Featured in the dining room are Louis XIII dining chairs, a Spanish-style dining table, an antique stool and a ceramic vase from Graham Geddes Antiques, a Carina Seth Andersson glass vase, an Emily Belle Ellis bowl from Pépite Gallery, and Porta Romana custom Holden sconces.
In the exclusive Tara Estate in Melbourne’s east, a two-storey Victorian residence explores its British provenance through a contemporary lens.
When the owners of Loch invited interior designer Emily Gillis into their home, the ambition was to shape a series of more open living spaces for their family of five, balanced by quiet, purposeful zones for work. Equally important was the challenge of bringing cohesion and gently threading the original house with its contemporary extension. “The clients wanted a forever home that felt calm, considered and enduring, somewhere that would comfortably support a busy family of five while retaining a strong sense of elegance and respecting the Victorian character of the home,” Gillis says.
Optimising the footprint within the home’s existing 400 sqm envelope required a significant renegotiation of the layout while rebuilding the dated and compromised 90s extension. New internal walls were introduced to carve out and redefine spaces, tailored to the client’s lifestyle. This involved conceiving a primary bedroom with an ensuite and a walk-in robe, a study, and a new rumpus room. Additionally, the kitchen’s layout was reconfigured to improve circulation, functionality, and light flow, with a new French window installed to offer views of the adjacent garden, along with a butler’s pantry.
To create visual continuity between the two periods of the home, Gillis undertook a careful study of the Victorian character, analysing its details and proportions to convey them into the new extension. “Rather than creating a contrasting contemporary addition, we extended the architectural language by matching skirtings and architraves, continuing cornice details, and ensuring the cabinetry profiles echoed traditional joinery,” she explains. The designer emphasises that the intention was not to replicate an English home, but instead “to interpret that timeless quality in a way that felt appropriate to a Melbourne Victorian residence, with a contemporary lens.”
Pictured in the living room is an Audoux-Minet side chair from Wren Studios, a Plamgrens leather box, a vintage timber armchair, an antique stool, a Dawn Vachon from Pépite Gallery, Richard Ellis fireplace mantel in Carrara marble and Porta Romana custom Holden sconces.
In the kitchen, the cabinetry is finished in Porters Paints Jute with the island dressed in Corsai Nicolai Cremo marble, paired with Noble Elements Oval Egg knobs and Contemporary Olive pulls, Perrin & Rowe tapware, Lacanche oven range cooker, accessorised with antique homewares from Found., Emily Belle Ellis bowl from Pépite Gallery and a Claudia Lau artwork from C. Gallery.
Featured in the hallway, the floors are finished in Havwoods Henley Versailles oak, illuminated by a Jim Lawrence Landsdowne glass pendant light, and accessorised with a vintage artwork from Found., and an Emily Belle Ellis ceramic vase from Pépite Gallery.
Obscuring the boundaries between the home’s two eras while remaining sympathetic to its history are the material selections and furnishings that articulate a sense of uniformity throughout. These are conveyed through elements such as Versailles oak, classic detailing, particularly in mouldings, panelling, joinery profiles, and stonework, as well as other specified finishes, such as café curtains, lighting, and polished nickel tapware. This ease of fluidity between the spaces is facilitated by a gentle, reticent colour palette throughout, with only “moments of depth reserved for contained spaces such as his and hers working spaces,” Gillis describes.
“By avoiding trends and focusing on craftsmanship and proportion, we’ve created a home that feels settled and timeless. Somewhere that will continue to evolve gracefully with the family over the years,” Gillis concludes.
Pictured in the study walls are finished in Porters Paints Library Red, illuminated by an Equipo Santa & Cole Básica Mínima Batería table lamp, a Melinda Wallis egg sculpture from Pépite Gallery and a Corbet bowl from Craft Victoria.
Artwork by Miranda Hine from MARS Gallery and objects from Craft Victoria, including the ‘Amphora Vessel’ by Hilary Green, ‘Round Blue Jar’ by Owen Rye Ceramics, ‘Small White Cane Merletto Vessel’ by Ebony Addinsall and ‘New Impressions II’ vessel by Dáša Ceramics.
Pictured in the primary bedroom, the floors are covered in Whitecliffe Edel Zeal carpet, with a Richard Ellis fireplace mantel dressed in TeraNova Carrara marble, a bedhead and bolster cushion made in Borchier fabric, a Soane Avon wall light, a BARBERA mirror and an antique jewellery box from Graham Geddes Antiques.
The primary bedroom features a vintage Murano Leaf chandelier from Cleo Collects, an & Tradition VB1 Little Petra armchair by Viggo Boesen and an Ali Frith plinth from Pépite Gallery.
In the primary ensuite, the vanity cabinetry is finished with Porters Paint Irish Linen, with TeraNova Carara marble, Noble Elements Button knobs and Perrin & Rowe tapware, illuminated by a Katie Small Conicle sconce and a Carina Seth Andersson glass vase.
Pictured: Cassina 524 Tabouret Méribel stool by Charlotte Perriand.
