Traveller's checks

Your first home?
The search for our first home took over two years. I was looking for a house with great bones but the first address we bought was a tennis court – a blank canvas. We weren’t looking for land but the land found us.

Period home or contemporary?
A well-designed, contemporary renovated period home. I love the charm of a period home but it needs to adapt to my lifestyle. Period homes are often dark and, in Melbourne where it’s cold for most of the year, I really love to have as much sunlight as possible. Sunlight makes me happy.

Describe your home style
Eclectic – a mix of new and old. I appreciate the style of different periods. The old radiates history and compliments the simplicity of today’s home design. I love objects with personality and patina, odd proportions, textures, age, culture and something that inspires imagination. I love it when visitors say the house feels really good. It’s almost like a healing pod.

Most treasured possession?
Possessions often help recall my travels. A soft baby alpaca throw from Lima keeps me warm on the couch. Everyone thinks the Christopher Boots Prometheus III ring hanging over the dining table is only for decoration or some sort of feng shui stone until we switch on the light fitting. I have an odd but beautifully shaped duck-egg jar – an original earthenware wine vessel from the Han Dynasty. There’s a mural by Ghost Patrol and Miso on the stairs – it mimics Melbourne’s laneway culture.

The Melbourne suburb you love?
I love the CBD fringe, which is within walking distance of good coffee, shopping and restaurants. I like green and leafy suburbs such as Malvern, Armadale, Carlton and South Melbourne. Life is so much more sustainable if I don’t have to drive to grab a coffee or buy groceries.

Best homewares shop?
Local and international flea markets – I never know what I will find and I love the sense of discovery. I frequent Camberwell Sunday Market and I also like the Melbourne Design Market.

Your next home?
A big warehouse in South Melbourne where I can landscape the whole thing internally to make it feel like I’m living in a garden. I’d like a giant retractable roof so I can sleep under the stars.

plusarchitecture.com.au.