Homes

A Calm Inner-City Melbourne Home That Elevates Everyday Rituals

In 2016, Jaime Vella, interior designer and co-owner of Itself Studio, and her husband Dylan Vella, took a chance and bought a single-fronted Victorian terrace on a main inner-city Melbourne road.

There wasn’t time for a building inspection, but the property was thankfully structurally sound, and exactly the type of home they were hoping to transform.

After living in the house for 18 months, the couple embarked on a major renovation. No additional space was added, but new rooms were introduced through careful reconfiguration. The renovated home is flooded with light thanks to a new north-facing outdoor space, and is decorated to perfection with Jaime’s design expertise!

Written
by
Lucy Feagins
|
Photography
by
|
Editorial styling
by

Annie Portelli

Supported by Dulux

Joinery by Profile Furniture. Steel frame door by Profile Furniture. Stone work by Multiform. Made By Story flooring in Peppercorn. Snelling Line Pendant 06.Dining table custom designed by Itself Studio and made by Profile Furniture in Dulux Misty Moore. Moller 77 dining chairs from Great Dane Furniture. Large artwork ‘Chop Chop’ By Cameron Gill from Daine Singer. Walls painted Dulux Vivid White. Artwork above fireplace ‘Garden State’ by Daniel O’Toole.

Jaime Vella, interior designer and co-owner of Itself Studio, and Dylan Vella.

Brass street numbers by Insigns, custom designed by Itself Studio. Dioscuri 14 light.

Oak veneer joinery by Profile Furniture. Appliances by Asko. Leathered ghibli granite by Multiform.

Dining table custom designed by Itself Studio and made by Profile Furniture in Dulux Misty Moore. Joinery by Profile Furniture. Steel frame door by Profile Furniture. Stone work by Multiform. Flooring by Made By Story in Peppercorn. Snelling Line Pendant 06. Faucet Strommen Pegasi tapware. Moller 77 dining chairs from Great Dane Furniture. Ross Gardam Polar Wall Light. Artwork ‘Chop Chop’ By Cameron Gill from Daine Singer. Walls painted Dulux Vivid White.

Dining table custom designed by Itself Studio and made by Profile Furniture in Dulux Misty Moore. Joinery by Profile Furniture. Steel frame door by Profile Furniture. Stone work by Multiform. Flooring by Made By Story in Peppercorn. Snelling Line Pendant 06. Faucet Strommen Pegasi tapware. Moller 77 dining chairs from Great Dane Furniture. Ross Gardam Polar Wall Light. Artwork ‘Chop Chop’ By Cameron Gill from Daine Singer. Walls painted Dulux Vivid White. Artwork above fireplace ‘Garden State’ by Daniel O’Toole.

Dining table custom designed by Itself Studio and made by Profile Furniture in Dulux Misty MooreMoller 77 dining chair from Great Dane Furniture. Bump Servingware by Stephanie James-Manttan for Jam.

Armadillo Agra rug. Artwork above fireplace ‘Garden State’ by Daniel O’Toole. Dining table custom designed by Itself Studio and made by Profile Furniture in Dulux Misty Moore. Joinery by Profile Furniture. Steel frame door by Profile Furniture. Stone work by Multiform. Flooring by Made By Story in Peppercorn. Snelling Line Pendant 06. Moller 77 dining chairs from Great Dane Furniture. Artwork ‘Chop Chop’ By Cameron Gill from Daine Singer. Walls painted Dulux Vivid White. Artwork above fireplace ‘Garden State’ by Daniel O’Toole.

Artwork ‘Garden State’ by Daniel O’Toole. Porcelain object by Jaime Vella. Walls painted Dulux Vivid White.

Artwork ‘Polyphony: Forest’ by Nina Sanadze from Daine Singer. Belt Sofa by Patricia Urquiola for Moroso from Hub. Side table/sculpture by Moda Piera. Armadillo Agra rug. Curtains by Life by Shades.

