NOUVELLE BEGINNINGS

When designer Shareen Joel converted her 1980s home from dated to dreamy, the result was a contemporary do-over with subdued French accents.

- CARLI PHILIPS

It's hard to imagine that just a few years ago this home was in an 80s time warp of chequerboard marble floors, padded silk upholstered walls, heavy drapes with scalloped pelmets, shiny granite benchtops and decorative columns. When Melbournebased designer Shareen Joel and her husband bought the house it needed a contemporary rethink but it also had some major drawcards and much potential. “It was beautiful, in a Dynasty kind of way, and immaculate, as if nobody had ever lived there," says Shareen.

As an architectural designer, interior architect and registered building practitioner, Shareen recognised instantly the value of the structure's solidity. Any glimmer of doubt was appeased by Michael Schuurmans at Visioneer Builders, the company she enlisted to work on the renovation. In a twist of fate, it turned out that Michael was the original foreman on the house in the 80s. "I drew up the floor plan before we even bought it to ensure we could get everything in. When I showed Michael he confirmed that not only was it a brilliant house but that we could definitely do what I wanted," says Shareen.

While she planned to retain the house's single-storey pavilion concept, it needed to be widened to reconfigure some new spaces and utilities. Working with architect Tarryn Joyce, Shareen raised the ceilings throughout by removing a heavy, angled bulkhead running along the south side. She stretched internal openings to elongate the doorways, some of which were replaced with antique French doors. Outside, the parapets were lifted to conceal gutters and downpipes, and the facade shaved of decorative details, including ornate window frames and coining, for a seamless and slimmer appearance.