Photography: Nicole England
Take me to the casbah – and other alluring destinations. That could have been the owners’ brief to interior designer Aaron Wong of Alexander Pollock for this elegant and exotic home in Melbourne’s inner south-east. He obliged by whisking them off to enchanting places without their having to walk out the door.
Partner in the journey was architect Sebastian Owen of Akehurst Owen Cimino. In 2020, the former owners approached him to redesign their home. Part of a collection of similar interwar properties in the area, it was designed for society high-flyers by renowned architect Marcus Martin, in his restrained modernist take on Georgian style. As a result, it had an imposing and elegant street presence. But behind that facade lurked ho-hum interiors. “With the charm of the house came small rooms and low ceilings, typical of its era. The scale was not that of a luxury residence,” says Sebastian. When the property changed hands, the new owners asked him to continue what he had begun. “They wanted both a functional yet beautiful multi-generational family house, which neither detracted from nor dominated the heritage facade,” he says. “The brief was to add internal elegance to the property’s existing charms.” “Inside, the owners were looking for something cosy, comfortable and unfussy,” adds Aaron, rather understating what he achieved. “The husband favoured a more classic interior, whereas the wife wanted something more modern. To meet in the middle, we landed on classic with a few modern pieces.”
Sebastian preserved the facade and street proportions, demolishing virtually everything from there back. Roof tiles were salvaged and used for the rebuild, lending an instant patina. Most dramatically, he excavated a massive basement which extends under the front lawn. “This allowed us to create a lower floor, with wine cellar, cinema, gym and a garage with a turntable,” Sebastian says.
The new home is in an L-shape, enclosing a loggia. To the left of the entry are the library, sitting room and study, while to the right sit the kitchen, scullery and butler’s pantry. Extending beyond them into the rear yard is an expansive open-plan family room under a coffered ceiling. Meanwhile, the first floor comprises four bedrooms, including the main, a media room and even a sauna.
Sebastian raised the ground floor ceilings to a lofty three metres, resulting in dramatic and intriguing spaces – both upstairs and down. The increased ceiling height on the ground floor raised the floor on the upper level. In response, he designed it as an attic within the original roofline, creating intricate raked ceilings.
A coffered ceiling adds gravitas and sophistication in the open plan. Wall panelling in the hallway, ceiling bulkheads and chevron oak flooring lend a classic elegance, highlighted by crisp white walls with gold accents. Throughout, the husband’s prized wallpaper stars, with a striking Moroccan-style Schumacher iteration in the front sitting room forming part of a portfolio that includes English botanical prints and Oriental-inspired panels by the likes of Cole & Son and Lewis & Wood.
In the hallway, an errant sheep facing a brass seashell-and-tree-branch console hints at what’s to come. “It is a large house, so I wanted to introduce the playful and unexpected,” says Aaron. The sitting room is designed around a Currey & Company ‘Berkeley’ gold-leaf chandelier, “with a Moroccan and a circus vibe – the room is a glorious mishmash of exotic ideals”, he explains. And a palm tree knick-knack caps it off.
In the open plan, two mustard armchairs sit below a Currey & Company ‘Forest Dawn’ chandelier, its crystals like raindrops dangling off golden tree branches. “The bold, warm colours help break up the room, creating defined sitting zones. When you’re standing at the kitchen, this room reveals itself in so many layers,” says Aaron.
In the English country house-inspired library, with its 60 metres of floor-to-ceiling bookshelves, a Currey & Company ‘Hanway’ chandelier in gold-leaf perforated iron steps down from the ceiling. “In such a traditional home, you expect to see a crystal chandelier, but this is so unexpected,” he says. Another surprise element: a whimsical fish table with Oriental overtones. Similarly, in the main bedroom, a Wildwood Regatta yacht pendant presents a fabulous flight of fancy.
“Each room has its own theme and evokes a different emotion,” says the owner. “Walking through the house feels like a journey, with a unique story in every room. It makes coming home a special experience.”
Alexander Pollack: alexanderpollock.com.au
Get the look
Trove ‘Geo’ mirror in Chestnut
GlobeWest, $1,445
Bakalowits Brass Pendant with Crystals
1stDibs, $9,520.69
Linen Curtain – Natural
Cultiver, $220
Bath Gel – English Pear and Freesia
Jo Malone London, $87
