Homes

Stylist Bea Lambos’ Feel Good Melbourne Family Home

Stylist Bea Lambos, founder and creative director of Bea + Co, decorates houses every day, so it’s no surprise her own family home is a knockout!

Bea bought this property with her husband Peter Lambos and children Grace (21) and Will (18) in Melbourne’s south east two years ago. The already-renovated home with its white walls was a blank canvas for Bea to style with beautiful art, colour, and furniture she’s collected over decades.

The result is a home that’s easy to live in, gorgeous to touch, and perfect for this stage of Bea’s family life!

Written
by
Lucy Feagins
|
Photography
by
|
Editorial styling
by

Annie Portelli

Supported by Dulux

Inside Bea’s light-filled living room. 9602 Floor Lamp from In Good Company. Hudson Sofa and Pearl Chairs by Jardan. Dining table by Lowe Furniture from Hub Furniture. Vintage Cab leather dining chairs from CCSS. Vintage ceramic pot from Mark Denver. Artwork left to right: Framed artwork by David Booth/Ghostpatrol. Painting by Michelle Kettle. Vintage print from Florence. Lino print by Jane Henderson.

Bea stands alongside her beautiful library shelves. DOCKSTA Table from IKEA. Mina Chair by Jardan. Vintage Eero Saarinen stools. Window seat upholstered in Habro fabric from The Textile Company. Artwork by Nicholas Osmond. Wooden vessels from Leonard Joel. Ceramic vessel from Makers Mrkt. Sorella Table Lamp on Lights Lights Lights. Yellow Glass Knot by Jardan. Artwork above window seat by Sandra Eterovic. Vase from Space. Red and white vessel by Lucy Tolan.

Bea says the pool is the perfect place to hide from the world!

Dining table and stool by Lowe Furniture from Hub Furniture. Vintage Cab leather dining chairs from CCSS. Linen curtains from DIY Blinds.

Pearl Chair by Jardan. Side table from RJ Living. Rug by Loom Rugs. Lamp from Citta. Sculpture by Anya Pesce. Vintage print from Florence. ‘Super’ plate on shelf by John Derian. Brass vases from Mondocherry.

Framed artwork by David Booth/Ghostpatrol. Curved ceramic from Established for Design. White vase from In Good Company. Clock from The Conran Store. Silver vase by New Works from Designstuff. Green vase from Makers Mrkt. Wooden vessels from Leonard Joel. Resin vase by Dinosaur Designs. Japanese vessel from Kazari. Small ceramic by Simone Karras. Glass paper weight from John Derian.

Linen curtains from DIY Blinds. Kelly Armchair by Jardan. 9602 Floor Lamp from In Good Company. Rug by Loom Rugs. Side table from Makers Mrkt. Vintage glass coffee table from Curated Spaces. Blue and white ceramic by Studio Ashby.

Bea says her vintage cabinet filled with treasures and ceramics is her ‘happy place, especially if I strip the surfaces and shelves and start again!’

‘The main aim in any home is honestly just to make it feel ridiculously good.’

Silver vase by New Works from Designstuff. Green vase from Makers Mrkt. Wooden vessels from Leonard Joel. Japanese vessel from Kazari. Small ceramic by Simone Karras. Napkin from Maison Balzac. Glass paper weight from John Derian. Painting by Michelle Kettle.

Menu Candle Holder from Designstuff. Vintage black cupboard. Vintage lamp by from The Junk Company. Ligne Roset Ploum Sofa from DOMOLeroy Coffee Table and Floor Lamp from Rachel Donath. Vintage ladderback carver chair from Ernst Zacher Antiques. Vase from Space Furniture. Black Alky Armchair from CCSS. Blue plinth by Amanda Frith. Print on wall from IKEA.

Bedhead by Zenn Design. Lampe De Marseille pendant from Lights Lights Lights. Melbourne. Bed linen by Cultiver and Bed Threads.

Bedhead by Zenn Design. Lampe De Marseille pendant from Lights Lights Lights. Melbourne. Bed linen by Cultiver and Bed Threads. Vase from Ma House Supply Store. Artwork by Samuel Condon via Studio Gallery Melbourne.

Writer
Lucy Feagins
Photography
Editorial styling

Annie Portelli

16th of May 2023

After 20 years in the one Edwardian home, stylist Bea Lambos (founder and creative director of Bea + Co) and her family moved houses mid-COVID in search of more space.

The family discovered a Victorian home just a few suburbs away from their previous Melbourne home, with the same cherished period details plus a light-filled modern extension. ‘The icing on the cake was more space for us all, an established garden, and white walls to adorn with colour and art!’ says Bea.

The house was already beautiful, it just needed Bea’s personal stamp to make it a home.

Bea approached the styling of her home the same way she does every client project. She explains, ‘The main aim in any home is honestly just to make it feel ridiculously good … Spaces that are easy to live in, that are gorgeous to touch, and smell good. Rooms that are well-lit, naturally and artificially, all need to hit that “feel good” aim.’

Art and interesting objects have been introduced throughout bringing the property’s white walls (Dulux White Watsonia) to life. ‘It’s eclectic and curated and filled with things that we love: some hot right now, and some that we have had for many years,’ Bea says.

Bea’s furniture collection is expansive, spanning vintage pieces she bought with the money from her first job (the black cupboard in the front living room) to coveted designer items by Jardan and Ligne Roset. Artworks include prints from photographers she’s worked with over the years (Dave Kulesza, Tom Blachford, and Derek Swalwell) and plenty of contemporary ceramics.

The only ‘additions’ to the home have been minor cosmetic updates, such as the installation of new lighting, sheer curtains hung along the rear of the house, a paint colour in the front living room (Dulux Grass Sands). ‘We simply could not live without colour in our house,’ says Bea. ‘I live, eat and breathe it through my work so I love coming home to a palette that does all the right things!’

Bea’s family home continues to evolve slowly and deliberately as she discovers new artists and sources of inspiration. ‘My work leads me to incredible homes and incredible creatives every day so I try to channel what I hear and feel and see when I choose what to do at home,’ she says. ‘[It’s] always a work in progress with no rush involved.’

What Bea loves most about this home are the joyful, everyday moments it inspires. She speaks poetically about every element of the property, from the fleeting red glow of the hallway through the front door stained glass windows; to the ever changing ivy on the northern facade; and the constant dance of shadows, clouds, and stars through the skylights.

‘There’s lots of reasons to stop and look at things closely and pretend there is nowhere else to be right at that moment.’

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