Industrial designers Daniel To and Emma Aiston are one of Australia’s most impressive creative power couples – having worked with big names like COS and HAY, to co-creative directing JamFactory’s furniture and retail activities.
The couple first discovered their home when they returned to Adelaide after two years in London. ‘We began looking at houses out of curiosity (with no intention to buy, as we were planning on moving overseas again),’ Daniel says. ‘We went to two open inspections before finding our house and after making a novice offer, she was ours, and the rest is history!’
The humble and homely feeling of the corrugated iron-clad workers cottage in the western suburbs of Adelaide caught their eye over some of its ‘ritzier’ neighbours, which were made from sand or bluestone.
While cute and cosy, the home still needed some TLC, and the young designers set about updating the property with a series of hands-on renovations. First up was an essential bathroom update to repair its ‘poor’ drainage and remove some asbestos. Daniel and Emma then made the house their own with their collection of art and unique furniture, bringing their playful style to the interiors with pops of colour throughout. But the real renovations didn’t take place until six years ago, when their friend and architect Haslett Grounds designed a new extension with high ceilings and ‘big open windows’ that reveal a dreamy outlook of the backyard!
Just eight months ago, they created the final and hero feature of their home: a perfectly playful yellow kitchen with glamorous marble accents! They designed the space themselves, inspired by a bright yellow Smeg oven. The joyful space is complemented by a matching yellow door to their home studio, which ‘makes going to work just that little more cheerful’.
‘We chose yellow as it is a delightful colour and always makes us happy,’ Emma says. ‘And most importantly, it reminds us of one of our best friends Thorsten van Elten – who had an amazing yellow Formica bench top in his old flat.’
‘Every nook of our house has an assortment of things that have come together over many years of collecting!’
Daniel and Emma say some of these pieces have no rhyme or reason, while others are sentimental objects they’ve sourced from their travels, or gifts from friends and family. The end result is a happy and colourful home, filled with meaning, and plenty of personality!
