Built to last

A SERENE AND SPACIOUS NEW HOME IN MELBOURNE REFLECTS THE BEST OF CONTEMPORARY STYLE FOR ITS INTERIOR-DESIGNER OWNER AND HER FAMILY

- JACKIE BRYGEL

For many people, building a house can mark the beginning of a new chapter in their lives. For Tessa, who shares her recently completed Melbourne home with husband Ray and their young-adult twins, Brittany and Harrison, that proved to be the case in more ways than one. After the stylish homeowner seized the opportunity to unleash her creative energy on her new home’s interiors, she felt inspired to embark on an entirely new career, and formally study her lifelong “obsession” – interior design and decoration. “I guess you could say I did everything a little back to front,” smiles Tessa, who previously worked in sales, but now runs her own interior design practice. “In recent years, I’ve come to the realisation that I really want to do things that I’m passionate about and which bring me joy.”

After Tessa and Ray moved to Australia from their native New Zealand when Brittany and Harrison were just 15 months old, they lived in a house for 12 years, just a short distance away from their current home. “We eventually outgrew the home we were in and rented for a couple of years,” says Tessa. “We couldn’t find anything we wanted to buy, so a few years ago we decided to build a house from scratch. We worked with a draftsman on the design and I took a very hands-on approach with everything from the floors to the colours and furniture.” For Tessa, the first-hand experience proved valuable. “It really ignited a passion in me and gave me so much insight into everything that is involved in a new home or renovation,” she remarks.