25 Beautiful Homes August 2022

When interior designer Charlotte Coote (cooteandco.com.au) and her husband Geordie Taylor visited their future home – a secluded house situated in Victoria’s Mount Macedon, 40 miles northwest of Melbourne – Charlotte already knew it well: when she was growing up, her family had lived in the neighbouring property and they had been regular guests of the owners at the time. ‘The house had become rather tired but we knew that it could be the perfect place to raise our three young daughters, Sybil, Francesca and Daphne,’ says Charlotte. ‘The garden is truly magical and the air is so fresh, lush and clean. I understand why a century ago people would talk of heading to the mountains to “take in the mountain air”; there is definitely something in that.’ The house sits…

EDITOR’S LETTER Holiday time is finally upon us and this usually means projects are being planned and lists are being drawn up for those room tweaks and decorating updates that have been on the back burner for some time. As always, we have no shortage of ideas to inspire you – however big or small your plans are. Rethinking the space you have is often a highly effective way to make a big difference to your home, as Danni Hamer discovered when she replanned the layout of her penthouse apartment. See the breathtaking result on page 16. Having fought off several other interested parties, David Finlayson and Allan Malvar had a big challenge on their hands when they set out to fulfil the potential of their sought-after but dated Victorian…

no. 1 When interior designer Charlotte Coote (cooteandco.com.au) and her husband Geordie Taylor visited their future home – a secluded house situated in Victoria’s Mount Macedon, 40 miles northwest of Melbourne – Charlotte already knew it well: when she was growing up, her family had lived in the neighbouring property and they had been regular guests of the owners at the time. ‘The house had become rather tired but we knew that it could be the perfect place to raise our three young daughters, Sybil, Francesca and Daphne,’ says Charlotte. ‘The garden is truly magical and the air is so fresh, lush and clean. I understand why a century ago people would talk of heading to the mountains to “take in the mountain air”; there is definitely something in that.’…

Desperate to put roots down in London after years of renting, Danni Hamer and her husband Sebastien Floch searched far and wide for their dream property, eventually finding a penthouse apartment in west London and transforming it into a stylish home. ‘We explored what felt like every inch of London, only to find ourselves back to where we had been renting in the city,’ says Danni. ‘It is a beautiful neighbourhood with plenty of green spaces and excellent transport links.’ The couple’s perseverance finally paid off when they found a penthouse apartment in a Victorian mansion block on a beautiful tree-lined street. ‘With three bedrooms split over two floors it was a great size, with good proportions and a big selling point – a large roof terrace with incredible views of…

HOW DID YOU GET INVOLVED IN THIS PROJECT? I was introduced to my clients, a young family of four, by their project manager when the building works were already underway. Our small studio had to work hard to produce the interior architecture and design package for a 225-square-metre townhouse in less than 10 weeks! We collaborated with the architectural practice Mens et Manus on construction details such as the staircase leading to the lower-ground level. WHAT WERE THE BIGGEST PRIORITIES FOR THE HOMEOWNERS? The house had been divided into three flats and the clients were reinstating it as a family home, so the first priority was to ensure that the floor plan was conducive to their busy lifestyle. Having grown up in Gibraltar and Portugal, the owners were also keen to…

no. 2 Desperate to put roots down in London after years of renting, Danni Hamer and her husband Sebastien Floch searched far and wide for their dream property, eventually finding a penthouse apartment in west London and transforming it into a stylish home. ‘We explored what felt like every inch of London, only to find ourselves back to where we had been renting in the city,’ says Danni. ‘It is a beautiful neighbourhood with plenty of green spaces and excellent transport links.’ The couple’s perseverance finally paid off when they found a penthouse apartment in a Victorian mansion block on a beautiful tree-lined street. ‘With three bedrooms split over two floors it was a great size, with good proportions and a big selling point – a large roof terrace with…