When the pandemic hit, we returned to Melbourne to renovate, and life and construction unfolded simultaneously, joyfully and sometimes chaotically. The only structural move we made was to open up the eat-in kitchen, a decision that unlocked the heart of the house. From that point, the brief became clear: honour what was already there. The original timber detailing in the kitchen became our guide, and we carried that warmth throughout, replacing laminate with the real thing wherever we could.
Ruby, our third, arrived in the midst of it all. The house was built for two children, and a third threw off the balance in the best possible way. It’s something we still haven’t quite figured out, and we probably won’t for some time.