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Palace, meets bazaar, meets Miss Havisham in this award-winning interior

March 21, 2013

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Modern art, heirloom furniture and imported lighting all hover in style and time inside this brand new home which wants to be old. This project, by Molecule, won the residential decoration category of the Melbourne Design Awards.

Molecule Grong Grong Court

Molecule Grong Grong Court

The ground floor is a tale of two worlds. Cross the threshold and be transported, Alice in Wonderland style, to a choice of the salon (glamour/public) or the living room (family/private).โ€จ โ€œPart palace, part bazaar and part Miss Havishamโ€™s house, the salon is a grand, luxurious room that takes seriously its โ€˜private hotelโ€™ aspirations,โ€ says architect Jarrod Haberfield, of Molecule. โ€œA fabulous bar sits alongside lushly upholstered custom furniture and major contemporary artworks. The salon is about glamour, excitement and aspiration; its look is fun, strong and idiosyncratic.โ€โ€จ

Molecule Grong Grong Court

โ€œWith milder manners, the living room is serene and provides the backdrop for daily life. While the colours and textures dial back from the salon, the careful curation of varying objects retains the furnishing approach.โ€

Molecule Grong Grong Court

The house is a reproduction period house โ€“ a new building trying to look old โ€“ and typically in Toorak these are furnished with reproduction period furniture. The Molecule team decided to sidestep this โ€œfarceโ€. Jarrod adds: โ€œWe announced to the building, ‘Weโ€™ll ignore your newness and treat you as the fin-de-siecle edifice you purport to be. Letโ€™s do a contemporary interior that references your supposed oldness.’

Molecule Grong Grong Court

โ€œA combination of real antiques is deliberately juxtaposed with new pieces that draw from history with an explicit wink. The immediate statement is that this is not a typical Toorak home, and unquestionably transports the visitor to an alternate reality that feels miles from the street outside.โ€

Molecule Grong Grong Court

Tom Dixonโ€™s wingback chair in royal blue velvet recasts the 18th-century classic British gentlemanโ€™s chair. The custom rug offers another contextual wink to the observant, as does a one-off three-legged table from Barbera that feels at once contemporary and vintage.

Molecule Grong Grong Court

Against a wall of custom joinery and full-height windows, a new sofa joins Eames classics โ€“ a 1970s armchair and a 1930s Japanese slipper cabinet.

Molecule Grong Grong Court

โ€œUnderpinning the atmosphere and contrast of experience desired by the client is an extraordinary art collection,โ€ says Jarrod. โ€œIntriguing, inspiring or sumptuously decorative, artworks are used throughout the interior to enhance the palette of each space, and to surprise and confound.โ€ย The challenge was to create an interior as practical for everyday living as it was dramatic and impressive to look at. โ€œIn volumes as grand as these, we rely on the fine grain of decoration to give it human scale and tactility. Decoration takes responsibility for rewarding the act of slowing down. From every chair is a view worth taking in.”

Upstairs, bedroom suites and an elegant study deliberately retreat from the energy of the ground floor.

Molecule Grong Grong Court

Molecule Grong Grong Court

โ€œDecoration emerges from our design approach, illustrated in the salon,” says Jarrod. “A two-sided custom banquette resolves the two axes in the room, between the sitting and dining areas. Interior design extends as far as the bar, but it is the decoration โ€“ the bottles, decanters, glassware, silverware and framed memorabilia โ€“ that instils the barโ€™s magnetic attraction.โ€ย 

Molecule Grong Grong Court

He says comfort comes in the form of careful art direction: objets with history, curated plants and flowers. โ€œThe spaces facilitate every home experience, from on-sofa reading to a seriously chic soiree. What, if not this, is a home for?โ€

Melbourne-based Molecule comprises architects Jarrod Haberfield,ย Anjaย de Spa and Richard Fleming.

Photography by Shannon McGrath

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Do I recommend a timber vanity top? A big fat NOP Do I recommend a timber vanity top?

A big fat NOPE! ๐Ÿ’ง 

Which is why we have recently covered ours with a Caesarstone top (thanks to @justinplace_sydney for the advice and supply) and the sweet RELIEF of not having to worry about this high traffic area anymore, I'm telling you!๐Ÿค—

Doesn't matter what they tell you or how many times it's sealed, I'm not sure it's a great idea in a room which is so, well, wet!

I love having the warmth of timber in the bathroom and it's a beautiful piece, but timber on the top? Never again.

Ours probably lasted a year (if that) before it started to go downhill (and we want a good decade out of a bathroom, right?!). 2.5 years on, everything else in this bathroom looks virtually brand new and the water marked vanity top was really letting the side down and making me sad!

But I'm so pleased with this solution, I have to say! Took the plumber less than an hour to remove the sink, install the top and connect the sink back up. We didn't need to move the tap and it isn't too close to the basin.

