Opposites attract with often striking results, as this home in Melbourne's Elsternwick brilliantly proves. Two creative minds with dissimilar temperaments - design dynamo Anna Spiro of Anna Spiro Design and her calm "solid rock", Luke Warwick, managing director of fabric wholesaler Elliott Clarke - have curated a retreat that celebrates colour and pattern, in captivating contrasts.
Diverse elements form a harmonious whole that could be a metaphor for their relationship.
When the couple bought the four-bedroom Victorian house in late 2020, it had sat vacant for 30 years. In the 1950s, rather strangely, it had acquired a curved brick facade that jarred with the rest of the house, but the interior detailing, including archways, cornices, ceiling roses and skirtings, had been left blissfully intact.
Thanks to that, the 4.2-metre stud and the grand hallway, Anna and Luke saw huge potential. "With its proportions, we knew we could do something fabulous with it. And that extra-wide hallway gave it such a great feeling," says Anna.
The couple embarked on a renovation project that lasted 18 months, with Covid sabotaging an originally tight timetable. They shaved off the fake facade and replaced it with a double frontage with full-height sash windows in grand Victorian style, while removing ugly lean-tos at the back.
Otherwise, they retained the original floor plan, the only major structural change being the removal of a kitchen wall to open up the living spaces in the rear. Intriguingly, in English country-house style, Anna added two gib doors, from the sitting room to the study and the main bedroom to the walk-in robe ("They are like secret doors.") And the couple restored those signature architectural gestures where necessary. "We were particular about reinstating the original detailing of the house," says Anna, who commutes between here and her home in Brisbane.
Carpets were removed and the original floorboards buffed up, while toe-teasing sisal adorns the bedrooms. Abundant fabrics and wallpapers, meanwhile, were sourced solely from Elliott Clarke, with Luke, a scion of the Warwick Fabrics dynasty, offering his vast experience and a mouth-watering portfolio to choose from, including Brunschwig & Fils, GP&J Baker, Carolina Irving Textiles, Michael Smith, Décors Barbares, Lewis & Wood and Nicole Fabre Designs.
"Even though he has a huge array, it was challenging to stay within that but, yes, I compromised," admits Anna. "Luke's whole life is fabric and wallpapers. We did this together." As well as its fabrics in every room, the firm's wallpaper adorns the main bathroom, study and guest room. "I love wallpaper, but mainly in small spaces, otherwise it can be too much."
For their new home together, the couple "lovingly" collected a plethora of antiques and art in just three years from auctions, art dealers, antique dealers and junk shops, having started with just three artworks between them. Georgian furniture, including wingback chairs, chests and side tables, is a favourite of Anna's, which she loves for its simple lines, the perfect complement to the Victorian house.
Anna is famed for embracing colour and pattern in exciting and startling juxtapositions and here that talent finds full flight. "I love contrasts - it's not about a particular pattern or colour, it's how you put them together," she explains. "Surprising combinations make magic happen. I embrace contradictions, such as a zigzag kelim in front of an English floral sofa below an abstract painting."
Colour is a similar story, but here she has adopted a different take from her Brisbane home, which is airy and vibrant. Here, the palette's autumnal and wintry, as opposed to the saturated colours she is better known for. "I am so cold here," says Anna, "so I wanted my home to be a warm blanket, so comfy it wraps me up."
Again in her love of contrasts, she has juxtaposed diverse hues, with surprising results. "I love colour - it sets the mood and the tone, making me feel instantly happy, and it joins together all the patterns."
All the rooms are different colours, such as Sienna red in the snug and lots of greens, but the muddy caramel in the hall, "the artery of the house", joins everything together. Walking from one room to another is a journey, each different from the other. "With the pattern and layering, so much effort has been put into every room, but it all looks so spontaneous. It's perfectly imperfect."
The couple have given a traditional home a colourful and uplifting twist. And the differences between them have created a wonderful synergy. "I am passionate and can be impatient, while Luke's a solid rock and smart when it comes to process," says Anna. "He taught me patience and not to be in such a hurry. In turn, I have taught him to be in a bit more of a hurry. We bounce off each other. I love fabric and his family is all fabrics, so it's wonderful joining our talents together. As we created this together, it holds a special place in our hearts."
Their favourite rooms? For Anna, it's the delicate pink living room - "it's a bit like my Brisbane home; light and fresh. You will often find me in here and it lights up in the afternoon, with the warmth of the sun" - but for Luke it's the Sienna red snug. They epitomise how contrasts can come together with happy results - and the odd compromise or two!
annaspirodesign.com.au