Modern Australian Interior Design Shines Bright in Our Port Melbourne Home Makeover

Nothing makes me more excited than when photos come back of our design projects. To see the completed product when just months earlier we were knee-deep on a dust-covered construction site is everything and more.

It’s a hard style to pin down, this latest makeover. I’ve ended up describing it as ‘modern Australian interior design’, because it does tend to reflect that light, bright, easy and contemporary style that’s been dominating the local landscape for years.

For this project, we teamed up with the amazing MCID, who oversaw the renovation, conceptualised the foundational elements, executed stunning kitchens and bathrooms, joinery and more. TLC worked with the clients more on furnishing for this one; furniture and decor, window coverings, lighting and so on.

Scroll on as I take you inside the transformation and share tips with you to pull off this look.

An Exercise in Embracing Natural Light

One of the key requirements from the clients from the jump was that they wanted to allow as much light to flood into the home as possible. This meant installing a number of large glass doors in the main open-plan living, dining and kitchen zone.

These sort of light-drenched rooms are a staple in the modern Australian interior design style, as is the indoors-meets-out sensibility. This was another focus for the couple, who had three young boys; blur the lines between interior and exterior.

Slide open the stacker doors and the home’s footprint suddenly expands, allowing kids to play completely supervised from the kitchen. This is why – as much as I wanted to do it – we chose not to install sheer curtains. To block the eye-line out to the yard would have been choosing form over function, which just wouldn’t have worked.

How Sacrificing Space Created Something Beautiful

As the floor plan for the reno evolved, it became clear that this busy family needed a larger kitchen. Using the image above for reference, the kitchen footprint was originally meant to stop where the island ends and fridge begins. But it just wasn’t going to give the clients enough of a kitchen.

And so the footprint for the seating area to the left began to get smaller. The plan originally was to sit some freestanding sofas in there, so it acted as a second living room. But as the zone began to decrease in size, we needed a different solution. And so Martine and I came up with a more genius idea.

A curved banquette bench seat is what we ended up executing in the space, which looks so much better than stock-standard sofas and allowed us to introduce a custom solution decked out in leather.

Clients Who Embraced the ‘You Do You’ Concept

The clients have a main living room elsewhere in the home, so the space beside the kitchen became more of a relaxed hangout area. It’s a place for the young twins to play on the rug and have the TV going, but also a comfortable zone for adults to enjoy.

We lowered the height of the banquette seating and deepened it too, so it didn’t read as a dining room without a table in it. It’s the perfect zone to bring other kids around for a play date, with parents able to relax as well. And it’s packed with storage underneath so all the toys can be put away easily.

I’m really pleased that the clients leant into creating a space that worked for their family, right now, to address their everyday needs. Too many people worry about future-proofing their home so much that they end up with rooms that don’t reflect how they live. Don’t be those people; let your home serve you.

Creating Cohesion Through Repeated Design Moments

We really wanted the journey from one room to the next to be cohesive. We needed rooms to be telling the same style story. Be it the kitchen or living room, bathroom or dining, every zone needed to be related, the elements giving a nod to one another.

Black was repeated in a number of finishes, but done so with some restraint. You’ll notice it in handles on kitchen cabinets, in hardware on the living room, the legs of stools, and in door handles and hinges elsewhere. This not only connected rooms, but gave the scheme some depth.

Leather was another moment repeated throughout. It made the rooms feel more rugged, in a way. We didn’t want everything to be white or beige, and so the deep tan leather was a nice way to break up any potential monotony. Light blue accents did the same, giving a nod to the nearby beach.

Carefully Curated Selections Enhance the ‘Exhale’ Feeling

The rooms of this home feel like an exhale. I know that sounds odd, but you know what I mean; there’s this sense of rest, relaxation, the release of a deep breath as you walk through the rooms. The light is to thank for some of that, but the finishes chosen and the furniture selected also play a big part.

Martine selected some stunning oak flooring from Made By Storey, which in a thicker plank works to make zones feel larger. A crisp white paint was applied to the walls to keep things cool, while some moments of VJ panelling on feature walls introduced texture and tactility to the scheme.

White plantation shutters in the entry and the softest grey sheers in the living room enhance the sense of light. From a furniture perspective, the idea was always to keep wood tones visible, but never have the finish feel rustic. There’s a craftsmanship to all of the hard furniture, but it’s soft-to-the-touch.

See Inside More Rooms From This Makeover

There are more kitchen, laundry, bathroom and ensuite images (as well as before and after shots) to soak up from this renovation over on the MCID website. Martine and the team did a phenomenal job in those zones too, and give you more insight into the approach to transforming each space.

If you’d like TLC to give your home a modern Australian interior design makeover, don’t hesitate to reach out via our contact page. Of course, we don’t specialise in one style (as our portfolio page quite clearly demonstrates). So no matter your preferred interior vibe, we’re here to help.

Photography for this project is by Stephanie Rooney.

Are you loving the modern Australian interior design vibe? I’d love to hear from you in the comments below. Let me know if you have any questions about the makeover or need any supplier info.