Hey, guys. Today, I’m in my old hood, Elwood, which I happen to think is the best place to live in Melbourne. That’s a big call, I know, but I went there. So, it’s safe to say I am super jealous of anyone that gets to live in this beautiful tree-lined suburb. And I’m probably going to be jealous for this entire home tour, but I’m going to move all of that jelly off to the side to make sure I show you around this superbly renovated, double fronted Victorian. Let’s go take a look.
Do you know what? I could probably sum up this home in one word and that is.. sophisticated. I’m probably going to elaborate because otherwise this is going to be a really short video, but I’m serious. This home is seriously sophisticated. The owner is an interior designer and that is clearly evident throughout. I mean the interiors of this home are just so incredible. And I’ve got to admit I’ve got a couple of interior designer mates and whenever I walk into their home I basically feel like I’m a small child because everything feels so grown up. So well-considered every single detail, every single material choice, everything is just so spot on and superb and it’s like that in this home. You can also tell that this owner has been incredibly well traveled. She spent seven years of her life in New York and that has led to some of these incredible pieces that you’ve seen this home, we’ve got to talk about the artwork.
The artwork is just sensational in every single room there’s a different type of artwork. There is no rhyme or reason. It’s really random and I love when artwork is random. There should never be a rule to art and the owner has just chosen pieces that she really loves and she’s really drawn to. The combination of materials is just so incredibly luxurious and just spot on, really welcoming, but really luxurious as well. It’s a fine line to get there.
There’s beautiful marble detailing with the timber. Those timber floorboards are incredible. They are actually original floor boards that were stripped back and bleached and there’s also this amazing dark bronze that’s throughout, through the bathrooms and through that range wood in the kitchen. There’s just all these really beautiful dark bronze elements as well. It has quite a light and airy … I’m not going to say coastal feel, but because it’s so light and bright you do kind of reflect the fact that you are living close to the beach here in Elwood. But ultimately it has a really classic elegant tone to it and I think the two play quite well together.
There’s a lot of luxurious pieces mixed with pieces that aren’t so luxurious and it just really works. It really brings everything together and you can just tell this owner has an incredible eye for detail. This home was built in 1880 so she’s an old gal. Yes, they’ve done a renovation, but the bones of this building are absolutely incredible. It is so rare to find a double fronted, two story Victorian home like this in Elwood no less. The owners loved the fact that they had a blank canvas to work on and the fact that they already had some obviously good looking things to start working with.
The main structural work that was done in this home was pretty much just in the kitchen and also upstairs where there used to be a walk-in robe. They turned that into that guest bathroom. The kitchen used to be its own separate room, which was obviously a little bit pokey and closed off, so they opened it all up so it could lead down onto the dining room. The other thing the owners did was changed the doors to the living and dining area, so they opened them all up making them all beautiful big spaces, which gives you that really generous feel when you walk through and they also restored all those incredible fireplaces that when they moved in were all closed off and shut away.
Next, the art that is on the walls in this home is truly spectacular. You’ve got the likes of Christian Thompson, William Mackinnon, Tom Polo, Jake Walker, Caitlin Lonegan, that’s just to name a few. There are some spectacular interior pieces in here as well. There’s a stunning blue occasional chair in the living room, Molteni & C chair from Milan, that coffee table, which are coffee tables because there’s seven of them. And then there’s that really interesting wall sconce from Apparatus Studio from New York, hanging over that incredible sculptural piece in the hallway.
So I told you I was going to be jealous and I’m gonna tell you my jealousy levels are peaking. I mean not only is this house just truly spectacular, but its location. The thing about Elwood is that you’ve got the beach on your doorstep, but it also so close to the city. And I think this home kind of encapsulates that as well.
There is no doubt that this home is super sophisticated. It’s got a very urban vibe to it. At the same time, it does have a really light, airy feel to it, which I think relaxes it a little bit as well. To me, this home screams New York apartment whilst at the same time reflecting the cruisy coastal vibes of Elwood.
Yes, you’re still here, thank you so much for watching this episode of Let Us In. Let me know what you think in the comments below. Like, share, subscribe. We’ve got heaps more home tours coming and I want to know what you think. We’ll catch you next time.
Check out our previous Let Us In Episode 10 where we take a tour of the Tucketts Road Mount Macedon.
