Arianne and Andrew Vincent’s former home in Melbourne, Australia, was the kind of place one dreams of. It’s her three-storey home near the beach overlooking Port Phillip Bay.
But after years of climbing stairs and chasing three growing children (now ages 18 to 23) from floor to floor, “we were ready to live on the same floor.” ” said Vincent, 55, a business consultant who used to work in the furniture industry. industry. “We wanted a pool and a more fun family home.”
Six years ago, they found something appealing in the nearby suburb of Brighton. Built in 1889, the Victorian brick house is one of the oldest and largest, with a concrete sill and a sunny north-facing garden on four acres. Ta. An olive tree they had seen.
“It’s probably one of the most important olive trees in Victoria,” Vincent said. She and Vincent, 63, who runs a mobile document shredding company, bought the house in November 2018 for about A$2.8 million ($1.8 million).
The house wasn’t perfect. It was in need of repair, had a clunky addition to the back, and the interior looked like it had been last updated in the 1980s. “It was very dilapidated and unloved and had been renovated really cheaply,” Vincent said.
The couple wanted to restore the original grandeur and update the home for modern living, so they turned to Melbourne firm Mim Design to draw up their plans. “It was all about removing the extraneous shapes that had been added over the years and returning this home to its roots with this beautiful rectangular shape,” said interiors director Charlotte McGill. “We then designed a new pavilion with a similar shape to the rear to accommodate the kitchen, living and dining areas and to provide views of the garden.”
An atrium/den lined with floor-to-ceiling steel and glass doors was added to connect the old building and the addition, which is clad in cedar plank siding.
The older portion of the 3,500-square-foot home was reconfigured to create a main suite, two additional bedrooms, and a living room, while the main features, including an arched entryway with decorative corbels nearby, We have retained and restored as many original details as possible. Front door and entire crown molding. Later, more period-appropriate touches were added, such as ornate ceiling medallions and arched panels above interior doors.
The original fireplace mantel was missing, so Vincent looked for an 1880s marble replacement. For the front door sidelights and transom, we found a leaded glass replacement made from antique glass.
But in addition to that, the house feels noticeably more modern. Most of the spaces are spacious with space for cooking, eating, and relaxing. To one side is the kitchen, anchored by a sleek island made of Bianco Lana marble and simple gray cabinetry ending with a window seat. On the other side, there is low furniture and a long fireplace, topped by Venetian plaster panels that slide open to reveal a bookshelf, stereo system and television.
To the rear, a pair of glass slides designed by landscape architect Kate Patterson open onto the pool deck and gardens. A grassy walkway leads to an apartment with a swimming pool, nestled under olive trees at the rear of the property.
After completing the renovation project in 2019, the Vincents moved into a rental home around the corner so Tenet Construction could begin construction in May 2020, early in the pandemic.
“Melbourne was one of the most locked down cities in the world,” Vincent said. “But we still got through it. We thought it was very important to support the builders and as a result we were able to have a great journey.” The cost was around 3 million. The family moved back into the house in September 2021 for AUD ($2 million).
To complete the designer’s vision, the Vincents purchased almost entirely new furniture for their home, adding contemporary pieces such as a bulbous Moroso Gauguin sofa by Patricia Urquiola in the living room and a sofa by Pierre Paired with mid-century modern classics such as the Cassina Capitol Complex chair that inspired it. Jeanneret at the kitchen table.
Nowadays, families love to spend time at home, with easy access between rooms and the outdoors. “It’s just so much fun and it’s such a comfortable place to live,” Vincent says. “It feels like you’re in nature, not in the city.”
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