Lee Farrell and Will Murray Brown were looking for a Melbourne property they could renovate and make their own — but not a huge scale renovation.
It took three viewings over several months to convince them this heritage home in Abbotsford was worth the challenge.
‘We first saw the house at the start of 2020. We loved the feel but it was so rundown, we said no way — this is way too big a job to take on as a renovation,’ says Lee.
‘We noticed it stayed on the market and had a second viewing… then Covid hit, and we were still looking. Living in a small apartment, we craved space and had a third look.
‘I’m not sure if it was being in lockdown and envisioning a larger house and garden, but we finally took the plunge and bought the house.’
Lee and Will dove into a major renovation alongside building designer Design by AD, and interior designer Tyler Aspen Edmonds.
Heritage protections meant the facade needed to be retained, but Lee and Will went also above and beyond to keep all original rooms in the house.
‘We tried to keep or replace all the old features of the house,’ explains Lee. ‘We really wanted to bring this house back to life and celebrate all its history where we could.’
The barely functioning kitchen and bathroom — located in the former ‘tacked on’ rooms — however, needed a complete do over. ‘The vision for the home was to create a place we love to live. Somewhere to relax, entertain, and make memories with friends and family,’ says Lee.
A double-storey extension is now the heart of the house, referencing the look of the Downtown L.A. Proper Hotel, with interiors by Kelly Wearstler.
Lee also looked to colours she’s drawn to in fashion, inspiring a light, textural palette for a cosy and serene atmosphere. The overall feeling is inviting and joyful, with warm whites (Dulux Snowy Mountains Quarter), creamy beiges (Dulux Beige Royal Half and Quarter) and peach (Dulux Manila) on the walls, paired with handmade tiles and natural stone.
The new ‘snug’ room opens to a peaceful terrace designed by Kate Patterson Landscape Design, where the couple can entertain among established greenery climbing up the walls maintained by Established Horticulture.
A minimal cactus garden at the front of the house continues the Los Angeles theme, adopting a similar look to the garden outside one of Lee’s favourite stores, Isabel Marant on Melrose Place.
The home now reflects the way Lee and Will live in inner-city Melbourne with their dog, Luna.
It was a mighty process over three years to achieve — one Lee and Will considered abandoning midway through — but the house today looks exactly as they hoped.
‘We went into this very naively, with no former knowledge of building, apart from a love of design.
‘We faced many challenges, from not being able to find a builder, to building cost increases, to mortgage hikes, we had many lessons, learnings and happy accidents,’ recalls Lee.
‘We’re so happy we kept going.’
