Homes

A Retro Revival Of A Mid-Century Melbourne Apartment

Kieran and Pauline Morrissey are ‘serial movers’ who have lived everywhere from Sydney apartments, to London share houses, and even in a motorhome while travelling the U.S.

After making a sea change to the Northern Rivers in NSW, the couple were missing the excitement of city life, leading them to their new Melbourne home in 2023.

Located in the circa 1948 Caringal Flats building, this one-bedroom Toorak apartment has everything Pauline and Kieran need to suit their adventurous lifestyle.

They’ve given the home a DIY makeover, instilling the interiors with a retro-inspired feel that celebrates vibrant colour, and the building’s early modernist origins.

Explore more of our Home of the Month below!

Written
by
Lucy Feagins
|
Photography
by
|
Editorial styling
by

Annie Portelli

Supported by Dulux

Float Sofa from Sarah Ellison. Kyoto ‘Chalk’ sheer linen curtains from Clearview Sun Control. Vintage Casalino chairs by Casala, spray painted pink. Replica Eero Saarinen marble tulip dining table. Escape Velour carpet in Esther from Supertuft. Wave side table from Bonnie and Neil. Boucle Stripe cushion from Bonnie and Neil. Rice Paper Shade Ellipse pendant from HAY. Translucent coffee table from Fenton & Fenton. Commissioned artwork of Caringal Flats by Draw My Home. Handmade and painted ceramic panther by Kieran’s grandfather, nicknamed ‘Frank’. Tullstorp cabinet from IKEA. Planters from Angus & Celeste. Vintage green Murano glass vase. Vintage pink telephone from Italy. Walls painted Dulux White Swan. Photo – Eve Wilson

The building’s striking coral-coloured facade is its original colour scheme, restored only in 2022, based on paint scrapings taken by heritage architect Nigel Lewis. Photo – Eve Wilson

Pauline Morrissey and Kieran Morrissey in their Toorak apartment. Photo – Eve Wilson

Kyoto ‘Chalk’ sheer linen curtains from Clearview Sun Control. Vintage Casalino chairs by Casala, spray painted pink. Replica Eero Saarinen marble tulip dining table. Escape Velour carpet in Esther from Supertuft. Wave side table from Bonnie and Neil. Rice Paper Shade Ellipse pendant from HAY. Translucent coffee table from Fenton & Fenton. Commissioned artwork of Caringal Flats by Draw My Home. Handmade and painted ceramic panther by Kieran’s grandfather, nicknamed ‘Frank’. Tullstorp cabinet from IKEA. Planters from Angus & Celeste. Vintage green Murano glass vase. Walls painted Dulux White Swan. Photo – Eve Wilson

Translucent coffee table from Fenton & Fenton. Escape Velour carpet in Esther from Supertuft. Wave side table from Bonnie and Neil. Float Sofa from Sarah Ellison. Photo – Eve Wilson

Custom-designed, double-sided joinery and room divider by Spaceworks Melbourne featuring Laminex Natural Teak, with Laminex Golden Wattle bench tops, and a bar area with a bronze-tinted mirror back. Glassware from Maison Balzac, Jardan, Bonnie and Neil, Kip & Co, Fenton & Fenton, and vintage pieces. Dune Tray by Kartell. Photo – Eve Wilson

Custom-designed, double-sided joinery and room divider by Spaceworks Melbourne featuring Laminex Natural Teak and Laminex Golden Wattle bench tops. Float Sofa from Sarah Ellison. Escape Velour carpet in Esther from Supertuft. Boucle Stripe cushion from Bonnie and Neil. Rice Paper Shade Ellipse pendant from HAY. Translucent coffee table from Fenton & Fenton. Tullstorp cabinet from IKEA. Cocoa linen bedding from In Bed. Living room walls painted Dulux White Swan. Bedroom painted  Dulux Virtuous. Photo – Eve Wilson

Louis custom bedhead from Heatherly Design in Tattie linen by Anna Spiro. Cocoa linen bedding from In Bed. Slit Table from HAY. Dejsa lamp from IKEA. Rice Paper lampshade pendant from HAY. Bedroom painted Dulux Virtuous. Photo – Eve Wilson

Custom-designed, double-sided joinery and room divider by Spaceworks Melbourne featuring Laminex Natural Teak and Laminex Golden Wattle bench tops. Escape Velour carpet in Esther from Supertuft. Rice Paper Shade Ellipse pendant from HAY. Cocoa linen bedding from In Bed. Living room walls painted Dulux White Swan. Bedroom painted Dulux Virtuous. Photo – Eve Wilson

