homes {family friendly}

100 {MARCH 2013} homebeautiful.com.au

Earthy colours, easy spaces and feng shui design principles have transformed Mimi and John’s 1970s Melbourne home into a calm and contemporary family haven

story AnnA McCooe styLING Jo McCoMiskey photoGraphy DeRek swAlwell

soUL rEVIVaL

“We like our household to be organic, to have a casual feel about it,” says Mimi of the lovingly renovated home she shares with her husband and four children. Open spaces abound, with the living room flowing onto the deck {opposite}, where a limewashed table from House of Orange and tropical plants create a feeling of escape. Inside, the neutral lounge setting – try Globe West for similar styles and fabrics – and yellow and grey cushions from Igloo offer relaxed elegance. The eye-catching artwork is by Tanya Hoddinott from Metro Gallery. >

102 {MARCH 2013} homebeautiful.com.au homebeautiful.com.au {MARCH 2013} 103

it al lows you to be clear and calm” ~ Mimi“I’m a big believer in having an uncluttered space –

it’s eARly MoRning and Royston, Mason and Harper have each left their own bedrooms and climbed into the cot with their little sister Berry. Streams of light wash over as the kids laugh and play. Mimi enters the room to rally her little troops, but first she stops to take it in. “They look so beautiful when they are all together. It’s the reward for being a mother,” she says. “And then they demand breakfast!”

This daily scene plays out in the modern renovated space in Melbourne’s inner-east that Mimi, John and their four children call home. When they moved in seven years ago, the house – originally designed in 1971 by Sydney architect Ken Woolley – was virtually unliveable, with smashed windows, dark brown exposed brick walls and blackened floors. Water ran from only one tap and there was no kitchen. “There was even a bat from the Botanic Gardens living in the lounge room with us!” recalls Mimi, a television presenter who runs four businesses from home.

In those early days, the family sat on boxes and slept on mattresses on the ground. But there was always plenty of breathing space – 1600 square metres to be exact. “It’s like a little oasis in the city – so private and removed from the rat race,” says Mimi. To bring the well-designed yet tired home back to life, the walls were plastered, the bathrooms reworked, a kitchen was fitted and the original Tasmanian oak floors were sanded and refinished. The couple also transformed the sixth bedroom into an ensuite and luxurious dressing room. At the back, there’s a big yard for the kids, and the family has even built a two-bedroom cottage next door for Mimi’s mother.

Even though Mimi had studied architecture and the couple had renovated before, the project proved to be a challenge. “Renovating is an adventure and a labour of love, but it’s very stressful,” says Mimi, who shuffled her family from room to room throughout the renovation, which spanned four years.

Today, the home spirals around communal spaces, with quieter nooks shooting off at every turn. “We’re quite interested in feng shui,” Mimi explains, referencing her carefully laid out furniture and the orientation of doors and staircases. Functional storage and natural, easy-to-maintain materials make the family’s busy life seem a little simpler. “With four children, having a relaxed, ordered environment keeps us sane and keeps them secure and happy,” she says. “You have to surrender to chaos and mess with kids, but there is a time when everything has to go away to its place and everything is serene again.”

The home’s finishing touches attest to Mimi’s nurturing instincts. There are handmade cushions on beds, homemade artworks and inspiration boards for each child, as well as an ever-changing display of precious keepsakes. Warm timbers mix with shots of yellow and blue to stir up a fresh and sunny vibe. “I just do what feels right and what works for the family,” says Mimi.

liVing RooM The original exposed brick walls had darkened over time, so the couple had them plastered and painted in Dulux Antique White USA. Hints of blue in the ‘Loft’ floor lamp from House of Orange and floor cushions provide a cool contrast to the warm tones of the Tasmanian oak floorboards and sisal rug; Country Road is a good source for similar graphic cushions. The orientation of the stairs leading up to the airy atrium was changed according to feng shui. “If you have your stairs facing the entrance, all your money is running out the door!” explains Mimi. The oversized statement pendant light was custom made by 4M. >

