“Laidback and Lovely, Just like its Inhabitants”: The Newport Residence by Harrison Interiors

Interior designer Alisia Harrison of Harrison Interiors describes her approach and aesthetic as “fundamentally about minimalism mixed with the unexpected.” In her Newport project, the interior becomes a canvas for art and interesting objects, designed to grow and develop along with its inhabitants.

From the moment Alisia set foot in the heritage family home in Melbourne’s Newport, she says “I knew immediately what the design would be”. The interior is very much influenced by the clients – “they are super laidback and lovely, and so of course their home should feel like that too”, Alisia says. The clients knew that they wanted something very approachable and designed for longevity, rather than in response to the latest trends.

Timber and brass were chosen as materials that would age gracefully, simply becoming more lived-in and comfortable with time. In addition to the timber, for which Alisia used recycled Tassie oak floors and American oak joinery, “the approach was about balancing rich materials and pragmatism”, she explains. In the kitchen, white Carrara marble is paired with small white mosaics (“for a little energetic injection”), and highlighted by brass handles and tapware.

This palette is continued throughout the bathroom, where terrazzo floors add vibrancy. “Things need to feel luxurious, but not too precious, especially important with kids around”, says Alisia. While the Newport Residence errs toward the minimalist side in terms of Alisia’s work, the bathroom tiles and terrazzo floors hint at her appreciation for the unexpected and graphic elements of design. The long subway tiles and penny rounds, both in white, are offset by the dark grey grout, and the small penny rounds used at volume in the walk-in shower creates a striking visual impression out of the simple pattern repetition.

Such elements of the new design are undoubtedly contemporary, however, the new interior as a whole sits at ease within the original heritage home, which is neither hidden in the new design nor replicated by it. This expresses Alisia’s belief in the critical relationship between architecture and interior design. “It’s essential that the architectural language, from whatever era, speaks to the interior environment”, she says, highlighting that contemporary interior design can be utterly fresh and new while remaining sympathetic to heritage architecture.

“It doesn’t have to be strictly in-keeping with it (then you can end up with a weird pastiche, because it can’t be genuine if you try to do something from a different time), but it should express the character wherever possible”, she continues. “I really feel you should try to keep the architectural character of the interior, at least in part of the home, so that you feel a connection to the home’s origin. Otherwise, why keep it?!”

The Newport residence wears its heritage and contemporary aspects equally comfortably, in part due to Alisia and the client’s emphasis on materials and design that are made to last. The harmonious balance of heritage and contemporary can also be attributed to the design’s emphasis on longevity – this is a home that has a rich history, and is designed with an equally rich future in mind. “The clients wanted a homely, warm interior with individuality that considered their current daily living, but that also provided for the future as their two young daughters grow up”, says Alisia.

This latter aspect is more intangible than, perhaps, materiality, yet it is keenly felt in the Newport Residence. It is in the welcoming kitchen – as perfect for entertaining as it is for gathering children around the island bench for a snack or to do their homework – and in the thoughtful and rather pared-back selection of loose furniture and artwork. “I love selecting artwork, rugs, objects and furniture for a client, and I don’t mind knowing that these are the somewhat more ephemeral or alive aspects of a project. They might get changed, moved, added to over time”, says Alisia.

In the Newport project, the loose furniture and artwork are intended to be built up over many years, truly providing the canvas for the clients’ lives in their home into the future. With their two children still young they held off purchasing some larger pieces, Harrison Interiors instead specifying a base level of furnishings to provide a foundation from which to build.

From the materials, to the program of the spaces, to the furnishings, this is a home designed to grow with its inhabitants. It is a canvas for their lives, not in the sense of being devoid of prior character, but as a changeable and supportive framework for their endeavours.