The kids are allowed to brush their teeth and wash their hands (liquid soap ๐Ÿฅด) in here again and I can leave my hair straightener on there with gay abandon ๐Ÿ˜†

The reflective surface (which I can clean with whatever I like!๐Ÿ’ช๐Ÿป) brightens the room up too!

Next week I'll tell you what I really think of my brass tile trim too ๐Ÿ˜‰

#interiorsaddictbathroomreno2 #interiorsaddictfamilyhomereno #timbervanity
Is there a more decadent and delicious soup than F Is there a more decadent and delicious soup than French onion?

I think not!

Grab the recipe on the blog this morning via link in bio.
Get to know me! I haven't done one of these in YE Get to know me!

I haven't done one of these in YEARS so there's possibly thousands of you who don't know my back story. Here's a few things you may not know about me!

โœ”๏ธ I'm English ๐Ÿด๓ ง๓ ข๓ ฅ๓ ฎ๓ ง๓ ฟ and I moved here (just for one year) back in 2008๐Ÿ˜† 

โœ”๏ธ I can't end the day without a bath, even if I get home really late or on a really hot day. It's a mental health thing and my happy place. ๐Ÿ› 

โœ”๏ธ Before becoming a blogger and running my own small business, I was a journalist from the age of 18. My favourite news gathering times were as a newspaper crime reporter (bit different to interiors!) ๐Ÿ““ 

โœ”๏ธ I once worked at New Scotland Yard in London ๐Ÿš” 

โœ”๏ธI had an interview at Oxford (didn't get in!) but chose not to go to uni at all after being offered a job on the local paper #universityoflife ๐Ÿ˜

โœ”๏ธ My mum died when I was 3, I have an excellent dad and one sister (younger) in the UK โค๏ธ ๐Ÿ‡ฌ๐Ÿ‡ง 

โœ”๏ธ At school, my favourite subject was French ๐Ÿ‡ซ๐Ÿ‡ท and I was head girl ๐Ÿค“๐Ÿค“

โœ”๏ธ I'm addicted to โ˜•๏ธ , long hot baths and๐Ÿ’„ (been wearing it since I was about 14!)

โœ”๏ธ I'm not a phonecall person and will never ever pick up an unknown number. Ever. They can leave a message ๐Ÿ˜

โœ”๏ธ My favourite cuisine is Japanese ๐Ÿฃ ๐Ÿœ and Damian and I honeymooned in Tokyo and Venice 

โœ”๏ธ I have zero design qualifications. I just started blogging about my passion, which is trying to persuade everyone to #heartyourhome That was 11 years ago...

โœ”๏ธ My favourite tipple is a good GnT or๐Ÿท 

โœ”๏ธ Cheesy as it sounds, ๐Ÿ’โ€โ™€๏ธbeing a mum is my absolute biggest joy in life ๐Ÿง’๐Ÿ‘ฆ

โœ”๏ธ I will never give up my old school paper diary! Has to be A5 and week to view ๐Ÿ“– 

โœ”๏ธ My official surname isn't Bishop. I kept my maiden name for work after I got married but changed it for everything else. Often confuse myself!

โœ”๏ธ I didn't get my Ps until I was 37 and I'm still a terrible parker ๐Ÿ˜ฏ ๐Ÿ…ฟ๏ธ

Hope you feel like you know me a bit better ๐Ÿ˜˜

๐Ÿ“ธ @vanlowvanlow
Blue, green or lilac? ๐ŸŽจ @nood_co coloured con Blue, green or lilac? ๐ŸŽจ 

@nood_co coloured concrete basins is a great Aussie business success story. Although co founder Matt Di Costa first found fame as one half of Matt and Kim on The Block, he hasn't relied on this to build his brand.

โ€œWe are very honoured to have been a part ofย The Block, and all they have done for us. I am, however, a believer in letting the product take centre stage,โ€ he says.

Read our interview with Matt via link in bio now.

๐Ÿ™Share your favourite colour basin in the comments!

#colouredconcrete #noodco #colouredbasin #blockheads #the block #bathroomtrends2022

Pic 1 by @naibudesign_ and 2 by @twostyleinteriors
I'd love to see more colour in Aussie interiors! I'd love to see more colour in Aussie  interiors! ๐ŸŽจ 

At the end of the day though, it's a matter of personal taste. I love pops of colour but it's not for everyone. 

We couldn't resist featuring this Canadian house tour today. The amazing Kelly Green  hutch (swipe) was an upcycled $200 find ๐Ÿค—

Head over to the blog via link in bio to see the rest including one of the best playrooms we've seen in ages!

Project by @in.house.design
๐Ÿ“ธ @philcrozier
Create an unexpected city oasis with an emphasis o Create an unexpected city oasis with an emphasis on light and nature.

That was the brief for the conversion of a corner shop and a warehouse bakery into a luxury family home in Sydney's Newtown. And how about the library?!