104 {MARCH 2013} homebeautiful.com.au

kitCHen {above left & below right} Practical and beautiful finishes finesse every surface: Caesarstone was used on the benchtops and splashbacks, the lower cabinetry and tall cupboards were clad in Duropal timber-look laminate in Havana Maple, while 2-pac in Dulux

Lexicon half-strength was used on the overhead cabinetry. “You don’t always have to have things matching, it’s okay to take a risk,” says Mimi. Dining RooM {above right & below left} The kitchen flows into a dining area, where a framed tea towel serves as a vibrant artwork. The couple designed the dining table and chairs and had them made by Pylo Steel Furniture. The timber seat is a Stokke adjustable high chair. >

kitCHen The only advantage of moving into a house with no kitchen was that the couple could choose the perfect location for their new cooking space. Mimi and John’s kitchen leads into both the dining room and the side yard. “I can be at the bench and the kids can be here with me or over at the table,” explains Mimi. “I can be involved in the family and still get food on the table.”

homebeautiful.com.au {MARCH 2013} 107

MAsteR BeDRooM {above left} The serene sleep-space boasts a well-loved artwork by Tiwi artist Jean Baptiste Apuatimi from Scott Livesey Galleries, crisp waffle-weave bedding and a bedhead covered in woollen fabric which Mimi found at a market. AtRiUM {above right}

The whole house wraps around the double-height atrium, a casual area furnished with huge beanbags made out of duvet covers, cushions Mimi fashioned from tea towels and an artwork by Jill Lewis. MAson’s BeDRooM {below left} Bright linen, wall decals from Love Mae and plenty of books feature in seven-year-old Mason’s room. liVing RooM {bottom right} Mimi painted the green artwork as a gift to

Harper while she was pregnant with her. The sculptural pendant was crafted by a student at St Michael’s Grammar School.

ensUite The couple transformed the extra space behind their bedroom into a luxurious ensuite. They

opted for a smart, streamlined design, with a partition wall that anchors the twin Reece basins and hides

the toilet and walk-in shower from view. The 2-pac cabinetry was built by Oakwood Kitchens and includes

a drawer that acts as a dirty-clothes basket. >

we loveMarble magic

Overwhelmed by the endless array of tiles on offer, Mimi eventually chose alabascato marble. The grey and white natural stone offers timeless

sophistication and stays true to the home’s original 1970s design. Alabascato

marble 457mm x 457mm tiles, $90/sqm, Attila’s

Natural Stone & Tiles.

atrium void

ILLU

STRA

TIO

N K

ENZI

EDES

IGN

.CO

M

Who lives here? Mimi, a television presenter and

director of four businesses

including online children’s store

tigeroy (tigeroy.com); her husband

John, a leadership-management

executive; and their children,

royston, nine, Mason, seven,

harper, four, and Berry, two.

Any road blocks along the way? Mimi: “We got stuck on the final

details so we asked an interior

designer friend, susie Cohen

(madebycohen.com.au) for advice.

she came in and was very clear

about things I’d been agonising

over for months, if not years!”

What’s your decorating style? “It’s a mix. the house is made

up of found things, things from

travels and things we’ve created

ourselves. We’re not a very formal

family so I guess we strive

for casual elegance.”

contact

Builder Brendan Cleary of Bg & MJ

Cleary Builders, 0417 320 037.

the details

INSIDE STORY

1 Floorboardstry silkwood engineered

tasmanian oak flooring, from $117.30/sqm, Boral timber.

2 Benchtop & splashbackQuartz surface in

snow 2141, from $500/sqm installed, Caesarstone.

3 Atrium rugtry armadillo & Co

‘triangle’ rug, from $567, terrace Floors & Furnishings.

1 2 3

PLANS

Harper’s room is filled with fanciful accessories.

The large yard features buffalo lawn and merbau timber decking.

Ground f loor

First f loor

living

dining master bed dressing

room

ens

ensbath

bedbed

bedentry

kitch

en

study

garage

l’dry