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The Most Maximalist Spaces Of 2020

Everyone loves the life of the party; you know, that house guest who’s always a little bit late, but arrives brandishing an armful of cocktail ingredients, and brings the party VIBES as soon as they arrive. You could say that the following homes share this sort of energy – filled with vibrant colour, pattern, artwork and enviable collections that appropriately reflect their creative owners’ big personalities.

From the audacious and ostentatious to the fabulously flamboyant, these are the most extroverted homes we featured this year. As the old adage goes: there’s no show without punch!

Written

Sasha Gattermayr

The Brunswick home of Eryca Green and Eddy Opmanis. Photo – Caitlin Mills for The Design Files. Styling – Annie Portelli.

The Brunswick home of Eryca Green and Eddy Opmanis. Photo – Caitlin Mills for The Design Files. Styling – Annie Portelli. Photo – Caitlin Mills for The Design Files. Styling – Annie Portelli.

Writer

Sasha Gattermayr

31st of December 2020

The Colourful Melbourne Home Of Two Art & Design Aficionados!

Photographer Eryca Green and her partner Eddy Opmanis are the co-owners of Smith Street Bazaar— which gives you an indication of how their home might look! Originally owned by Eddy’s grandmother, the couple’s Californian bungalow is filled with their combined collection of treasures, from vintage lighting to Louise Olsen paintings, amongst ceramics from every prominent local designer (and more from overseas!). This rich and layered home makes an excellent case for jewel toned-feature walls!

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The Rosebery home of public artist and terrazzo designer, David Humphries. Photo – Caitlin Mills for The Design Files. Styling – Annie Portelli.

This Terrazzo Artist’s Cosmic Palace Is Out Of This World!

Team TDF were agog when our managing editor stumbled across the multi-level, converted Sydney warehouse of legendary terrazzo artist David Humphries. David has crafted glittering terrazzo installations for shopping centres, cathedrals, retail arcades and casinos everywhere from London to Los Angeles – and his own home is no exception! Replete with celestial marble floor, a giant indoor koi pond and an iconic art collection, the entire house is centred around an enormous indoor garden that doubles as David’s studio.

This is unlike anything we’ve seen before, and undoubtedly one of Sydney’s best kept secrets. Definition extra!

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Kitchen goals! The Port Melbourne home of Angela Richards. Photo – Caitlin Mills.

A very Mediterranean corner of the backyard. The Port Melbourne home of Angela Richards. Photo – Caitlin Mills.

Angela took inspiration from Cornish, Spanish and Greek traditions when styling her home of 33 year. How good is that limestone washed seat?! The Port Melbourne home of Angela Richards. Photo – Caitlin Mills.

A Rustic, Inner-City Family Home Of 33 Years

Angela Richards and her husband Sandy have been living in this Port Melbourne terrace for the best part of three decades, presiding over its transition from heaving student sharehouse to beloved family home. Angela styled the interiors of the 1860s Italianate building herself, taking inspiration from Cornish, Spanish and Greek traditions to create a secret Mediterranean haven in the middle of Melbourne. How dreamy is that whitewashed limestone bench in the backyard?!

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The South Yarra home of Nick Edwards and Amanda Hall. Photo – Eve Wilson for The Design Files. Styling – Annie Portelli.

An Artful Way To Live!

Amanda Hall and Nick Edwards downsized to an apartment five years ago, but weren’t prepared to scale their art collection accordingly. So they took it with them! Every square inch of this eclectic South Yarra apartment is filled with the couple’s paintings, sculptures and vibrant furniture. This is one way to make an off-the-plan apartment totally your own!

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The Melbourne home of Ying Ang and Michael Chazan. Photo – Ying Ang.

A Creative Family’s Eclectic Apartment in Melbourne’s CBD

Furniture designer Michael Chazan and photographer/curator/educator Ying Ang wasted no time filling their flat in the heart of Melbourne’s CBD with things that felt like home – and created their dream space in the process! With plenty of personal touches, self-made furniture, soft lighting and an abundance of plants, the off-the-plan apartment is anything but cookie-cutter.

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The Richmond home of Bruce + Chyka Keebaugh. Photo – Eve Wilson for The Design Files. Styling – Lucy Feagins.

The Ultimate Melbourne Penthouse Of Bruce + Chyka Keebaugh

The Mornington Peninsula home base of Melbourne’s most recognisable couple – Bruce + Chyka Keebaugh – was one of our most popular home visits of all time, so, it should come as no surprise that their new penthouse in Richmond smashed all previous records! Stamped with the pair’s uniquely eclectic, layered interior style, the city pad is filled with bold colours, treasured artworks and antiques sourced from around the world. This compact space packs an explosive punch, and we’d expect nothing else from this power couple!

Revisit the original story here.