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In 2019, Angie Rehak, Nick Rehak, and their three children Ziggy (11), Casper (9), Daisy (5) purchased a home in Clifton Hill, marking their return to Melbourne after an eight year stint living in Sydney.
The home was a run-down Victorian built in around the 1890s, with a 1960s extension that only detracted from the overall design.
Angie and Nick engaged architect Alex Lake of Therefore to design a comprehensive renovation, which would see the original rooms restored, and new northern living spaces to replace the outdated addition.
‘That whole extension was removed,’ says Angie, who is the co-owner of grazing and event styling business, Blossom. ‘It ran along the back of the house with a tiny kitchen, laundry and another bathroom. No windows for that glorious north-facing sunshine!’
The original house was entirely retained, but reconfigured for modern family living. A formal lounge became the main bedroom, a bedroom was turned into an en suite, and a formal dining room is now the ‘gallery’ space that bridges the new and old elements of the house.
Hidden doors in the gallery’s timber panelling cleverly conceal entrances to the main bathroom, linen cupboard, and laundry.
Original features throughout these front rooms have been uncovered and restored, including the open fireplaces and pressed metal ceilings.
‘All of the original floorboards remain, except in the new bathrooms,’ says Angie. ‘We sanded them back from dark wood to light and added a slight whitewash to brighten up the house.’
The new extension hosts all the living spaces, which are open plan, but subtly defined by changes in floor level (creating a sunken lounge) and colour.
New glass doors running the length of the rear facade provide a seamless connection to the backyard, allowing the children to run between the house and their separate playroom (once a small freestanding structure) at the back of the block.
‘We asked our architect to connect it to the main house,’ says Angie. ