Climbing the walls

A team effort has transformed a tricky Melbourne site into a fresh new home jazzed up with bold wallpapers.

- CARLI PHILIPS

When it comes to feature walls, this glamorous home runs the gamut. From marble slabs to pink Gucci wallpaper, Jean Paul Gaultier’s ‘Croquis’ design of scribbled faces and panels of Christian Lacroix’s serene landscapes, it’s totally fashion fabulous. “It’s something I was keen to explore in terms of texture and colour,” says Catherine Morris, who lives in the house with husband Cameron. “Using such beautiful wallpaper feels like additional artworks.” Coupled with their existing collection of paintings and sculptures, the provision of wall space was high on the agenda. Each piece was mapped out from the start, with designers Christine Casey of Pure Style Interiors and Marina Pappas of M1 Design Interiors specifying their placement.

Christine and Marina had worked with the owners before, as had architect Christopher Doyle, who was responsible for the building’s design. With a covenant controlling the height, the opportunities for construction were somewhat limited. In fact, the site was so challenging that it had left a slew of previous owners, most of whom had given up and re-sold, in its wake. Christopher had, however, considered the block in detail for another client so he had an early start. He says that, pragmatically, “we were left with a single-level building above ground, and the obvious potential of going underground for additional floor area”.