![Book Flatlay Cover Front Transparent Trio[1]](https://d31dpzy4bseog7.cloudfront.net/media/2024/06/07080212/Book_Flatlay_Cover_Front_Transparent_Trio1.png)
Hartley House by Alison Lewis Interiors
For her own home in Melbourne’s Northcote, interior designer Alison Lewis of Alison Lewis Interiors transformed a Californian bungalow into an oasis of considered calm.
The designer had long coveted the inner Melbourne suburb of Northcote and was thrilled when she saw Hartley House listed. However, when she attended the inspection, she had some doubts. “It had had a recent cosmetic renovation just before it went on the market – think black floors, black joinery, black tiles in the wet areas, black painted exterior,” recalls Lewis. “Initially, I didn’t go for it at all, but then I started to see the huge potential it had, and basically I’m an absolute sucker for a heritage home that has lost some of its original appeal and needs saving.”
Working with architecture firm Mason Bright, Lewis reconfigured and restored the home to fit the lifestyle of her family and to reflect her own considered design ethos. The front four rooms were retained, but everything beyond was demolished to create what is now a four-bedroom, 2.5-bathroom home with two living rooms and a playroom. The original poky kitchen became a third bedroom, the old main bathroom is now a two-person study and Lewis created a walk-in wardrobe and ensuite from the second living space.
The most major work was reorientating the rear open-plan living space to face north rather than west, meaning it would now look out to the boundary fence. “Ensuring we would continue to have privacy through clever landscaping was paramount to this decision and it has paid off,” says Lewis. “The natural light throughout this space is gorgeous at any time of the day and it really opens up the back area.” A 2.4-metre-high ceiling that had been installed in the 1970s was also removed to reveal the three-metre-high ceiling beneath, which “instantly gave new volume and space to the original home”.
Throughout the process, Lewis was careful to honour the home’s heritage features while injecting contemporary elements. “A lot of its historical features – such as the original Californian bungalow concrete pillars on the porch, facade shingles and timber windows – had been replaced with more practical and modern solutions. I made it a mission as part of the renovation to reintroduce as many of those period aspects as I could.” The shingles were reinstated but Lewis hesitated to remove the posts, “as a gorgeous wisteria has grown up them and we really didn’t want to get rid of it”. She also embraced the wall panelling in the hallway: “While it probably was an addition at some stage, I loved the panelling and used it to influence the ceiling in the new part of the house.”
Lewis’s work is heavily influenced by nature and organic forms, and her aesthetic is textural, tonal, layered and warm; both aspects are beautifully realised in Hartley House. Curved forms, marble, terrazzo, timber floors, buttery cabinetry and a studied collection of furniture and objects coalesce to create a sense of understated luxury that still feels welcoming and family friendly. “My material selections are reflective of the feeling I want to have when I walk in the space,” says Lewis. “I want to feel relaxed, comfortable and at ease. The selections needed to provide both an aesthetic outcome as well as a practical one for a busy family who likes to entertain.”
The open-plan living space is Lewis’s design philosophy writ large. A curved brick wall, the form of which is echoed in a sinuous travertine-topped plinth, forms the backdrop to a curated set of furniture, including a Maralunga sofa by Vico Magistretti for Cassina, a Frida coffee table by Jardan, a Bollo armchair by Andreas Engesvik for Fogia, an Armadillo Malawi rug and an Onda wall sconce from the Tali Roth Interior Design x Mitzi lighting range. A ‘hidden’ cocktail cabinet atop the plinth reflects Lewis’s talent for introducing something surprising in her interiors. “There was a void in the wall, and rather than brick it over, I decided to have a bit of fun and use the void to my advantage by adding a cocktail cabinet,” she says.
“I loved being able to introduce some of the unexpected into the space because I feel like that is what Northcote prides itself on. My material choices and combinations enabled me to inject personality and a playful atmosphere while still creating an understated luxury home.”
Architecture by Mason Bright. Interior design by Alison Lewis Interiors. Build by CJ&C Construction. Landscape design by Mint Landscape Design. Artwork by Hayley Morcombe and Jess Sellinger.
