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SPE CIAL BLEND After being wowed by its Edwardian heritage
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entry The approach to the home is defined by white arches and black metal-framed glass, with the front door opening under a whimsical Big Bang pendant lamp by Foscarini, available through Space. On the wall is a Porter’s Paints shade of eggshell acrylic called Plaster of Paris. Underfoot are the original baltic pine floorboards, stripped back and stained. New York console, MCM House. Sculpture (on table) by Shona Nunan.
DREAM IT. DESIGN IT. DO IT. special blend
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A joint eff ort between the stylist owner and architect of this Melbourne home has produced a spectacular meeting of styles 120 years apart
cheat sheet
Who lives here Emmy Clark, interior stylist at Studio ECH (studioech.com.au; @studioech); her husband Jules; and their children: Edward, seven, Hugo, five, and Claudia, three. Style of home An Edwardian-era home that was given a contemporary, family-friendly update that highlights its heritage features. The couple met with architect Lachlan Troup in February 2018. Work started in April 2018 and was completed in nine months. INSIDE | RENOVATE
sitting area “This is where we congregate when we have people over,” says Emmy. “It’s next to the kitchen and like a room within a room. The window seat faces west so it’s the sunniest spot in the house. We made it so long that it can take a couple of us stretching out completely.” B&B Italia ‘Husk’ chairs, Space. Contour Wings armchair (not shown), Zuster. Co ee table, Hub Furniture. Cushions, Country Road and Bed, Bath N’ Table.
INSIDE | RENOVATE
Homeowner and interior stylist Emmy Clark knows a thing or two about balance. So it’s not surprising that the east Melbourne house she shares with her husband Jules and their three children is a perfect blend of the past and present. Emmy’s innate sense of composition and colour, along with the precise work of architect Lachlan Troup of Solomon Troup, has transformed the Edwardian gem. Its period features are now complemented by contemporary fi ttings and a palette of white, cool greys and sharp black details. “It wasn’t about clashing old and new together,” she says. “It was about bonding them, allowing their own elements and personality to be seen.”
At their fi rst viewing, Emmy and Jules had to look past a few things, especially the dated decor and choppy layout of the living space. “I wouldn’t say it was love at fi rst sight, but we were excited by the house’s ability to be completely transformed into something we loved without major structural changes.” Some of its redeeming qualities were the generous proportions and original details, such as the ornate archways and delicate ceiling roses – together, they were a defi nite drawcard.
DREAM IT “The layout of the home had to suit us as a family with young children and still be totally relevant as we grow into a family with older kids, especially when they start to crave their own space,” says Emmy. “In essence, we didn’t want to compromise on style or design because we have small children. We wanted our home to be aesthetically beautiful, but not a museum or anything too formal.” The couple asked Lachlan to help reconfi gure the indoor and outdoor living spaces at the back of the home, and update the main bedroom’s ensuite and walk-in robe. Emmy knew that, with a tweak of the layout, the right paint colours and some updated fi ttings and fl ooring, the home could be transformed in a way that paid homage to the classic details.
EMMY CLARK, OWNER/INTERIOR STYLIST
DESIGN IT Emmy’s collection of interior-design books and Pinterest boards hint at her preferred aesthetic of contrasting elements combined in unexpected ways, a look she was keen to work into her home. “I wanted it to be elegant and refi ned, with contemporary touches,” she explains, citing countless ideas on how that could be achieved. “For example, every room had beautiful ceiling roses but no pendants and I knew that if I chose modern pendants which were sympathetic to the traditional detail, they would work.”
The stylist wasn’t short on references and ideas when it came time to brief architect Lachlan either. “Poor Lachy,” she laughs. “He received a whole lot of things from us that included visuals and a detailed brief outlining what we were hoping to achieve.” Fortunately, that approach was warmly welcomed.
“Emmy and Jules knew the framework of what they wanted, but were willing to allow me to input ideas and guide them through the process, which was very benefi cial to the project overall,” Lachlan explains. “It’s the best type of architect/client relationship you could hope for.” wishlist + Enhanced original features “I absolutely fell in love with the details and really wanted to draw them out in a fresh way,” says Emmy. + Better flow “This was most obviously needed in the living space and main bedroom.” + Separate zones “I wanted to be able to close a door on the kids’ mess, so Lachlan helped us partition the layout so that children and adults could have their own spaces.”
