When a Brazilian couple purchased this historic home in the beachside suburb of Williamstown, Victoria two years ago, they knew there was work ahead!

The house had a bad case of ’90s hangover and so the owners engaged Interior Designer Melissa Lunardon, who collaborated with renowned inner-west Melbourne architects Basset Lobaza and builder Truform Construction on the renovation.

“We were sympathetic to the characteristics of the home — retaining beautiful features such as cornices, ceiling roses and large architraves. But we incorporated a contemporary colour scheme and materials to help balance old and new,” explains Melissa.

Her clients just moved in this month and love how their new home looks, and we think you will too. Let’s take a look around!

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Each surface and material in this renovation was carefully considered to ensure it was practical for everyday living and entertaining — a point strongly outlined in the brief. So you won’t see any carpet in sight (their Labrador is part of the family and noticeable fur was a no-no!), rather extra large format floor tiles in 1200×900 size were used throughout.

“These beautiful grey tiles, combined with white finishes and oak timbers form the palette in the home.

“Our clients love the contemporary feel of this palette and the way it creates a seamless flow from every room of the house.

“I believe that repetition can create a harmonious interior. While the same floor tiles were used throughout, the clients wanted a different feature tile in each bathroom. We created interest with shape rather than colour by selecting different white features tiles in each bathroom.

“All bathrooms also feature sleek, floating cabinetry in either white or oak veneer finishes.”

Check out this article on 11 types of white tiles and get inspired to play with shape in your next project.

One challenge Melissa had to overcome was the strong afternoon sun in the kitchen and dining area.

“I avoided creating an all-white reflective box by introducing a warmer palette of materials. All the highlight windows and sliding doors in this area also have automated blinds so it allows easy light control.”

And what a warm and inviting space it is. Let’s also take a moment to appreciate that bar! We think Melissa nailed the brief of creating a home set for entertaining in this historic Australian home renovation! To see more of Melissa’s work, follow her on Instagram.

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Photography by Kate Hansen Photography