It’s not an uncommon story: a young couple decides to have a family and must readdress the practical elements of their home (and would like to add some decorative flair, too). Embarking on an update of their Victorian terrace in East Melbourne, the couple enlisted up-and-coming interior designer David Flack to inject in it some flair and functionality. The first phase of the renovation focused on the bath, lounge and bedrooms, with the kitchen to be transformed next year when the demands of welcoming a newborn to the family have eased.
As the home's central common area, Flack has treated the living room as the decorative hub of the space from which themes of the overall scheme emerge. Its soft white surrounds marry the existing Poliform sofa and sideboard to new flourishes, including a Michael Anastassiades ‘Tube Chandelier’, which anchors the room in a novel spin on the traditional floor lamp. On the Poliform marble coffee table are 'Lens Boxes' by Wrong for Hay and a 'Brass Ring' by Vincent Van Duysen for When Objects Work.
As terrace houses are typically dark, Flack opted for European oak floorboards to ensure the maximum amount of light.
Indigo linen sheets blend in with the existing plush carpetting of the master bedroom. An Oluce 'Coupe F' lamp and a 'Cab' chair by Cassina (both in black), as well as bolts of aquamarine and copper, are used to offset the soft walls, which are painted in Resene 'Linen'.
Matte-finish tapware and black cabinetry punctuates the grey and white palette of the master bathroom. Brass flourishes add a point of difference to the custom-made mirror, which floats above the custom vanity made from honed Bedonia sandstone and handmade tiles from Arte Domus.
In the nursery, an Anna Charlesworth ‘Four Shapes’ pendant is a playful take on a hanging mobile, and soft taupe walls are subtly accentuated by two-pack white, custom joinery in American oak. Black steel rails for the natural linen curtains and a sliding cabinet ladder graphically punctuate the scheme, keeping it smart.
Flack created an arresting vignette on the landing, including a Cassina 'Zig Zag' chair by Gerrit Rietveld, which he paired with an artwork by Sonia Rentsch and a 'Modo' table lamp by Roll & Hill.
