Whenever a home is up for sale, it’s inevitable a few neighbours will slip into the open for inspection for a sticky beak. This was the case for interior designer Therese Carrodus, but unlike most nosy neighbours, she and her husband ended up buying the property! ‘I just remember first stepping onto the front verandah and suddenly imagining Rosie having her first day of school photo, and later having her school formal photo taken at the front door,’ recalls Therese. ‘It just sort of felt straight away like it was a home I could see the kids growing up in.’

Drawing on her interior design background, Therese immediately saw the home’s potential, recognising its ‘daggy but easily transformable interiors.’ Her approach was to reconfigure the existing floorplan to be more functional, adding a new kitchen, laundry, built-in dining area, and custom glass doors in the living space.

While many period home renovations feature a contemporary open-plan area at the rear, Therese desired a more cohesive look, where the new and old parts of the home would flow seamlessly from room to room. ‘I wanted the overall aesthetic and atmosphere of the house to feel a little bit playful and eclectic, with some bold colour and texture, but at the same time, I didn’t want any of those elements to be overbearing or polarising in any way,’ she says. A bold palette of moody blues, plum and oxblood reds feature throughout the home, with more subtle hues of blush and grey to balance things out.

The renovation was completed in 2018, just 10 days before the arrival of baby Hughie!  As a busy Mum to Rosie (6), Barnaby (3) and Hughie (1), Therese isn’t precious about her home. ‘The kids are often running (and sometimes scooting!) up and down the hallway, as well as making cubby houses in the living area, and just generally making a mess somewhere in the house!’