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Beci Orpin knows exactly how long she’s lived in her Brunswick West home — she only needs to look at her youngest son.
Ari was just three days old when the multidisciplinary designer and artist and her husband, ‘food truck boss’ Raph Rashid, attended the 2007 auction for this Victorian house with a converted shopfront, where they’ve resided ever since.
‘This house was much bigger than anything else we looked at and quite unique: a terrace house, but not your usual ornate style, with a utilitarian shopfront right on the street,’ says Beci.
‘Because of its uniqueness, we hoped it wouldn’t appeal to as many people and was the one for us. We pulled out all the stops to win the auction.’
Beci laughs about it now, but at the time, buying a house in Brunswick West after years of apartment renting in Melbourne’s inner east felt like moving to the ‘deep burbs.’
She explains, ‘I’d never lived more than a few kilometres from the city and this was a whole six kilometres! In retrospect, that’s ridiculous, and it now feels very inner city.’
The couple and their young sons — Tyke, now 22, and Ari, now 18 — quickly built a community in the area, largely thanks to their original neighbours, Nina and Dom, whose late parents previously owned Beci and Raph’s home.
‘They were a big Italian family — the backyards were joined and it almost operated as one big house,’ says Beci.
‘Our house was the “factory” where all the passata, salami and wine was made… The shed came with a wine vat and lots of salami hooks on the roof!’
In the early years of living here, Beci and Raph ran their respective businesses from home, while raising their young family. They mostly made do with their home’s many quirks, until it was finally time for an extensive renovation.
‘The journey to our current renovation is a long one — strap in!’ says Beci.
After some initial updates to the flooring and bathroom, they wanted a more functional home created with the help of an architect, but could never find the right fit.
That was before their main bedroom ceiling collapsed, forcing immediate works upstairs designed by Murray Barker, including replastering, painting, adding new windows with double glazing.
These urgent works were undertaken mid-COVID, and by their completion, lockdowns had dramatically impacted both construction prices and the way the family used their home.
Beci explains, ‘Our kids were bigger and more independent, so we decided to pull the pin on anything structural or expansive.
‘We still wanted the house to be more functional. Our kitchen had been slowly falling apart and we had been pretty much cooking outside for a good part of five years.
‘Plus there was the maintenance required of a 140-year-old house, which we had neglected because we were always on the verge of renovating.’
Rather than a full-scope architectural extension, Beci and Raph discovered a middle ground in Julian Patterson — co-owner of Mr Kitly and a registered architect — who designed them a simple but functional floor plan within the home’s existing footprint. They also engaged builder Jobe Homes.
‘It was exactly what we needed,’ says Beci. ‘Once we got the drawings from Julian, we did everything else.’
Over the next 12 months, the kitchen and dining areas were rebuilt, a study nook created, and the laundry became a butler’s pantry. A new powder room was added downstairs, as well as a new bathroom with a separate toilet upstairs across a reconfigured floor plan.
‘We were also able to install lots of cabinetry, new flooring, open up the back of the house to let more light in, redo the outdoor kitchen, and do all the maintenance the house needed,’ says Beci.
A natural creative, Beci took on the role of interior designer, selecting all the fixtures and finishes for the house.
‘I wanted it to be an ode to its Italian heritage, but also lean into the utilitarian Victorian side of the house,’ Beci says.
She admits the process was ‘terrifying’ at times, often resulting in frantic text messages to stylish friends, including Ben Mooney who runs Ma House Supply Store in Collingwood.
‘He kept telling me, “You won’t make a mistake!” I didn’t believe him but it was nice to hear from someone whose taste I trust so much,’ Beci says.
Italian influences are evident in the vintage Murano light fixtures (bought at auction from Leonard Joel), and the 1950s bathroom fittings, which Beci purchased via Facebook Marketplace and had re-enamelled in mint green.
‘It turned out to be quite expensive,’ Beci says. ‘I think the sink and bath were $50 each, but it was $1500 for the enamel… Still cheaper than buying them new though!’
The very last thing to go in was the Palladiana terrazzo kitchen benchtop made with stone offcuts over a six-month period with Breccia Stone & Terrazzo, featuring flecks of olive, sage green, rich purple and charcoal.
The whole project came together with a skilled team of tradespeople, as well as Raph, who took on some jobs to help keep costs down. ‘Jake from Kobra Tiling did such an amazing job, as did Softer Studio with the cabinets. It’s such a joy to work with people who are so passionate about what they do.’
Beci and Raph don’t know what the future holds, but with more room to move, they’re hoping Tyke and Ari stick around a little longer. ‘But even if they are not here it will still feel like a good amount of space for just Raph and me (and our British Shorthair cat, Chip!)’
Beci adds, ‘We are now so glad we didn’t extend the footprint of the house. It feels modest compared to some other renovations, but there is plenty of room for us and guests. Also, the 18-year wait made us love the new house 100 times more.’
An edited version of this story originally appeared in The Design Files Magazine Issue 04. Subscribe to the biannual print magazine here.