Louis custom bedhead from Heatherly Design in Tattie linen by Anna Spiro. Cocoa linen bedding from In Bed. Slit Table from HAY. Dejsa lamp from IKEA. Rice Paper lampshade pendant from HAY. Bedroom painted Dulux Virtuous. Custom-designed, double-sided joinery and room divider by Spaceworks Melbourne featuring Laminex Natural Teak, Laminex Golden Wattle bench tops, and a smoke-tinted mirror. Slit Table from HAY. Photo – Eve Wilson

Custom-designed, double-sided joinery and room divider by Spaceworks Melbourne featuring Laminex Natural Teak, Laminex Golden Wattle bench tops, and a smoke-tinted mirror. Photo – Eve Wilson

The coral-coloured Caringal Flats exterior. Photo – Amelia Stanwix

Views across the famous sky bridge, which connects the Tower Building to the Crescent Building at Caringal Flats. Photo – Amelia Stanwix

The building was designed in 1948 by architect John William Rivett and built in the early 1950s. Photo – Eve Wilson

Writer
Lucy Feagins
Editorial styling

Annie Portelli

2nd of April 2024

Pauline Morrissey writes about beautiful homes for a living, so to buy in a significant heritage-protected, architect-designed building was ‘a dream realised.’

The writer and her husband Kieran Morrissey purchased this apartment in 2023 following a stint living in the Northern Rivers on the NSW North Coast.

‘During this time, I successfully reacquired my Philippines citizenship, inspiring future plans to divide our time between Australia and island living in the Philippines. This new goal motivated us to downsize and shift back to the city,’ explains Pauline.

‘Long-term space wasn’t our priority, but location and character were.’

Pauline and Kieran’s Melbourne and Sydney-wide search for a ‘lock-and-leave’-style apartment concluded when discovering a property for sale in Caringal Flats.

Designed in 1948 by architect John William Rivett, Caringal Flats is an early modernist building located in Toorak, Melbourne. The apartment complex has been heritage protected since 1982 and underwent a significant exterior makeover in 2022 to restore its original coral paint colour.

‘We were smitten by the building’s unique and vibrant architecture, iconic sky bridges, lush grounds, and communal gardens. The apartment’s floor-to-ceiling windows, garden views, and curved balcony were especially appealing,’ says Pauline. ‘Comparable offerings in Sydney just couldn’t match this gem’s charisma, location, and price point’.

Pauline and Kieran have made their apartment their own with some cosmetic alterations including painting the previously cool-toned living room walls with creamy Dulux White Swan; replacing vinyl flooring with retro green Supertuft carpet; replacing dated light fittings with HAY pendants; installing floor-to-ceiling sheer linen curtains by Clearview Sun Control; and painting the bedroom Dulux Virtuous.

The latter is a beautiful lilac shade, creating what Pauline calls the ‘ube room’ named after a purple yam, which is a popular ingredient in traditional Filipino desserts.

The divider between the bedroom and living area was also given a significant makeover, resulting in a double-sided custom-designed joinery unit designed and installed by Spaceworks Melbourne.

‘This investment welcomed a collection of display shelves, storage cabinets, a mini bar section, a dresser space, and a built-in full-length mirror,’ says Pauline.

‘We chose a rich Laminex Natural Teak for a mid-century look, with a pop of yellow to the mini bar and dresser bench tops in Laminex Golden Wattle to create a subtle Australiana theme complementing our green carpet.’

With the exception of the new joinery, these DIY updates were completed by Pauline and Kieran in just 10 days.

Pauline recalls, ‘We ran a really tight ship during this short window. First, we removed the old room divider, wardrobe, and vinyl floors. Then, we cleaned the entire place and painted all the walls. Just as the paint had dried, our new carpet was installed, followed by replacing all light fittings.’

The renovations have instilled their home with a 1970s feeling that champions bold colour, relaxed shapes, and Pauline’s desire to not take things too seriously!

Next up, the couple plan to tackle the kitchen and bathroom, with the next round of renovations set for later this year.

‘We take great pride in achieving so much within a tight timeframe and budget, representing those who grind their way through the ‘yourself’ part of the term DIY, without the luxury of architects, interior designers, or nearby families to help tackle jobs or chip in with budgets’ Pauline says.

Pauline and Kieran’s small but mighty home if perfect for their lifestyle, allowing them to be close to the inner-city, whilst enabling them to travel when it suits them.

‘Our home is super comfortable and practical — size limitations be damned,’ Pauline says. ‘I also find it amusing that our one-bedroom apartment is surrounded by all these Toorak mansions. We share the same wide, leafy, and quiet streets as the property directly next door, which sold for $88 million.’

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