Mandy Paton’s South Yarra apartment
South American details fill Mandy’s home… I love the handsome couple above!
Mandy’s light filled dining area overlooks the shared pool! Love her rustic dining chairs, sourced on a buying trip in Argentina.
Amor y locura = love and madness
Friends at the dinner tableThese days I find myself constantly on the hunt for cute Australian Homes… It is not a very streamlined research process -mainly relying on a haphazard combination of guess-work, gut instinct and random tip-offs… it’s a wonder I manage to find one each week to share (and let me tell you, some weeks I cut it pretty fine!). ANYWAY. I am always quite pleased with myself when I get an inkling which turns out to be a winner! Today’s home tour is one such example! I have been chasing Mandy (nicely) for quite a few months, hoping/assuming her home would be lovely. And guess what? It’s lovely! Phew.
Mandy Paton is the owner of Fitzroy’s very gorgeous shop amor y locura. You know, that one you always drive / cycle past on your way home from work and think “man that shop looks cool, I gotta check that out”. YES you do! Amor y locura (translation – ‘Love and Madness’) is full to the brim of Mandy’s incredible finds, uncovered on frequent buying trips to South America – Mexican hand-painted ‘day of the dead’ ephemera, Argentinian artefacts and exquisite antiques, wrought iron furniture and gates, rustic press metal mirrors and lanterns and lighting, a huge life-size copper(?) palm tree…?! It really is a treasure trove of unique pieces… and you can certainly be assured that you just won’t see these items anywhere else!
Not surprisingly, the South Yarra apartment Mandy shares with her teenage daughter is just as beautiful as her shop – although a little more restrained! Nestled in an incredible art deco mansion-style building by the Yarra, the 2-bedroom space is bright, warm and welcoming. It’s furnished sparely with Mandy’s favourite finds, many from South America of course. The apartment overlooks the shared pool and leafy surrounds, with beautiful views from every window. There’s something truly unique about this grand apartment building – it really feels like no other building in Melbourne…! It has a distinctly ‘international’ flavour… walking up the ornate, almost gothic staircase, with ferns and overgrown foliage cascading down the central light well, you feel you’ve been transported to 1930′s LA, or perhaps even Barcelona. It’s a bit magical like that.
If you love Mandy’s home you really need to check out her incredible shop! A truly unique Melbourne shopping experience! (some pics of the store below)
amor y locura
77 Gertrude st
Fitzroy
Winter trading hours :
Friday and Saturday 11.00am – 6.00pm
Sunday 11.00am – 3.00pm
Appointments very welcome on other days! ph. 9486 0270
Top – view of the pool from Mandy’s dining room., bottom – a little underwater ‘window’ through to the pool!
amor y locura – how good are Mandy’s new Mexican ‘Acapulco’ chairs in those brilliant bright colours?!
10 Comments
love it, neutrals with hits of vibrant colour, love it, thanks for sharing your home Mandy.
All that lovely colour! i am coveting that rug in her living room too……..KG
ahhhh beverly hills apartments, i love you sooooo much. someday i will live in you!
When I started looking through this post I wondered if it might be the home of amor y locura's owner, and it is! Very lovely home and shop!
that pool/courtyard is insane! and you're right, i DID walk past amor y locura the other night and think those exact words.
WOW! So much to look at there! Thanks for the tip about the shop, I must stop in next time I'm in Melbourne. I LOVE religious artefacts, and have a soft spot for those from Mexico. The 3 crosses in the apartment above the opening to the kitchen are my sort of thing.
Linda. :)
What a beautiful home, thanks so much for sharing. Love the Mexican/South American touches, I bet the house is magical, certainly looks like it. I especially love that unique and colorful area rug, I wish I lived in Melbourne to check it out :) Regards!
LOVE LOVE LOVE the new wordpress layout Lucy…
oh. my. god. That is the B.H’s apartments! We used to sneak our way up to the rooftop, drink wine and smoke! I had a big dream of living there with a beautiful boy and hanging around the pool and being very chic…That was back in 1985. I was 15. These pictures have bought back a lot of memories of that incredibly magical place..Thank you Mandy for sharing.
thanks for all the lovely comments! we are really blessed to live here – it is a magical pocket of Melbourne. It was an absolute pleasure to have Lucy come and take photos!