A Prahran East Atelier Adorned With Layers Of History

Homes

As a celebrated and much loved interior designer, organiser of Como by Design, and founder of Nine Muses Textiles, Tigger Hall is practically Melbourne design royalty. She brings her many years of expertise to her own home, which is infused with layers of family history, family art, and treasures from travels.

Tigger shares her Prahran East home with daughter Beatrice Lewis (a musician who also travels the world with her band Haiku Hands) and their cocker spaniel, Max.

21st August, 2019

The fabulous Prahran East home of Tigger Hall, interior designer, organiser of Como by Design, and founder of Nine Muses Textiles. The living room. Sofa covered in Suzani purchased in Istanbul. Chair covered in Penny Morrison Arabella Red. Dulux Natural White is used on the walls. Photo – Caitlin Mills for The Design Files. Styling – Annie Portelli.

One of Tigger’s favourite corners, with old Coisonne Vases. Seascape painting by Donald Commons, Tigger’s great grandfather, alongside two of her great grandmother’s painting.Lamp from her great grandmother. ‘She loved this colour, as a child I remember her carpet which was also an elegant turquoise’, recalls Tigger. Photo – Caitlin Mills for The Design Files. Styling – Annie Portelli.

Tigger with Max. Antique Chapan jacket hanging on the back wall purchased in the Grand Bazaar in Istanbul. Photo – Caitlin Mills for The Design Files. Styling – Annie Portelli.

Salon wall of paintings by Tigger alongside those by her great grandfather, Bernard Hall. The studio table and chair are also his. Photo – Caitlin Mills for The Design Files. Styling – Annie Portelli.

A corner of the sitting room. Vanderhurd cushion. Photo – Caitlin Mills for The Design Files. Styling – Annie Portelli.

A very old Syrian pot purchased by Tigger in Istanbul at Christopher Hall’s shop, alongside a Tom Dixon bowl. Photo – Caitlin Mills for The Design Files. Styling – Annie Portelli.

The kitchen. A whimsical pottery bird candlestick Tigger made and painted. Goat jug carried back from Positano. Lanscape painting by Tigger’s mother. Photo – Caitlin Mills for The Design Files. Styling – Annie Portelli.

A sunny corner of the kitchen. Yoke pendant from Visual Comfort. Photo – Caitlin Mills for The Design Files. Styling – Annie Portelli.

A magnificently full and curated bookcase! Photo – Caitlin Mills for The Design Files. Styling – Annie Portelli.

Lightshade by Andrew Goulay, produced by Tigger with Geoffrey Mance from bits and pieces from his studio. Photo – Caitlin Mills for The Design Files. Styling – Annie Portelli.

In the hallway, looking into the bedroom. Floor rug purchased from the souk in Marrakesh. Photo – Caitlin Mills for The Design Files. Styling – Annie Portelli.

The sunny end of the sitting room. ‘The large piece is a 17th-Century French “Lit Clos'”Breton, or closed bed where country folk slept sitting up, as lying down was associated with death’, Tigger tells. Dulux Natural White is used on the walls. Photo – Caitlin Mills for The Design Files. Styling – Annie Portelli.

Two of Tigger’s favourite paintings. Above is by her great grandfather, Bernard Hall – a ‘sketch’ for The Quest, which belongs to The National Gallery. Below is a piece picked up in Antwerp. Stool from Tigger’s great grandfather’s studio. Photo – Caitlin Mills for The Design Files. Styling – Annie Portelli.

Early French folding bed purchase in L’Isle-sur-la-Sorgue, Tigger’s favourite antique shopping spot in France. Almaty Velvet black cushions by Carolina Irving. Painting by Tigger and Sue McCartney Space, ‘I love her wicked sense of humour’. Photo – Caitlin Mills for The Design Files. Styling – Annie Portelli.

Left: The bedroom. Old embroideries by Tigger’s grandmother, her mother, and Tigger herself. An antique bamboo chair from Geoffrey Hatty. Right: Nine Muse ‘Amber Palace’ cushion, a design Tigger painted after visiting the Amber Palace in Jaipur. Maison de Vacance throw and cushions, and fabric Tigger purchased in Stockholm by her favourite designer Josef Frank. Photo – Caitlin Mills for The Design Files. Styling – Annie Portelli.

New Nine MuseS Textiles collection, inspiration from two French old books printed around 1880 purchased in an unlikely bookshop in Frankfurt, Germany. ‘They were just sitting there in an old suitcase’, tells Tigger. Photo – Caitlin Mills for The Design Files. Styling – Annie Portelli.

Tigger in the studio, painting the 2019 Nine MuseS Textile collection. Photo – Caitlin Mills for The Design Files. Styling – Annie Portelli.

Lucy Feagins

Wednesday 21st August 2019

‘Everything has a comfortable patina, like diving back into an old book.’ – Tigger Hall.

Tigger Hall moved into this 1880s Prahran East property in 2012, and spend the following six months renovating the home. Tigger explains that she took her time sourcing salvaged materials for the building, including old pub doors, an altar rail from the church, and tram light fittings. It seems appropriate that the celebrated interior designer and founder of Nine Muses Textiles, who has spent a lifetime traveling the world to source materials and inspiration, should also renovate her house with the same passion and energy. She highlights ‘I love the hunt, and pulling the pieces together, I feel it creates a relaxed and eclectic mix.’

These lovingly sourced objects sit alongside a large collection of old family paintings and furniture that Tigger inherited. Her great grandfather was the esteemed painter Lindsay Bernard Hall, the longest serving director of the National Gallery. The family legacy is evident throughout the house, as sketches cover the walls, and Tigger enjoys sitting at his studio table and chair. She explains ‘everything has a comfortable patina, like diving back into an old book, with so many chapters to this room.’

Watch our latest video with Saskia Havekes of Grandiflora

Tigger describes her home as providing a cocooning sense of being wrapped up in both of her great-grandfather’s work (her other great grandfather was also an artist of note, Donald Commons. What a family!). The property mixes classic, playful and artistic aesthetics, with travelling flair thrown in for good measure. Tigger highlights ‘most visitors are so surprised when they first step into the space, often claiming it is a Paris Atelier.’

The interiors are directly influenced by Tigger’s travels to artist homes around the globe, including William Morris’ Kelmscott, the Bloomsbury group’s Charlston, and Monet’s home at Giverny. Tigger describes ‘they all have a sense of freedom in their interiors, a place of one’s own, where authenticity it key. I do feel I have achieved the same in the most natural sense, it is not contrived.’

Tigger’s love of tapestries and textiles is evident, as varied textures and colours bring richness to the home. Tigger eloquently sums up her style, ‘to live with treasures and memories is so important, it traces our life in a tapestry, threading family history, treasures and modern day living.’