BEST OF AUSTRALIAN HOMES 2012 · Natalie Bloom and Family

The Melbourne home of Natalie Bloom and family - Photos by Sean Fennessy, production Lucy Feagins / The Design Files

Natalie Bloom at home.  Painting by Howard Arkley, Buddha from Ubud, Bali.  Photo by Sean Fennessy, production by Lucy Feagins / The Design Files

Well dear readers, today is the last installment of our 'Best of 2012 Australian Homes' round up, and you'll be pleased to know that next week we are BACK with usual content!  Thanks so much for joining us over the sleepy holiday period, and for allowing me to wind down just a smidgen over the last week and a half! We're finishing up today by re-visiting a seriously special Melbourne home, owned by one of Melbourne's most stylish and inspiring creative businesswomen - Natalie Bloom of Bloom Cosmetics. I am a MASSIVE  fan of Natalie's, and was more than a little starstruck to meet her when we photographed her home.  As a busy Mum (of four!) with an incredibly successful business, Natalie is inspiring in so many ways, and so not surprisingly this post was incredibly popular when we first ran this story back in June. Natalie and husband Brian moved into this house in 2002, and enlisted much respected local interior designer Kerry Phelan to assist in modernising the space and selecting finishes and furniture.  The results are so stunning - the perfect balance of classic and contemporary styling, with just a touch of luxe.  This, in combination with its generous proportions, make this home a fantastically user-friendly space for this very busy family. For the full story and many more pics, please do re-visit the original post!

Master Bedroom - painting above bed by Mirka Mora.  Photo by Sean Fennessy, production Lucy Feagins / The Design Files

Natalie's seriously impressive pinboard!  - Photo by Sean Fennessy, production Lucy Feagins / The Design Files