Homes

A 1970s Fitzroy Townhouse With An Eltham Feel

The Design Files’ love of 1960s-1980s houses in Melbourne’s leafy outer north-east is well documented (see here, here, and here!) but we also can’t resist a well-designed inner-city home.

This sharehouse is the best of both worlds: a circa 1970s brick townhouse with original retro interiors, in a prime Fitzroy North location near Edinburgh Gardens.

Step inside this inner-city Melbourne sanctuary shared by three creatives, spatial designer Henry King, artist Anna Fiedler, and film director Grace Moore.

Written
by
Lucy Feagins
|
Photography
by
|
Editorial styling
by

Annie Portelli and Sarah Hendriks

Supported by Dulux

Wall hanging by designed by architect David Shaw Nicholls. Vintage couch. Neptune Sticks by Hermon Blue. Chain Plinth by Zachary Frankel.

 

Wall hanging by designed by architect David Shaw Nicholls. Vintage couch.

Film director Grace Moore, spatial designer Henry King, and artist Anna Fiedler.

Cahir mostly by Australian furniture maker Norman Archibald from the ’70s situated. Vintage Tulip table. Limestone sculpture by Lauren Lea Haynes. Artwork by Charlotte Alldis. Ritual Candelabra by Hermon Blue. Tinka (lizard) by Winifred Reid from Tjanpi Desert Weavers.

Weave by Anna Feidler. Vase by Amy Leeworthy. Artwork by Karl Halliday. Vintage stools.

The record nook under the stairs. Arnold Stool designed by Martino Gamper.

Weave by Anna Feidler. Vase by Amy Leeworthy. Artwork by Karl Halliday. Vintage stools. Black framed photograph by Henry King.

Weave by Anna Feidler. Vase by Amy Leeworthy. Citrus juicer by Dot & Co. Studio.

Weave by Anna Feidler. Vase by Amy Leeworthy. Vintage stools.

The laundry.

The kitchen nook looking to the back courtyard.

The untouched 1970s bathroom.

Gifted wood sculpture from dear friend Zachary Frankel. Bookmark by Anna Fiedler. Lamp by sblme studio.

Henry’s bedroom. Steel and marble side table by Henry King.

 

 

Grace’s bedroom. Photograph by Jess Brohier.

Anna’s bedroom. Wire work by Anna Fiedler.

Writer
Lucy Feagins
Photography
Editorial styling

Annie Portelli and Sarah Hendriks

24th of May 2023

The home of spatial designer Henry King, artist Anna Fiedler, and film director Grace Moore is a rare gem among Melbourne’s inner-north. Located just a couple of streets back from Edinburgh Gardens, the circa 1970s townhouse is in a prime position, but offers the feeling of a secluded house on the city’s leafy fringe.

Henry moved into the sharehouse (which is one of four similar townhouses) in 2021. The home’s brick wall and vaulted timber ceilings, angular walls, and exposed roof beams reminded him of homes designed by Alistair Knox typical of Eltham and Warrandyte in Melbourne’s north-east (particularly his friend Tilly Barber’s house), and offered an equally relaxing feel.

‘When I first walked into the home, I remember the calm presence that washed over me,’ Henry says. ‘It has a Warrandyte interior feel to it, as well as tree views through windows.’

Henry, Anna, and Grace have embraced the home’s original features, including the built-in shelving under the stairs (perfect for storing records) and the untouched bathroom with windows looking out to three treetops. ‘Seeing the moon while you’re bathing is also pretty special,’ Henry says.

Henry’s favourite room is his bedroom that feels a world away from the busy streets outside. ‘When lying down on my bed through my triangular window [the room is ] filled with total greenery — you don’t see anything but trees, green and sky,’ he says. ‘It’s really special and the perfect spot to close out the day and watch the sun set and go from blues to black.’

The housemates have styled the home mostly with secondhand furniture sourced from Facebook Marketplace and Gumtree, as well as Henry’s own designs.

Anna’s woven artworks adorn the walls alongside a ’90s wall hanging, and paintings by talented friends.

Henry describes the home as a sanctuary that he feels lucky to retreat to each day. ‘It’s a very poetic home; gentle in the morning, joyful in the afternoon rays, and warm with the night sky — enhanced with rain and the comfort of a tea or a table full for dinner.’

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