Inner calm

Peace and simplicity reign in the interior of this grand, historic Melbourne home where a discerning rollcall of eclectic pieces catches the eye.

- JUDY PASCOE

Interior designer Ali Ross will go to extreme lengths to procure a design piece that she has fallen in love with. To wit, two timber stools she bought in Amsterdam and carried as hand luggage in two separate trips back to London where she was living at the time. They now sit proudly in the c1889 home she shares with her husband Ben and sons Jasper and Felix.

It is typical of Ali's uncompromising approach to interior design and architecture that have been her passion since she was young. A year spent in Denmark and later Japan, as well as study at RMIT, cemented her interest and convinced her that this was her calling. With an aesthetic guided by the objective of delivering calm, light, comfortable and timeless spaces she strives, above all, for simplicity.

Becoming her own client gave her carte blanche to explore her ideas that are inspired by such luminaries as Rose Uniacke, Tadao Ando and John Pawson. In particular, London design guru Ilse Crawford's Regency-era house in Somerset that effortlessly combines a contemporary mood within a classic setting informed the renovation of her own home.

In a plane-tree-lined cul-de-sac in Melbourne's inner south-east the imposing, historically significant home sits within a row of two storey Italianate villas. In 1919 it had been converted into three flats, then restored back to a single home in the 70s. When Ali and her family bought it in early 2020 the house had been "truly loved and lived in by the previous owners for decades" but it required a major update. The peachy pink facade and tall green aluminium fence had to go and Ali's vision for the house was clear from the outset. "The house feels very grand on approach, but inside I wanted it to be restful, welcoming and unpretentious," she says.