Jacqui Vidal and Casey McCutcheon

The Melbourne apartment of Jacqui Vidal of Signed & Numbered, her partner Casey McCutcheon and their two year old daughter Ellis.  Right hand wall  - a collection of gocco prints by Ghostpatrol, artwork by window - original paintings purchased in Brazil, Coffee Table from Insitu, hand-painted by Melbourne artist Miso.  Photo - Annette O'Brien, styling - Alana Langan of Hunt & Bow.

Coffee Table from Insitu, hand-painted by Melbourne artist Miso. 'The table was one of the door prizes at an event I attended – I still can’t believe I won it!' says Jacqui!  Photo - Annette O'Brien, styling - Alana Langan of Hunt & Bow.

Dining area.  Dining setting inherited from Jacqui's Mum. 'My mum’s is a bit of a hoarder so most of our furniture came from her storage unit, including this dining table and matching chair setting' says Jacqui.   Artwork, top shelf from left - Maurice Golotta, Jan Van Dijk, Mel Kadel, and middle shelf from left - photo of Casey from his baby pageant days (!!), Kitty Hortan.  Photo - Annette O'Brien, styling - Alana Langan of Hunt & Bow.

Homeowner Jacqui Vidal of Signed & Numbered, with some of her favourite works on paper.Artwork on wall - 'Epiphany' print by Letitia Green.  On floor (from front to back) artwork by Acorn, Slicer, Delicate Mayhem. Photo - Annette O'Brien, styling - Alana Langan of Hunt & Bow.

I haven't been house hunting for some time (thank GOD) but I must admit, when I was in the market, the elusive 'two bedroom art deco apartment' was definitely on my wish list. (I didn't get one, of course... but that's another story).  Someone who DID secure one of these much coveted and quintessentially 'Melbourne' apartments is Jacqui Vidal, owner of Melbourne print gallery Signed & Numbered and her partner Casey McCutcheon!  Their beautiful light-filled little home is tucked just off st Kilda Road, and they live here with their two year old daughter Ellis (who everything thinks is named 'Alice'), and Dexter the whippet! Jacqui and Casey purchased their unit 4 years ago. After returning home from a year living in London, they originally moved in with Jacqui's dad, setting a strict six-month time frame on the arrangement, and planning to rent if nothing appropriate popped up. Luckily, they found their place within 3 months. 'We only had three strict criteria – timber floor boards, high ceilings and no drop lights!' says Jacqui.  'I knew from the moment we walked in that this was the one'. The apartment required a little love to bring it up to scratch, however.  With a minimal budget, Jacqui and Casey did the best they could to lighten and brighten the space. 'The first thing we did was rip up the carpet to expose the original hardwood floors, and paint all the walls white' says Jacqui. 'We also removed the lino tiles in the kitchen, which involved one very long night on our hands and knees with pliers in hand, removing every little nail that was embedded in the floor - and by embedded I mean that they were really stuck in there!  We ripped our hands to shreds in the process and still talk about the horrors of that night!'  Ahhhh every first home buyer has a story like this don't they? After living in the home for four years, earlier this year they finally committed to  renovating the bathroom and kitchen, which was completed mid-year. 'The highlight was definitely discovering that there was a beautiful original terrazzo floor in our bathroom that we had absolutely no idea about' says Jacqui... 'It even worked with the wall tiles we’d already picked out!' Jacqui's store, Signed & Numbered, sells limited edition works on paper by Australian and international artists, so it's no surprise her home is filled with an eclectic mix of artwork and prints by her favourite artists. 'Our hand painted coffee table is a fave' says Jacqui. 'Watching Miso paint it live was incredible. As I’m not an artist myself I always love watching artists paint. How their mind talks to their hand is such an incredible thing. I struggle to draw a stick figure so I’m always amazed at the work we receive at Signed & Numbered, and the skill behind it'. Since opening her first store in Greville street in 2010, Jacqui's business has gone from strength to strength - and she just opened her second store on Degraves Street in the CBD a few weeks ago!  With a focus on affordable, limited edition work by local artists, Signed & Numbered cleverly positions itself somewhere inbetween an art gallery and a retail store. 'I like to think that Signed & Numbered looks and feels more like a record store than an art gallery' says Jacqui.  'Customers are encouraged to flick through the limited edition prints on offer and really see them up close.'  The Signed & Numbered online store is well worth a look too!

Dexter the whippet - 'posing as usual' says Jacqui!  Plant stands by Mr Kitly, artwork - gocco prints by Ghostpatrol.  Photo - Annette O'Brien, styling - Alana Langan of Hunt & Bow.

Jaqui and Casey decided to create a feature of the kitchen wall by taking it back to brick. 'I took a day off work thinking I could do it all myself in one day. I now look back and laugh!' says Jaqcui. 'It turned into the biggest project and an epic amount of hours went into it!'.  But doesn't it look grand!? Mesh chair from Bludot, wallmounted table made by Casey’s stepbrother, Mark Miller aka Anachronated Design. on wall - framed Able & Game tea towel, Jai Vasicekwall tile.  Photo - Annette O'Brien, styling - Alana Langan of Hunt & Bow.

Kitchen.  Photo - Annette O'Brien, styling - Alana Langan of Hunt & Bow.

Bedroom.  Artwork above bed - 'Whisky Flowers Burnt by the Wind' by Melbourne street artist Slicer. Photo - Annette O'Brien, styling - Alana Langan of Hunt & Bow.

Bathroom - check out that original floor Jacqui uncovered during the renovations!  God bless her for not tiling over it...! Photo - Annette O'Brien, styling - Alana Langan of Hunt & Bow.

Sunroom.  Artwork - One Mans Trash, Maurice Golotta.  Photo - Annette O'Brien, styling - Alana Langan of Hunt & Bow.

Custom shelf by Mark Miller, Casey's stepbrother, who's just set up his own furniture business - Anachronated Design  '...Mark made this for us so I have somewhere to leave my keys – no excuses for not finding them!' says Jacqui.  Artwork on left, portrait of Dexter, a gift from illustrator Beccy Brown.  Photo - Annette O'Brien, styling - Alana Langan of Hunt & Bow.

Two year old Ellis' bedroom!  'We decided when Ellis was born to give her a piece of artwork for her birthday every year' says Jacqui... 'The idea being, that when she moves out she will have this amazing collection to take with her. This door was our second birthday present to her, and was painted by Melbourne artist and good friend Kaff-Eine.'  Photo - Annette O'Brien, styling - Alana Langan of Hunt & Bow.

Entrance hall. 'This is actually a small scale reproduction of the Vexta mural in our first Signed & Numbered print shop' explains Jacqui. 'It was painted over by the new tenants, but we had a great photo of it, so with Vexta’s permission we had a mini-mural printed for our corridor'.  Photo - Annette O'Brien, styling - Alana Langan of Hunt & Bow.

Sun-drenched reading spot.  Photo - Annette O'Brien, styling - Alana Langan of Hunt & Bow.

Art deco building exterior.  Photo - Annette O'Brien, styling - Alana Langan of Hunt & Bow.