Maritimo

by Lisa Buxton

This home is called Maritimo meaning ‘by the sea’ and it’s just that! Located on Beach Avenue in Melbourne’s beachside suburb of Elwood. It’s a double fronted, two storey Victorian home that was built in 1880. The bones of this building are stunning and have luckily stood the test of time. As with most older buildings, the kitchen of this home was originally a separate room hidden away not to be seen, so the main structural changes to this home started by opening up that kitchen area to increase the natural flow into the dining room. This same concept was also repeated with the knock-down of the walls that separated the dining and living room areas from the main hallway. This helps to create a generous feeling of scale as soon as you walk through the front door. Upstairs a walk in robe was converted into a spare bathroom creating a more functional family home.

Other than that the main changes to this home were cosmetic. Including the restoration of all the fireplaces to their former glory and the floorboards were stripped back and bleached to create a very light, airy feel. It’s clear that the owner loves art and the artwork in this home does deserve a special mention with the likes of Christian Thompson, William Mackinnon, Tom Polo, Jake Walker, Caitlin Lonegan & Noel McKenna and that’s just to name a few! Aside from the artwork some of the decor pieces that are noteworthy are the Blue Molteni & C chair from Milan now happily hanging out in the living room and the bowl sconce from Apparatus Studio purchased in New York. In terms of decor, Ms Buxton had to balance all the different elements she wanted to include. She envisaged a modern home that honoured the classic features, and a sophisticated look that was also practical. One of the most noteworthy aspects of the home is the generous expanse of white wall space. It gives a gallery-like backdrop to the many paintings, photos and sculptures, which are a real feature.