Material whirl

In the Melbourne home of interior designer Barb Brownlow, a fabulous mix of fabrics delivers personality in high style.

- Stephanie Hope

Having spent the past 30 years bestowing her impeccable style on other people’s interiors, Barb Brownlow has turned her undeniable talent to her own home. Her delightful pied-a-terre in leafy inner-city Melbourne may be modest in size, but the artfully layered selection of fabrics, artworks and antiques packs a powerful punch and speaks volumes about the woman who lives here.

“My home has a distinctly English style,” she says. “I have been an avid collector of antiques and art for most of my life, so decorating around these cherished things felt natural.”

Barb’s love of colour and textiles stems from her early years studying fashion design at the Emily McPherson College (now RMIT). Upon graduating, she launched a successful fashion label, Barbara Lane, designing tailored ladies shirts, which were sold at the iconic Georges department store in Collins Street. Barb and her grazier husband David then moved to East Gippsland to raise their two children. In 1990, she established her own interiors business, Barb Brownlow Interior Design.

Over the years, Barb’s flair for design flourished and her reputation grew. In 2005, her daughter Alexandra joined the business, now rebranded Brownlow Interior Design. And the likeminded duo is busier than ever.

This home serves as Barb’s city base, where she stays during the week to meet with clients and suppliers at her Toorak showroom and studio, before heading home to the country on weekends. “It was previously owned by some friends who knew we were looking for a city pad,” Barb says. “They called one Saturday afternoon to let us know it was for sale and by that evening it was ours!”