Home tour | A sleek & stylish family house in Melbourne

For my latest home tour I’m taking you over to Australia for a peek at a century-old Melbourne house that’s been rejigged for modern living – the first project from the new CJH Studio, which was founded by interior designer and architect Cassie James-Herrick.

This light and airy 1900s villa is home to a young family, so the design needed to be practical as well as stylish. The first step was to alter the layout, extending the footprint over the former outdoor deck to create a new dining area. The kitchen was then opened up to form a large, sociable space at the heart of the house, and an ensuite shower room was built behind a bank of wardrobes in the master bedroom.

Throughout, the décor mixes cooler colours and materials such as concrete, matte black and grey marble with warm, textured wood and sparkling brass accents, creating a minimalist yet inviting feel. There are also plenty of elegant period features, including tiled fireplaces, sash windows and the original coving.

The house incorporates plenty of bespoke built-in storage to hide away clutter, but instead of trying to conceal it Cassie has turned it into a recurrent feature, with beautiful joinery and oversized circular handles. It’s complemented by well-chosen furniture and accessories, including Scandinavian classics such as a Sarineen ‘Tulip’ table by the bed, Carl Hansen’s CH20 ‘Elbow’ chair in the office and Muuto’s ‘The Dots’ coat hooks in the hallway.

My favourite space is the kitchen, which has unusual tongue-and-groove cabinets, striking marble splashbacks and eye-catching black handles which echo the circles used elsewhere. It opens onto a sophisticated yet relaxed lounge area furnished with a linen sofa and the sink-into-comfy ‘Togo’ easy chair by Domo.

I also love the look of the bathroom, which uses terrazzo for the floor tiles and bath surround. It’s one of this year’s biggest trends, but here it’s done in such a timeless, understated way that I can’t see the scheme dating any time soon. The layout is tailored to family life, with a wet-room shower where kids can splash around, an easy-to-reach wall-leaning towel ladder, and a ‘Raft’ stool, designed by Norm Architects for &tradition, for children’s bath times.

It’s a stunning house, and I can’t wait to see more projects from CJH Studio over the coming years.

Photography by Ben Hosking via CJH Studio and Est Living