SECOND time round

The owners of a circa 1913 home invite the designer and architect who revamped it in the late 1990s to go to work on it once again.

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It’s not often that an architect and interior designer get to reimagine a house they first worked on more than 20 years ago. But such is the case with this house in Melbourne’s south-east. Interior designer Carole Whiting and her then-husband architect Steven Whiting had renovated the circa 1913 classic double-fronted home for the previous owners in the late 1990s.

When current owners Guy and Trudy bought the property in 2006, the earlier makeover with its two-storey extension at the rear was still quite fresh.

“Coming from a warehouse conversion we loved the combination of a heritage home with a modern renovation and, as new parents, we needed space for our growing family,” says Guy. “The renovation was fantastically practical and stylish, and we were immediately drawn to it.”

Recently, however, they decided to embark on a full redesign to futureproof the home for themselves and their three sons, now ages 18, 16 and 13. “We wanted to push a few envelopes in terms of design while maintaining the heritage feel of the main rooms at the front,” says Guy. Steven and Carole had started working together again and Guy and Trudy wanted the redesign to reflect the style of the architect and designer they had admired so much.