South Yarra Residence 03

by Therese Carrodus

Interior Designer, Therese Carrodus, wasn’t looking for a new house when this property in her South Yarra neighbourhood became available. ‘We weren’t actually intending to move but then saw the for sale sign on this house and went along to the inspection for a sticky beak. I remember first stepping onto the front veranda and suddenly imagining Rosie (my then 5 year old) having her first day of school photo and later having her school formal photo taken at the front door. It just sort of felt straight away like it was a home I could see the kids to growing up in. The period features were all really beautiful but the interior otherwise was very daggy and dated. I knew it would be easy to transform this house into a great home for our family of five.’

The house was first built in the 1880’s and features some lovely period details such as Art Nouveau fireplaces, stained glass windows and high ceilings. While many period home renovations adopt a contemporary open-plan area at the rear, Therese desired a more cohesive look for her renovation. She wanted the new and old parts of the home to flow seamlessly from room to room. ‘We kept the footprint largely the same with a few structural tweaks within the existing open plan living area at the rear. The main changes were repurposing each of the rooms to make the layout generally a lot more functional and to create a combination of formal and informal living spaces. We then re-fitted the two bathrooms, added a new laundry, a new kitchen, a new built-in dining area and built custom glass doors in the main living space. We also added built-in storage within each of the rooms and changed all of the finishes and lighting throughout.’

Each room of this Victorian home was brought to life with thoughtful details and carefully selected finishes. A bold palette of moody blues, plum and oxblood reds feature throughout the home, with more subtle hues of blush and grey to balance things out. ‘The design intent was for the house to feel a little bit playful and eclectic, with some bold colour and texture, but at the same time, I didn’t want any of those elements to be overbearing or polarising in any way. I’m also not precious about this house, it’s a family home and is supposed to be lived in. The kids are often running (and sometimes scooting!) up and down the hallway as well as making cubby houses in the living area or just generally making a mess somewhere in the house!’