Unashamedly Playful – St Kilda House by SJB

The home of Andrew Parr, Director of Interiors at SJB, St Kilda House is unashamedly playful, courageous and refreshingly eclectic, boldly redefining family living. Now, it has been masterfully transformed into a family home that knows no limits.

St Kilda House, in Melbourne’s St Kilda, is one of the city’s most striking homes – a capacious two-storey 1870s Italianate Victorian villa complete with a three-storey tower with Dutch gable roof. Defined by bold statement pieces, unexpected saturations of colour and an impressive art collection, and with Andrew’s sense of style imbued throughout, the home caters to the needs of family living but innovatively redefines the associated tropes.

“One of the most enchanting spaces in the house are the two grand front rooms, with historic stained-glass windows and marble fireplaces.”

St Kilda House embraces the 21st century with zeal while remaining respectful of its heritage. “One of the most enchanting spaces in the house are the two grand front rooms, with historic stained-glass windows and marble fireplaces,” Andrew says, “along with the original front door and portico and the three-storey tower.” The most significant renovations have taken place on the upper floors, where the main bedroom has been extended and the second bedroom transformed into a bathroom, dominated by a freestanding bath with round pink feet.

Throughout the home, colour is used boldly and energetically. On the ground floor, the rooms heavy in heritage detail have been painted white, often with a key piece – the purple Pierre Paulin Groovy chairs in one of the grand front rooms, for example – making a striking statement, while the remainder of the rooms are aglow with soft greens, minky greys, coral, natural linen and coffee. In keeping with the home’s European-style heritage, the façade has been painted in a ‘French Chateau’ pink with ivory detailing. Upstairs, the palette is equally unrestrained: the main bedroom, new bathroom and upper hall are in a soft lilac, while the guest bedroom is painted Tiffany Blue, the original colour discovered from paint scrapings.

“Our goal was to have a stimulating and joyful interior that allowed the occupants to express their personality while still maintaining the original merit of the architecture.”

As one makes their way through the home, a distinct sense of play reveals itself in its many quirks and furnishings. “It was about bringing out the entertaining qualities of the architecture, providing vitality and playfulness throughout,” says Andrew. Furniture and objects are wondrously mixed and matched: a disco ball and hanging chairs in the indoor pool area, a gold-veined-marble bathroom, a zebra-print staircase runner, a heritage-inspired hand-painted wall mural and statement artworks. “With the house being such a formal Italianate villa, the interior architecture needed to be respected, with high-contrast design elements,” says Andrew. “Furnishings are in tones of yellow, plum, greige and rust to create complimenting contrast.”
Pendants and light fixtures play a starring role and include a 1950s Gaetano Sciolari chandelier in the front formal room, a vintage Murano glass chandelier in the entryway and a 1970s Oluce pendant in the casual dining room.

Revealing Andrew’s design confidence, St Kilda House is not a home that can be defined by a pattern or style. There’s a quality of unexpectedness in which the only real theme at play is subjective and singular – fun. “While it has a formal exterior, our goal was to have a stimulating and joyful interior that allowed the occupants to express their personality while still maintaining the original merit of the architecture,” Andrew says. A beautiful contrast of vintage and modern design elements and original architecture, the final result is a genre all its own.