Homes

Kate Dinon and Alex Ksugas

Today we share a beautiful Victorian home in Brunswick, Melbourne, which has been renovated and updated with remarkable restraint by homeowners Kate Dinon and Alex Ksugas, under the guidance of respected local interior designer Chelsea Hing.

The arrival of Kate and Alex’s sweet baby daughter Marlowe six months ago has shaken things up just a little, adding a joyous new layer of life and love and, well, stuff to the mix!

Written
by
Lucy Feagins

Master Bedroom. Bedsides by Willy Rizzo. On the right hand side, an early Bill Henson work from Roslyn Oxley. Photo – Annette O’Brien. Production – Lucy Feagins / The Design Files.

The beautiful Brunswick home of Kate Dinon and Alex Ksugas. above – front living room, with artwork entitled ‘Cantilever Pitchfork’ by Bryan Spier from Sarah Scout Presents. Coffee table is a vintage piece designed in the 1970’s German designer Knut Hesterberg. Sofa is by Flexform, gold lamp is the Oluce Atollo 233 (available at Euroluce). Photo – Annette O’Brien. Production – Lucy Feagins / The Design Files.

Living room. Saarinen side table, sunburst mirror from Cromwell. Artwork in bookshelf by Sean Bailey. Sculpture on mantle by Mary Lou Pavlovic. Black and white vase on mantle is part of the Still Life by Chelsea Hing collection. Photo – Annette O’Brien. Production – Lucy Feagins / The Design Files.

Living room details. Tom Dixon Hex bowl and the best Ikea buy of All Time – the Frasera whiskey glass! Photo – Annette O’Brien. Production – Lucy Feagins / The Design Files.

Dining room. Pendant light by Lee Broom, dogwood flower arrangement by Casey from Tillda Flowers. Rug by Madeline Weinrib. Table by Hay. Vintage Mies van der Rohe chairs from Leonard Joel. Photo – Annette O’Brien. Production – Lucy Feagins / The Design Files.

Dining room details. Artwork by Miranda Skoczek (bought from the TDF fundraiser for the ASRC! We love seeing where these works end up!), table lamp by local designer Christopher Boots. Photo – Annette O’Brien. Production – Lucy Feagins / The Design Files.

Kitchen. Pendants by Gubi, table by Benchmark (London), Thonet bentwood chairs. Photo – Annette O’Brien. Production – Lucy Feagins / The Design Files.

Kitchen details. Framed drawing on shelf by Kat Macleod from Lamington Drive. Photo – Annette O’Brien. Production – Lucy Feagins / The Design Files.

Dining Room. Paintings by Melbourne artist Gavin Brown, Kate calls them ‘Mick and Kate’. Photo – Annette O’Brien. Production – Lucy Feagins / The Design Files.

Dressing Room (currently referred to as ‘the museum’ since Kate hasn’t made much use of her incredible show collection since little Marlowe arrived!). Tufted ottoman bought at Leonard Joel. Photo – Annette O’Brien. Production – Lucy Feagins / The Design Files.

Master Bedroom. Paul Evans Cityscape lamp bought in France. Artwork is by Alice Wormald. Bed linen by CULTIVER. Photo – Annette O’Brien. Production – Lucy Feagins / The Design Files.

Marlowe’s nursery. Artworks by US-based Australian artist Elizabeth Corkery. Armchair from MCM House and rug by Missoni. Photo – Annette O’Brien. Production – Lucy Feagins / The Design Files.

Writer
Lucy Feagins
27th of October 2015

Running this website we tend to notice the same names popping up time and time again – these tend to be ladies (yes, it’s usually the ladies!) that really go all out supporting what we do, attending our events and art exhibitions, commenting on our posts and our social media feeds regularly. Amongst our many amazing readers, there are a handful who just seem to go that extra mile to connect with us in these ways – and we really appreciate it! Their names (or instagram handles!) often become familiar to us in the office, and we’re always excited to finally meet these die-hard readers in person!

One such loyal reader is Melbourne based brand strategist and publicist Kate Dinon! Having lived and worked for five years in London, with a further two years in Zurich (where she met her husband Alex), Kate would often check out The Design Files, keen to keep abreast of all the creative happenings in her home town.

Kate moved back to Melbourne in 2013 with Alex (who is Swiss). They bought their Victorian terrace house in Brunswick site unseen, whilst still living Switzerland! ‘I discovered the property via one of my many realestate.com.au alerts – it was an undiscovered gem’ Kate says.

After securing the property, Kate enlisted local interior designer Chelsea Hing to assist in refurbishing the house. Chelsea stripped back the years of ‘dowdy’ to reveal the beautiful bones of this grand old home. ‘We did the floors, painted everything, new kitchen, new bathroom but nothing structural – why would you?!’ Kate says.

With its Victorian features, classic, understated aesthetic and dramatic palette of various greys, Kate and Alex’s home is striking. When pressed, Kate describes her style as ‘comfortably elegant’ which we think is perfectly accurate! The arrival of baby Marlowe six months ago has shaken things up just a little, adding a joyous new layer of life and love and, well, stuff to the mix!

Aside from having a very distinct and finely attuned sense of style, Kate is also a huge researcher and supporter of local creatives. She even has Google alerts for all her favourite artists, so she receives an update whenever their work is due to be exhibited or auctioned. (Clever!). Her home is adorned with artworks from favourite Melbourne artists including Miranda Skoczek, Gavin Brown and Bryan Spier, whilst a handcrafted table light from local lighting designer Christopher Boots is another treasured piece.

’I love every single thing I have ever bought – effusively’ say Kate. We believe it! For sentimental reasons, though, the early Bill Henson work Alex gave her when Marlowe was born is a firm favourite.

When asked what she loves most about living here, Kate’s response is simple and characteristically succinct. ‘The house has soul and feels like us’.

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