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Chris Castro was drawn to his South Yarra apartment for its solid 1970s bones, relatively generous proportions, and natural light.
The interiors, however, were only basic, comprising little more than white walls, grey carpet, and the original bathroom and kitchen — both of which were in need of some love.
Chris has updated the apartment over time to create a more efficient and personalised home.
His vision was a Japandi-style canvas (‘a minimal base that allows us to style as we want’) punctuated by colourful furniture and art, and eclectic mementos collected while travelling.
Chris personally designed the renovation, and built much of it himself, after watching many YouTube tutorials — ‘which cut down the cost substantially, but upped the stress levels!’ he says.
‘Pretty much anything that didn’t require a licensed trade, I would undertake myself… I definitely learned a lot on the job and many mistakes were made!’
The works started slowly with replacing the carpet with Tasmanian oak floorboards and painting the walls white for an overall cleaner look.
A couple of years later came the major updates to the kitchen and bathroom (completed while still living in the apartment!) which were both gutted and redesigned by Chris to introduce IKEA cabinetry with customised Laminex fronts.
In fact, much of the joinery and furniture throughout are customised IKEA pieces, from the Rydeback (discontinued) table updated with Laminex Peruvian Clay, Domsten stools featuring a leather top, and Svalnäs (also discontinued) shelving with a stainless steel bench.
Other pieces were made from scratch, including the open storage/entertainment unit/seating area that wraps the living room, Tasmanian oak floating shelves, and the entrance nook/mudroom painted a vibrant terracotta.
New curtains in the bedroom by Lidi add texture while insulating the space and ‘looking bougie’, as Chris says.
Altogether the space works perfectly for Chris, his partner Nana Honda, and their cat Mochi, who has plenty of nooks and crannies to hide in. You’ll often find them relaxing in the lounge room — a place that’s cosy, creative, warm and distinctly ‘them.’
Chris says, ‘It’s our sunlit treehouse where we can enjoy a drink and spin some records.’
