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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.
Today we have a fabulous family beachside house to share, in Mt Eliza on Victoria's Mornington Peninsula. This is home to the Kristan and Tom Dwyer and their four kids, Coco (8 years), Freddie (6 years), Daisy (5 years) and Johnny (3 years). Oh, and Jagger, the Blue Heeler puppy! Suffice to say this is one busy household!
The Dwyer family have lived here just a little over a year. Not long after moving in they undertook some basic renovations to modernise and personalise the space - the whole house was recarpeted with Herringbone Sisal, and the interior repainted. In the hallway and front entrance section of the house, a dramatic effect was achieved using Dulux 'Domino' (how great do those dark walls look!?), whilst the back rooms were brightened and freshened up with white paint throughout. Additional storage and shelving was added throughout, window furnishings removed and light fittings changed. The result is a stylish and contemporary home that still retains most of its original layout, freshened up with simple cosmetic changes which really brighten and modernise the space.
Kristan has a particularly keen eye for homewares and interior styling elements, as proprietor of online store Styled Sealed Delivered, which she calls a 'one stop shop' for all tableware and event decorating needs! At home, she’s particularly fond of layering vintage elements to create a sense of narrative and depth - she loves her vintage world maps, picked up in a New York antique shop, as well as her vintage poster collection.
Kristan says what her family loves most about living here is being able to get away from the hustle and bustle of Melbourne, whilst still being less than an hour away from town. 'The beach is at the end of the street and it is a great spot for kids to be kids' she says. 'It is very old school here, kids still ride skate boards in the street. The natural beauty of Mt Eliza is very inspiring and it has a lovely village community feeling'.
Huge thanks to Tom and Kristan for sharing their home with us today...!
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.
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