House Of Treasures

With her knack for finding pre-loved items discarded on the street, Martine Cook has created a beautiful family home.

- Bronwyn Phillips

Say the words “former hospital” and images of sterile wards, lino on the floors and hard, cold surfaces come to mind. Yet nothing could be further from the warm, artistic, eclectic family home created by stylist and art teacher Martine Cook and her husband, Jason.

Known as a “lie-in” hospital, the Edwardian/Victorian house in the inner Melbourne suburb of Seddon is now a four-bedroom home for the Cooks, their children Annie, 10, and Barney, seven, and recent addition Basil, an Ultimate Mastiff puppy.

Martine and Jason had dreamed of owning the imposing corner-block home for many years and had followed it through several owners. “It was a rare find, a big, triple-fronted block with a beautiful frontage and high, pressed metal ceilings,” says Martine.

Finally, at the right time and for the right price, it came up for sale. “It was unliveable. People had been renting it and a renovation had been started, but discontinued,” Martine, 44, says. “We bought it and did a complete renovation.”