrick. Labofa's Mallow Chair, Gubi's Daumiller, Vitra's Tabouret side table and Woud's Sentrum side table all supplied by In Good Company. Artworks by Eileen Napaltjarri from Papunya Tula Artists, Nicolas Harding, Mel Lumb, Hannah Nolan and Kir Larwill. 

Photography by Martina Gemmola.

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