Before and After: How We Restored a Home with a Century-Old History

Carol Whiting has been helping her architect husband for over 20 years, and after a divorce, she unexpectedly became the owner of a small design studio in Melbourne.

Now Carol has a team of four people and clients with interesting projects. For example, one client asked her to restore a historic home while keeping its original atmosphere.

What did the house look like before the renovation?

What does the house look like after the renovation?

The facade of this building from the end of the 19th century was preserved in its original form — this was a request from the clients. Only the iron details like balustrades on the balcony were painted black.

Sam and Tom Carson, the clients, bought this house from people who specialize in construction. Therefore, at the time of purchase, the rooms were hastily plastered. Cheap materials were used in the finishing, and the team decided to restore the original look of the house while ensuring all necessary elements for comfortable living.

The first floor was expanded from 80 to 85 square meters. Here, a large family kitchen, dining room, living room, home office, laundry room, and bathroom were arranged.

The kitchen originally had a passage from the corridor, but Carol decided to completely remove the wall and give the space more room. Tom personally laid one of the walls with bricks. Carol suggested painting it white, but the homeowner insisted on his choice — and everyone was satisfied in the end.

To zone the kitchen-dining area, the designer installed built-in cabinets. On the opposite wall, she disguised the entrance to the bathroom and laundry room with furniture handles matching the cabinetry. These can also be used as hooks for bags. By the way, all the cabinetry was clad in tongue-and-groove boards.

The second floor leads up via a historic staircase — it was also restored and repainted. Carol even utilized the space under the steps to create storage cabinets.

On the upper floor, three bedrooms and a bathroom were arranged. In the bedroom, there used to be an old fireplace that took up too much space, so it was removed for storage solutions. For example, there are hidden shelves on either side of the bed headboard.

You can access a French balcony from the main bedroom. From the first floor, you can also reach the backyard with an outdoor shower. There's a small shed tucked away for storing bikes and garden tools — it was also clad in tongue-and-groove boards.