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Period Melbourne home belonging to interior decorator and Home & Away star’s mother

February 13, 2014

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This beautiful period property, bought as the worst house on the best street in Melbourne’s Hawthorn, belongs to interior decorator Charis James, mother of former Home & Away actress Tessa James.

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Charis says designing for yourself, rather than clients, is very different

As a design professional, tackling a serious renovation project which would also become her family’s home and living on site the whole time, was challenging to say the least. “Designing for yourself is very different,” Charis says. “A lot of the designing takes place in your head a long time before the construction begins. As a designer it gives you total control and flexibility to lead with your instincts and change your mind and make decisions on the spot. Prioritising things with the spaces that you know will make all the difference to the final product and not having to convince someone else to spend extra money, means your design isn’t compromised.”

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She and husband Steve purchased the property in 2005 and live here with teenage daughter Candy. “It was full of loads of untapped potential and just the project and location we were looking for.” The 100-year-old Federation home was in original condition and needed a complete renovation and extension added to cater for the family’s lifestyle.

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The original cottage was built in 1913, and has many typical Edwardian and Federation characteristics like unpainted and unrendered red brickwork and a roof line made up of projecting gables, turrets, chimneys and verandahs with timber fretwork. Inside there are 12ft ceilings with original decorative details and original timber flooring. “Although very decorative, it is quite modest compared with the previous Victorian terraces,” Charis says, adding that maintaining the integrity of the original building was essential to its journey into the future. “The history of the home gives it strength and purpose and is a starting point for the design process.”

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The original cottage was completely gutted, leaving only the original features they could salvage. They then started to put it all back together using like for like when they needed to replace, to maintain continuity in the architraves, skirting and ceiling roses.

It is very important to look at the home as a whole when designing, especially when combining a traditional home with a modern extension,” Charis says. “The home needed to be very streamlined and maintain its continuity with main features such as flooring, ceiling height, finishes and colour scheme. It’s essential these elements remain consistent throughout to achieve the right overall balance. Once you have provided this base, the home will flow and each room can then be given its own personality depending on its purpose and its occupants.”

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Charis wanted a home that was eclectic, interesting and forever changing. “The spaces needed to be minimal and open, yet warm and inspiring and a place where, as a family, we could grow and enjoy just being.”

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Daughter Tessa loved the house so much she chose to have her wedding reception there when she married footballer Nate Myles two years ago. “Tess had lived away from home since she was 16 and really just wanted to have everyone she loved celebrate in her family home. Her and Nate wanted a big party so all the guests could just mingle and have a great time. We emptied out all of the furniture from the open plan living areas and brought in cocktail bars, bench seating, candles and chandeliers. It was amazing, the whole house looked magical!”

Charis’ favourite room is the front sitting room (top of post, with framed Bally posters), which was the original dining room. “It has beautiful natural light all day, is small, intimate and perfectly proportioned. It’s filled with all my favourite things and reflects my personality. It also has loads of period details, especially the ceiling and the stain glass windows. It is warm and cosy in the winter with the fireplace going and a quiet space where I can reflect and be content.”

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The whole project took 18 months: six months designing and getting through council, six months renovating the original cottage and six months for the open plan extension. “It has been a dream home for us during this stage of our lives. It was also a dream project and an opportunity to put my stamp on it and expand my skills in all areas of design and construction,” Charis says. “I am always looking for our next dream home! Can’t wait for the next one!”

Charis owns Abbot Kinny Interiors, an interior design practice and homewares store in Park Orchards, VIC. 

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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!

✔️ I'm English 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 and I moved here (just for one year) back in 2008😆 

✔️ 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. 🛁 

✔️ 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!) 📓 

✔️ I once worked at New Scotland Yard in London 🚔 

✔️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 😁

✔️ My mum died when I was 3, I have an excellent dad and one sister (younger) in the UK ❤️ 🇬🇧 

✔️ At school, my favourite subject was French 🇫🇷 and I was head girl 🤓🤓

✔️ I'm addicted to ☕️ , long hot baths and💄 (been wearing it since I was about 14!)

✔️ I'm not a phonecall person and will never ever pick up an unknown number. Ever. They can leave a message 😁

✔️ My favourite cuisine is Japanese 🍣 🍜 and Damian and I honeymooned in Tokyo and Venice 

✔️ 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...

✔️ My favourite tipple is a good GnT or🍷 

✔️ Cheesy as it sounds, 💁‍♀️being a mum is my absolute biggest joy in life 🧒👦

✔️ I will never give up my old school paper diary! Has to be A5 and week to view 📖 

✔️ 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!

✔️ I didn't get my Ps until I was 37 and I'm still a terrible parker 😯 🅿️

Hope you feel like you know me a bit better 😘

📸 @vanlowvanlow
Blue, green or lilac? 🎨 @nood_co coloured con Blue, green or lilac? 🎨 

@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.

“We are very honoured to have been a part of The Block, and all they have done for us. I am, however, a believer in letting the product take centre stage,” he says.

Read our interview with Matt via link in bio now.

🙏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! 🎨 

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 🤗

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
📸 @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 🤭 N The things that excite me as a 40 year old 🤭

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:

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

The Rolls Royce of laundry bins? I think so 👌🏻

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 again🤨

PS. The coaster was RIGHT THERE 🤪
#weatherforit 🥶 Need a new blanket? Look no fu #weatherforit 🥶

Need a new blanket? Look no further than these gorgeous South African blankets from @baobabcollective, sustainably sourced, ethically crafted and imported by a Southern Highlands couple.

On the blog now via link in bio.
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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. AvatarAlex says

    February 13, 2014 at 8:19 am

    Such a gorgeous home. I love the mix of traditional with a modern but cosy touch. Beautiful!

  2. Avatarhena tayeb says

    February 13, 2014 at 10:37 am

    gorgeous space

  3. AvatarZ says

    February 13, 2014 at 7:03 pm

    Wow what a gorgeous home…..thank you so much for sharing. The mix of old and new pieces works beautifully and gives the home real character. I especially love the varied range of pendant lights, the rugs and artwork…..was that a Chloe Planinsek piece in the bedroom I spied? She is a favourite of mine….currently saving to own one of her originals!

  4. AvatarMary-Anne says

    February 15, 2014 at 12:49 am

    Beautiful home, but I particularly love the bar chairs. Anyone any idea where they are from?

    • AvatarJen Bishop says

      February 15, 2014 at 10:26 am

      Hi Mary-Anne, I’d suggest contacting Charis via her website (link at end of post) and asking. I’m sure she’d be happy to tell you or even source them for you 🙂

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