Take the tour of this very special @annacarindesign project on the blog now, via link in bio.

Pic: @justinalexanderphoto
The things that excite me as a 40 year old ๐Ÿคญ N The things that excite me as a 40 year old ๐Ÿคญ

None of us enjoy laundry (OK, there are a few of you out there who do. Weird!) but we have to do it. And often. So if your laundry bin can be as good looking, functional and space saving as this, then why wouldn't you?!

I've lost track of how many baskets I've thrown out because they've gone soggy or mouldy. They look pretty, sure, but they're not fit for purpose and they're often messy and overflowing.

Here's what I love about his @brabantia_australia one:

โœ”๏ธ ventilation holes
โœ”๏ธ no need to remove the lid for small items plus it hides your dirty laundry from view
โœ”๏ธ easily removable and washable inner laundry bag that velcros back on 
โœ”๏ธ corrosion resistant so fine in bathroom or laundry 
โœ”๏ธ Brabantia make things as sustainably as possible
โœ”๏ธ compact, sleek, European design
โœ”๏ธ 10 year warranty
โœ”๏ธ tall and skinny so takes up less floor in my tiny laundry

The Rolls Royce of laundry bins? I think so ๐Ÿ‘Œ๐Ÿป

TOLD you this was going to be exciting!

Now I need to know, do you have your laundry basket in the bathroom, the laundry, every bedroom? We used to have one in each bedroom but moved to the laundry-only situation which I much prefer (one for colours and one for whites). My boys know to put their used clothes in the bin in the laundry each night and they're 7 and 3!  #raisingfuturehusbands

#gifted
"Living rooms are important spaces where our publi "Living rooms are important spaces where our public and private lives intersect."

So says stylist @nataliewalton in her gorgeous new book Style, the Art of Creating a Beautiful Home.

"They are where we gather to welcome guests and entertain. But they are also where we decompress and relax at the end of the day. Increasingly, they are open-plan spaces and need to work within a greater scheme. Bringing all the elements together cohesively requires care and consideration. And, if you want a space that lives up to its true potential, make it personal and create with conviction."

Read an extract, the chapter on elevating your living room, on the blog today via link in bio.

Published by @thamesandhudsonau Pix by @chriswarnes 

#livingroomdesigns #nataliewalton #coffeetablebooks #designbooks #interiorsbooks #livingroominteriors #elevateyourspace
Kids and husband messing with my vignettes again๐Ÿคจ

PS. The coaster was RIGHT THERE ๐Ÿคช
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About Jen Bishop

Jen Bishop is our owner and publisher and an experienced journalist and editor. Interiors Addict has been her full-time job for more than 8 years. She is married to Damian and mum to Sebastian and Charlie.

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. AvatarLaura - Elsee Blog says

    March 21, 2013 at 8:21 am

    I think this is my favourite home you have featured here. I just love it. It’s grandeur, the stunning furniture and nice architectural details like the floors and windows. Really inspiring to see that it’s possible to build them new like the old.

    • AvatarJen says

      March 21, 2013 at 8:26 am

      Isn’t it divine? I’m glad you love it!

  2. AvatarCorinna Musgrave says

    March 21, 2013 at 8:36 am

    Awesome. This is totally my style. Just perfect, especially the two-sided banquette, that’s just genius.

  3. AvatarHelle Olsen says

    March 21, 2013 at 9:54 am

    Love it….especially that the rug has the same pattern as the parquet flooring.

    • AvatarJen Bishop says

      March 21, 2013 at 10:05 am

      One of my favourite touches too!

  4. AvatarSomething Gorgeous says

    March 21, 2013 at 10:09 am

    This house is stunning, I love everything about it. No wonder it won an award. Perfection x

  5. AvatarNicole Anderson says

    March 21, 2013 at 10:59 am

    This home is stunning! The glamour of the salon and then the pared back style of the kitchen and dining areas is fabulous. Great balance. And the rug to match the flooring – a stroke of genius!! Love it!

  6. AvatarShona says

    March 25, 2013 at 3:52 pm

    I absolutely love this. The use of different textures, patterns and the greenery inside and out. love!

  7. AvatarJean Wethmar says

    March 27, 2013 at 3:17 pm

    Hi Jen.. Gosh.. I just adore their wooden floors.. something so 70’s about them and yet so NOW! I grew up with small wooden blocked floors like that.. highly polished.. and painful as a child growing up! These are just so friendly, so warm, so inviting, bring their home so TOTALLY together.. mmm.. I love wooden floors now! Thanks for the insight into this beaut!

    • AvatarJen Bishop says

      March 28, 2013 at 1:59 pm

      I love this one so much too Jean!

  8. AvatarPeggy B says

    May 1, 2013 at 1:36 pm

    Anyway to find out who makes the kitchen table (white marble top and chrome legs) and the chairs?

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