Shop Shape

Converting an 1880s commercial building into a smart contemporary residence is no easy task. But this retailer with a keen eye for design has nailed it.

- Jackie Brygel

There is nowhere Scott Druce, the director of stationery and homewares retailer Telegram Co, and his partner Dan Creasey would rather be than relaxing at their home in Melbourne’s inner north. It’s hardly surprising given their home is so spectacular: a 19th-century corner shop dramatically dovetailed with the sleekest of modular extensions.

When the couple bought the home two years ago, it was a far cry from the smart property it had been in its heyday. “It was completely rundown,” says Scott. “The character had been stripped out over the years and a 1950s lean-to at the rear was structurally unsound. We really wanted to reinstate the heritage aspects and to enhance them. Then we began thinking about a new addition.”

Scott and Dan’s first step was researching the history of the home. “It was fascinating,” says Scott. “It was built in 1883 as a bakery, then later used as a general store. There had once been stables out the back where people left their horses while they shopped.”

They began by restoring the red-brick structure, which today contains a library, bathroom, guestroom and shared home office.