LIFE ENHANCING

An elegant layering of lush patterns, rich colours and bespoke pieces has enveloped this home in warmth and created a welcoming ambience for a large extended family.

- JUDY PASCOE

While downsizing has become a popular trend in recent years, the reverse move of upsizing is not a regular occurrence for a couple with grown children. But for interior designer Amy Spargo’s parents having a home that could comfortably welcome their seven children and 15 grandchildren was a given.

The couple had purchased this townhouse in an inner Melbourne suburb six years previously. It was a 30-year-old property that had been expertly constructed and appointed at the time but was starting to show its age. While the initial discussion with Amy was for a decorative makeover, her father suddenly decided that a fullscale refurbishment was in order so the builders were called in to essentially gut the property.

Amy’s carefully considered palette of wallpapers, paint swatches, fabrics, trims, rugs and bespoke pieces was put aside as she turned her attention to flooring, lighting and joinery, all while pregnant with her third child, Daisy. Her long-time experience at the helm of Maine House Interiors stood her in good stead as she delivered a new look for the 510-square-metre home that comprises four bedrooms and six bathrooms, a study, and formal and informal living spaces as well as a new conservatory addition.

“I wanted to create a sense of belonging, connection and interest,” explains Amy. “High ceilings and grand-scaled rooms made the house feel cold and uninviting – the complete opposite of my parents who are family-oriented, warm-hearted and welcoming.”

By evoking different moods in each room and creating spaces that seem to wrap around the inhabitants Amy was able to reduce the feeling of the house being too large and overwhelming.