Made By Story flooring in Peppercorn. Jardan Fred coffee table. Artwork ‘Polyphony: Forest’ by Nina Sanadze from Daine Singer. Armadillo Agra rug. Den Holm vase. Flowers by Pomp & Splendour. Walls painted Dulux Vivid White.

Supertuft Escape Velour carpet. In Bed bed linen in Chestnut. Large white artwork ‘Untitled’ (original duplicate) by Leanne Failla. Cross-stitch artworks by Dana Swieca. Walls painted Dulux Vivid White.

Oak veneer joinery by Profile Furniture. Vanity mirror and stool by Snelling. Jardan Stonewash Cotton Coal bedding. BFGF blanket. Walls painted Dulux Vivid White. Supertuft Escape Velour carpet.

Writer
Lucy Feagins
Photography
Editorial styling

Annie Portelli

14th of June 2023
Interior design
Building advice

Zed Build and Built by Scope

Concrete

Formed Constructions

Joinery & steelwork

Profile Furniture

Location

Cremorne, VIC/Wurundjeri Country

Cremorne is a small, partially industrial Melbourne suburb close to the CBD, sporting arenas, Botanic Gardens, and the Yarra River. Not many homes come up for sale in this area, so when a single-fronted Victorian terrace hit the market, Jaime and Dylan Vella knew they had to take a look.

The property had three bedrooms, north-facing windows, and was easily enhanceable…but it was on a main road. ‘I was initially hesitant with the location,’ says Jaime Vella, who is an interior designer and co-owner of Itself Studio. ‘However, when we saw the property, it was so much better than anything we had seen up to that point in our search that we instantly knew that we wanted it.’

The couple bought the house without a building inspection in the midst of the booming 2016 property market. Fortunately, it was structurally sound, and ripe for renovation.

Jaime and Dylan haven’t extended the home, but have significantly reconfigured the existing floor plan to include a second bathroom (achieved by taking down a brick wall to get an extra 100mm of space) and a more functional living area that better utilises its northern aspect.

Large glass doors open to reveal a new internal courtyard, that invites maximum light and greenery into the home.

In designing the interiors, Jaime says she wasn’t inspired by a particular style, but the idea of elevating daily rituals and instilling a sense of calm. ‘It probably speaks more to an atmosphere than an aesthetic,’ she explains.

‘Like the rest of Melbourne, we really enjoy coffee, and this is something we specifically designed for: our little morning coffee spot where we can sit in the sun and enjoy a slow morning coffee.’

The main interior walls are painted Dulux Vivid White with vibrant colour introduced through the furniture (including the custom dining table in Dulux Misty Moore) art, bathroom tiles, natural stone, and carpet.

‘A lot of colour is brought in through the joinery, which is all American oak, and the beautiful soft pink of the granite which has a leathered texture,’ says Jaime. ‘The main bathroom is pink, but it’s actually really neutral because it’s so much of the same tile.’

The renovation also features new plumbing, electrics, heating, kitchen, laundry, flooring, joinery and plaster — all of which were designed by Jaime, with most of the building works completed by Dylan. The couple lived in the home throughout the renovation, which took about two years.

‘We did the majority of this work ourselves. When I say “we,” I mostly mean Dylan, who worked for two years on this project while still working full time,’ says Jaime.

‘There were points in the project we really thought we couldn’t go on and we had lots of support from our amazing families and friends — who are actual tradies — and without this we would have got really stuck.’

As for the main road Jaime was initially concerned about — it hasn’t been an issue. The couple added a new rear entrance to the home during the renovation, and the layout is now oriented towards the back laneway — away from the hustle and bustle outside.

‘The main living areas are all towards the back of the house and really aren’t affected by the street at all,’ Jaime says. ‘Probably the only sounds you hear is the roar of fans and sirens from the MCG when a match is on, and they are pretty great sounds to hear.’

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