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When Kate Taylor, founder of linen brand Calvi. Co, was searching for a bigger home to accommodate her growing family, she ‘stumbled across’ this Federation-era abode in Coburg, VIC, and instantly fell in love.
Her husband needed a bit more convincing, but the ‘incredible location in a beautiful tree-lined street’ eventually got him across the line, says Kate.
When they purchased it, the home was in an unloved state having been stripped of most of its period features. Kate and her husband undertook a massive renovation; which included restoring the original front rooms to their former glory with new skirting boards, cornices, fretwork and leadlight; as well as completing a modern extension at the rear, ‘to bring the home into the 21st century’.
Kate worked with Mel Giuliano from Creative Arch to bring this vision to life. In order to balance the old with the new, they chose to encase the back extension in Colorbond standing seam cladding, ‘so it would sit behind the cottage-like facade in a contemporary, rather than overpowering, way’, explains Kate.
They also installed polished concrete floors with in-slab heating, custom timber joinery and created a zoned, open-plan area that could serve the dual purpose of entertaining and relaxing.
Not only have Kate and her team restored the original features, but they’ve also injected charm and personality into the four-bedroom home with clever touches of colour and texture.
After enjoying four years in the home, Kate and her team have decided it’s time to return to the suburb where they grew up. And, although they’ll miss their hardworking family home, Kate says what they’ll actually miss most is their ‘delightful neighbours’ and the boxes of fresh home-grown fruit they’d generously gift.
