Architects Powell + Glenn and Sally Caroline Interior Atelier bring the best of the past and present together inside a Melbourne bayside home.
Originally built in the latter part of the 19th century and extended by architects Powell + Glenn, the interiors are now beautifully ‘stitched together’ by interior designer Sally Knibbs, of Studio Sally Caroline. “All the bones of the original were still there, but the house needed updating for a growing family,” says Sally, who took her design cues from both the home’s heritage fabric and the owner’s joyous and bold personality.
The kitchen features the Iva Stool from Grazia & Co, Vola kitchen tapware and Gaggenau appliances.
The grand bar area features the Amalfi Bar Stool from Janus Et Cie.
While the original house was extended to create open plan living spaces, a new masonry-rendered wing was also added. The two-storey classic form with symmetrical doors at ground level and windows directly above now overlook the pitched slate Georgian roofline and the swimming pool and verdant garden by Myles Broad, principal designer for Eckersley Garden Architecture.
Bespoke joinery, rich parquetry timber floors and sumptuous materials such as Palladiana, a deep green marble, was used for the island bench and splashback in the new kitchen. This marble also appears on the polished floors of the ground level of the pool pavilion, with the children’s bedrooms directly above as part of a new build that is better suited to the site and the home’s orientation.
The MCM House St Tropez Dining Table in the main foyer.
An Armadillo rug and the B&B Italia Fat-Fat Ottoman contrast the green terrazzo in the pool room.
The formal parts of the house, given over to the parents, feature a melange of green hues. Notable pieces in this room include the B&B Italia Le Bambole ’07 Armchair and Gubi Floor Lamp.
Sally’s ‘brushstrokes’ feature a number of soft and muted tones, including deep wine hues, strong and soft shades of green and what she refers to as a ‘yellow-based green’, a citrus green for the carpets in the five bedrooms, including the main bedroom and dressing area. “Many clients wouldn’t have been as bold to go with these colours, but the owner was certainly up for it and wanted a point of difference,” says Sally, who kept most of the new contemporary living spaces white.
Colour also defines the front formal sitting room and an adjacent study, located at the front of the house and benefitting from the original leadlight windows. A customised lacquered timber desk in emerald green complements this sophisticated scheme.
“We’ve kept all the original features, including the decorative ceilings and wide skirting boards. But we were keen to make this a home for contemporary living, not just a relic from the past,” Sally says.
Along with the 051 Capitol Complex Chair and Oluce Atollo Lamp, customised built-in joinery and individual pieces such as a desk in the study provide a personal touch.
The powder room features vintage clam shell wall sconces.
