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Australian houses, from architectural masterpieces to suburban family homes, Victorian terraces, mid-century marvels, coastal shacks, city apartments, and everything in between.
Award-winning Australian architecture, inspiring homes, and interviews with Australia’s top architects.
Award-winning Australian interior design, inspiring homes, and interviews with Australia’s top designers.
In depth features on Australia’s most beautiful gardens and landscape design.
Studio visits with Australia’s most talented creatives, from artists to architects, ceramicists to stylists, furniture makers to lighting designers.
Studio visits with Australia’s top artists, and unmissable art exhibitions in Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane and beyond.
Weekly recipes and meal ideas from our favourite cooks, authors and foodies.
Unique travel destinations, design-led accomodation and day trip ideas in Australia and New Zealand.
Australian houses, from architectural masterpieces to suburban family homes, Victorian terraces, mid-century marvels, coastal shacks, city apartments, and everything in between.
Award-winning Australian architecture, inspiring homes, and interviews with Australia’s top architects.
Award-winning Australian interior design, inspiring homes, and interviews with Australia’s top designers.
In depth features on Australia’s most beautiful gardens and landscape design.
Studio visits with Australia’s most talented creatives, from artists to architects, ceramicists to stylists, furniture makers to lighting designers.
Studio visits with Australia’s top artists, and unmissable art exhibitions in Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane and beyond.
Weekly recipes and meal ideas from our favourite cooks, authors and foodies.
Unique travel destinations, design-led accomodation and day trip ideas in Australia and New Zealand.
HELLO and welcome to another gorgeous Melbourne home! This is the Fitzroy pad of AMAZING Melbourne illustrator Kat Chadwick and her partner, designer/typographer Andrew Budge (aka ‘Budgie’). Kat and Andrew really confirm my theory that talented creative people just always have excellent homes, regardless of size, floorplan or budget. Truly! They’re always full of colour and creative ingenuity and kooky handmadeness.
Kat and Andrew have lived in their cosy ‘2 up, 2 down’ Fitzroy house for nearly two and a half years. Before they bought the place, a bachelor professor lived here for many years, and as Kat tactfully puts it – ‘it would be fair to say domesticity may not have been his forté’. The 150 year-old house was structurally sound but very rundown. With the help of a very kind and hardworking friend, Kat and Andrew set to work patching and plastering, then painted every inch of the place in the month before moving in. Instead of replacing the worn and scungy 80’s colonial-style kitchen, Kat and Andrew updated the cupboard doors, sanded and revarnished the timber bench tops, and had the floorboards polished. There had been a fire in the cooking alcove and the oven didn’t work so Andrew bought a pristine Ilve stove on ebay for $150 (+ $350 to freight it from Sydney)!! ‘It works beautifully and has cooked many tasty meals for us and our friends’ says Kat. SEE what I mean about creative ingenuity!
When asked what she loves most about her home, Kat says it’s the location, the high ceilings and having a garden. ‘Its just a little home – but perfect for a couple and a cat!!’ she says. For sentimental reasons, Kat’s most prized possessions are her Falcon chairs and 70’s floor rug in the front room. Andrew is most disappointed that his most favourite item, ‘Ratty’ the mummified rat, did not make the cut for this tour! This creepy creature has pride of place in a bell jar on the living room mantlepiece. Sorry Andrew. I tried. It was just too weird-looking. I can only echo your neices’ request – “Uncle Budgie, THROW THAT RAT OUT!!!!”
Huge thanks to Kat and Andrew for sharing their beautiful home! AND for leaving me to my own devices to take these pics! I cannot believe how many people leave me alone in their houses these days. I mean, I am practically a stranger. :) It does make it much easier though so thankyou K + A!
Kat’s work is AMAZING you must see more of it here (hers is the fantabulous ‘Chopper’ illustration on the front of The Design Files 2011 Neighbourhood Calendar, and she also handpainted the most excellent giant MAP for the calendar launch last year!). Andrew is also a design genius and has a company called Designland… lots to see on his website do have a look!
The Design Files acknowledge the Traditional Custodians of the lands on which we work, the Wurundjeri people of the Kulin Nation. We pay our respects to Elders past and present.
First Nations artists, designers, makers, and creative business owners are encouraged to submit their projects for coverage on The Design Files. Please email bea@thedesignfiles.net
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