Enveloping Warmth – Fitzroy Apartment by Emily Gillis Interior Design

Located in an iconic industrial building in Melbourne, Fitzroy Apartment honours its heritage whilst embracing subdued modernity. Emily Gillis Interior Design focuses on creating intimate moments and opportunities for both connection and retreat throughout, which culminates in a warm, inviting family home.

Set within the prized MacRobertson Confectionery heritage building in Fitzroy, a lively suburb of Melbourne, Fitzroy Apartment works within the constraints of its size as a cosy but highly workable escape for a young family. Emily Gillis Interior Design cleverly weaves together past and present in the apartment, where historical features are integrated with modern elements to create a cohesive design. Every available nook within the contained space works hard to provide for the needs of family life.

Emily Gillis Interior Design cleverly weaves together past and present in the apartment, where historical features are integrated with modern elements to create a cohesive design.

Throughout, a neutral palette imbues a sense of calm whilst also emphasising scale and volume. “We wanted the apartment to feel warm and inviting as soon as you walked in,” says Emily Gillis. “We didn’t want it to look too modern or stark, so we opted for richer, more earthy tones throughout. These neutral, warm tones also complemented the existing brickwork.”
At a modest 75 square metres, the apartment has an optimised and efficient floor plan, with every piece of joinery designed to be multi-functional and flexible. With a clear vision for the space, the owners – self-confessed homebodies – wanted the apartment to feel like a sanctuary but also somewhere that would lend itself to entertaining small groups on occasion.

Throughout, a neutral palette imbues a sense of calm whilst also emphasising a sense of scale and volume.

Central to that is the large kitchen, where a built-in breakfast bar is not only the main dining area but also doubles as a bar. “Given that the apartment doesn’t have a dining table, the bar was going to be the only place for the owners to dine,” says Emily. “It didn’t seem very ergonomic to be sitting on bar stools every night, so we stepped the height down to dining height and kept a taller upstand to hide the kitchen. I think it ended up working really well and is a point of interest in the overall design while being a pragmatic use of the limited space.”

The design approach embraces the heritage charm of the warehouse and juxtaposes it with the warmth and simplicity introduced through the renovation. The existing black steel window frames, for example, were accentuated using black can lights on a track system; dark weathered brass tapware brings a sense of history to the utilitarian spaces.

The design approach embraces the heritage charm of the warehouse and juxtaposes it with the warmth and simplicity introduced through the renovation.

Working around structural columns, low ceiling heights and some rooms that were devoid of natural light, the approach of Emily Gillis Interior Design embraces and celebrates the apartment’s scale rather than seeing the constraints as limitations. Highlighting the beauty of its past through refinement and restraint, Fitzroy Apartment is a timeless match to its context, bridging eras with ease.