The kitchen is a soft monochrome palette, where the textural island bench in Bianco Luna stone grounds the space with its angled, faceted edge.
Renovating a Brighton heritage home, Mim Design’s deft design connects inside and out, old and new.
As with most Victorian heritage homes, a lack of light and openness necessitated a redesign more conducive to family living. Adelaide Villa in Melbourne’s bayside suburb of Brighton needed a contemporary update—one that embraced the charm of the period details while making the home a haven.
Working across the architecture, interiors and furniture selections, the team at Mim Design have created a home that is thoroughly contemporary, with flourishes of the original.
Central to the new design concept was leveraging the lush and established gardens as a canvas for the architecture. “The proportions of the original Victorian villa and its gardens were on such a grand scale; it just had so much potential,” recalls Mim Design Director of Interiors Charlotte McGill.
Surrounded by blossoming shrubs and many mature trees, the house is oriented around a central garden path extending from the house to a magnificent olive tree. Its historic branches offer essential shade from the northern exposure and ensure privacy from neighbouring homes. Long axes are met by black-framed vestibules that look out to the garden, always creating a visual relief to the strong geometry of the architecture.
The views from the kitchen and in the butler’s pantry behind both preference sightlines out to the garden, with plenty of storage.
The dining room features the Sengu table and Cab chairs, both by Cassina.
Bringing a sense of nature into the interior aesthetic, oak hardwood floors (Woodcut European Oak in Voss) create a continuous plane from the old to the new. A central atrium between the new addition and the original villa acts as a breathing interstitial zone. It also allows the light to drench all parts of the home. New green spaces have been added where needed, for instance a study zone looks out to verdant green, designed by Kate Patterson Landscapes.
The interior palette is a monochromatic wash. Black steel elements, charred timber cladding and details like doors and fireplaces are drenched in Dulux Black Caviar. These crisp, contemporary dark shades are softened by cool greys, pale blues and creams, most apparent in the upholstery on the Moroso Pacific sofa, Ruff armchair and Get Lucky chair.
The furniture’s sculptural forms work both with retained details like the ornate lighting roses and filigreed archways and with the orthogonal additions to the home.
Once traversing down the hallway, past the central courtyard, the main living and dining areas open up—the main sightline to the garden never obscured. Dark cabinetry from floor to ceiling (Eveneer in Metro from Elton Group) and thoughtfully placed mirrors create an illusion of depth adjacent to the kitchen island. The island itself is an angular embodiment of strength, appearing with lightness thanks to the Bianco Lana stone. Again the long views to the garden add a sense of openness even while cooking or in the butler’s pantry.
“Breathing new life into heritage buildings is certainly a passion of ours,” McGill says, adding, “We believe in respecting our architectural past and, likewise, creating architecture for the future.”
While the architecture’s cleanness and monochromatic palette are entirely modern, Adelaide Villa has a timeless elegance. It is a place where the beauty of nature and its ever-changing seasons are the real heroes.
The main living area allows nature to be the view, with a curated collection of furniture adding sculptural weight. Bruce Armstrong sculpture from Irving Loffner Gallery (on left), LC Recliner lounge by Cassina, Moroso Clarissa armchair, Kyoto coffee table, ottoman and rug by Poltrona Frau, Gogan sofa, Redux custom pendant light over dining table.
The view between the old and new shows a demarcation with the strong structure that forms the new part of the house. The continuity can be found in the flooring with light-toned European oak from Woodcut.
The study area is draped in black, where a new garden by Kate Patterson Landscapes adds a natural relief. Artwork on left by Eduardo Santos (Otomys Gallery), Tre Pezzi chair, side table, round rug and Indochine chair by Cassina, Eveneer in Ravenna by Elton Group, Black European Oak floor from Woodcut, and accessories by Pepite.
“The proportions of the original Victorian Villa and its gardens were on such a grand scale, it just had so much potential.”
– Director of Interiors Charlotte McGill
The Moroso Pacific sofa, Karakter Domo floor lamp and Moroso Ruff armchairs.
The bedroom features the Moroso Getlucky armchair, Poltrona Frau Plot screen and Abode bed linen.
The en suite features the Brodware City Stik wall mixer.
The architecture is elegant and minimalist with charred Shou Sugi Ban cladding referencing the dark tones of the interior. The angled form of the columns is a mimic to the kitchen islands angled base.
Kettal outdoor furniture in the pool area.
