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Joe Ottone and Melanie Clark found this former Yallingup holiday home in 2010. At the time, the couple were living in a three-bedroom cottage in Fremantle with toddler twins, with one entire bedroom dedicated as storage space for their homewares store, Remedy! They had quickly outgrown the space, and were deciding between renovating their Fremantle cottage or moving to the Yallingup region for a tree change. Within in a week of looking, they had found and purchased a new home!
Originally designed as a holiday home, when Melanie and Joe took possession, a few updates were necessary to make the house function as a full time family home. ‘We have essentially given the whole house an overhaul’ explains Melanie.
The couple re-worked the floorplan, creating a new entry, and redesigning internal doorways for better flow between the private and public areas. The kitchen was renovated (and doubled in size), the bathroom was updated and a home office added. Outside, expansive decks were wrapped along the front of the home to take in the bushland views, and offer a spot for sky-gazing at night!
‘I call it the house that Joe re-built,’ laughs Melanie. ‘Joe did the majority of it, with structural help from our builder friend Ken Norrish, and it’s everything we had hoped for.’
When re-designing the house, Melanie and Joe felt it was important to be true to its ‘bush house’ origins, while giving a strong nod to their love for mid-century Australian and European design. True to their passion for authentic design, the pair have filled their home with second-hand furniture pieces, Australian design, and contemporary European design, with various vintage and new pieces from their much loved store.
‘Anyone who knows our stores will recognise many Remedy products, both past and present, in our home’ says Melanie. ‘We don’t own a lot, but what we do have, we love.’
Today, the couple continues to run the business side of Remedy from their bush land home office, also travelling 300 kilometres to and from Fremantle and Leederville to work in their stores and catch up with customers-turned-friends. Despite this epic regular commute, they make a strong case for the benefits of a tree change. ‘Being here has brought me an awareness of just how your environment can impact your well being, from your home’s structure, to the items you choose to live with (or without), to the neighbours and community,’ says Melanie.
To see more of Joe and Melanie’s store Remedy, visit them online here.