living area “The crepe myrtle tree outside acts as a passive shading device,” says Lachlan. Built into the space is storage in Mineral while the walls are Half Strength Grey Pepper, both Porter’s Paints colours. The top is New Grey Tundra stone from Signorino. Table, Fenton & Fenton. Artwork by Freddie Timms. Pebble Grid wool-blend carpet, Godfrey Hirst.
formal dining In this room (right) the walls are painted Mineral to set o the artwork by Marie Hagerty. The round Woodrow marble table from Fenton & Fenton catches the light during the day. Jewel console, Zuster.
the moodboard
CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT Genero Zenith flooring in Odell Oak, $44.99 per sq m, Choices Flooring. Foscarini ‘Big Bang’ suspension lamp in White, $1895, Space. Veri curved fabric shades in White (490cm x 240cm), $2742, Wynstan. B&B Italia ‘Husk Swivel’ armchair with snug sides in Ice Fabric, $6650, Space. Natural stone surface in New Grey Tundra, POA, Signorino. Capsule Collection wall paint in Mineral, $57 per 1L, Porter’s Paints.
INSIDE | RENOVATE
kitchen The kitchen had been renovated by the previous owner but required a facelift to bring it into line with the new look. Emmy designed the updates, which included respraying the existing cabinets Dulux Natural White, laying New Grey Tundra stone over the benches and splashback, and changing the handles. Kartell ‘Victoria Ghost’ chairs, Space. French Oak flooring in Calais from Porter’s Paints. DO IT “There weren’t many hiccups during the renovation, mainly because we chose not to make major structural changes,” says Emmy, who also acted as project manager.
When the large L-shape living space at the back of the home was squared out, the issue was how to delineate smaller areas within it. In one of them, the space around the fi replace, carpet and a dropped ceiling height helped to make it feel more contained.
Next up was the original main ensuite – which had to be stripped back to its bones – the only area where the original features couldn’t be salvaged. Emmy, a stickler for detail, found the perfect match for the architraves and skirting. “I searched through a heap of moulding suppliers to fi nd the best ones possible,” she says. “You can’t tell they’re new!” Another clever move was incorporating arched doorways. “They’re such an important original element of the house, so we kept that language going in this area for consistency,” says Lachlan.
The home is now a balanced study of function and style, most evident in the updated hallway, where the sleek black aluminium door frames in the walkway allow for the kids’ bedrooms and playroom to be closed o from the living spaces and main bedroom. “Of course, we all spend time together, but it’s nice for the adults to have their own space,” says Emmy. “Our home works seamlessly for us now, and it will in the future, too.” Solomon Troup Architects, Brunswick, Victoria; solomontroup.com.au
front room “We call this ‘the parents’ room’,” says Emmy. “Early on in our research for the bookcase, we found one that [British interior designer] Ilse Crawford had built into one of her designs and had to have it. It’s like a piece of art in itself.” Barcelona co ee table, bought at auction. Chairs, rug and pendant light, bought years ago. Like other rooms, the floorboards are the original baltic pine, stripped and stained.
lessons learnt
EMMY CLARK, OWNER/INTERIOR STYLIST
“ We were lucky enough to be able to section o parts of the house so it was manageable, but I won’t pretend it was easy or fun. It’s very stressful to live in a renovation project with three kids under five!”
ensuite More New Grey Tundra stone lines the bench in here, one of Emmy’s favourite rooms. The cabinetry is lined with Evenex in Aspen Elm from Elton Group. Tapware, Astra Walker. Wall Step light, Volker Haug. Radiant towel rail, Camberwell Bathrooms.
main bedroom “The rooms in this house are all generous in size,” says Emmy. “There aren’t any dicky spaces anywhere, which we were finding in newer homes.” In this beautiful space, the Mod bed is from West Elm (US). Abbey embroidered white bedding, Mercer + Reid. Artwork by Barbara Weir.
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1 Entry 2 Main bedroom 3 Walk-in robe 4 Main ensuite 5 Front room 6 Bedroom 7 Bedroom 8 Rumpus room 9 Bathroom 10 Formal dining 11 Eat-in kitchen 12 Sitting area 13 Living area 14 Laundry 15 Terrace 16 Swimming pool
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the best bits + Main ensuite “It completely delivers in terms of storage and functionality without compromising on aesthetics at all. It’s my elegant and refined sanctuary,” says Emmy. + Flexible layout “We love how the hallway doors allow us to close o di erent sections of the house.” + Window seat “Everyone gravitates to the big window and the light in this space near the kitchen. It feels like a room within a bigger space.” + The process “We wanted to work with someone who would really listen to our ideas but take things to the next level, which is exactly what
Lachlan, our architect, did.”
