Free Spirit

Barely Touched Since The 1800s, A Handsome Victorian House In A Leafy Melbourne Suburb Has A Newfound Sense Of Lightness Thanks To A Robust Renovation.

- Carli Philips

A delaide Bragg is a true classic. Behind the wroughtiron gates of her home in Melbourne’s leafy Armadale, the original ‘country girl’ has lemon slices under cloches alongside fresh bunches of flowers laid out on the kitchen island. Despite living with growing boys there’s no tech anywhere in sight. Instead there are football boots on the verandah and video games are relegated elsewhere out of sight. “This house isn’t centred around a television, it’s centred around food and family,” says Adelaide who loves entertaining.

When she bought the old Victorian house with husband Tim in 2007, it was awash in burgundy, jade green, gold and dark wallpaper with trees and birds. It had barely been touched since the 1800s, but they lived in it with ‘three under three’ for a year before painting and adding an ensuite to the master bedroom. In 2015, architect John Watkins was brought in to assist with the structural changes, including a new rear and upstairs addition. Steps from the wide hallway to the ground-floor extension were made possible due to the existing dropped garden and cellar layout. A small ground-floor powder room was added and a downstairs bedroom transformed into a walk-in robe as three more bedrooms were built upstairs.

“The renovation is heavy, nothing is light on, and I think that’s why it is so successful. Nothing’s too tinny,” says Adelaide, pleased with the robustness of the house.