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‘I think doing a renovation changes you. It makes you think about your future, how you want to live, how many children you want to have or not have,’ Annie Portelli says.
‘It’s more than just knocking down walls and sanding floors. You’re building your future life.’
These words of wisdom come at the end of what has been a transformative, four-year journey for The Design Files art director and her husband, carpenter Simon Harris, since purchasing their home in 2021.
The couple had been house hunting for months when they came across a weatherboard in Melbourne’s inner west that, at first glance, seemed to be in decent shape — despite the wonky, cold tiled floors; concrete-filled backyard; and complete lack of ‘vibe’.
But, Simon could see the vision. The home’s location in Newport was a convincing bonus too, being close to Williamstown Beach and near Annie’s family.
Plus, the quiet suburb reminded Simon of his hometown in Auckland, New Zealand.
They decided to bite the bullet, and bought the double-fronted Victorian with plans to tackle a light renovation: ‘a short-term, low-budget, quick-turnaround DIY job,’ says Annie.
But old houses are infamous for having secrets below the surface. And once they started peeling back the layers, any hopes of it being a quick fixer-upper quickly unravelled.
‘One small decision, like pulling up the tiles, led to removing the plaster. Then, while we were at it, we figured we might as well update the windows… And suddenly we were knocking down walls to open up the space and pulling up the floor,’ Annie says.
‘Before we knew it, we were knee-deep in a full-blown renovation, churning through our budget, with no turning back, and no floor to stand on — literally.’
They stripped most of the house back to its studs to fix its structural issues and from then on, every weekend and spare moment, Annie and Simon were on the tools, working on the house together.
‘Our thinking was let’s do it properly now, so we’re not back here in five years redoing it all over again. You could say we’re suckers for punishment,’ Annie adds.
While the front bedrooms were restored in line with the period era — keeping ceiling roses and decorative architraves — the rear opens up to reveal a slanted, timber-lined ceiling above the sunny living area.
‘We wanted it to feel like a beach house, or as they say in New Zealand, a “bach”’, Annie explains.
‘The ceiling is a sentimental nod to both of our childhood homes. Our parents’ places each had this detail, so we grew up with it.’
Annie’s work at The Design Files, visiting and styling hundreds of houses for photoshoots over the last eight years, also played a role in the interior design.
‘My phone is filled with snapshots of details I’ve fallen in love with and quietly collected for future inspiration’ she says.
For the kitchen, Annie worked with Ren Studio to create custom timber veneer fronts fitted onto IKEA cabinetry, which transition from a natural oak finish to a deep-blue stain to subtly define a built-in study nook.
Japanese tiles and sentimental trinkets add to the nostalgic coastal vibe, alongside a thoughtful recessed shelf Annie designed on-site — a last-minute idea she had just before the plaster went up.
Working on the house themselves means every detail has a story behind it: ‘We both take credit for little elements in there, which we boast about “getting across the line”. Me, the in-built shelf; Simon, the living room and kitchen ledge.’
The dreamy garden is another of Annie’s proudest creations. After many gruelling months pulling up the concrete, she planted a mix of native grasses and flowering perennials following advice from garden designer Clea Cregan of Miniscape Projects.
‘I still can’t believe anything even grows back there after the soil had been suffocated for who knows how many years,’ Annie says.
‘Popping up from beneath the living room window is my favourite feature — a dancing row of Pennisetum alopecuroides (Chinese fountain grass) that casts lovely playful shadows onto the Monde couch in the morning. Our daughter Ava watches them for hours, we call it “grass tv”.’
Becoming parents for the first time last December also gave them an increased sense of urgency to tie up the renovation’s loose ends. And when they brought Ava back from the hospital to what is now a ‘beautiful nest’ made for their family, they both felt a real sense of achievement. Even if it meant Simon was still tiling the kitchen during their parental leave.
‘Honestly, it’s a small miracle we made it this far, but we both genuinely love what we’ve created together.’
An edited version of this story originally appeared in The Design Files Magazine Issue 03. Subscribe to our print magazine here.
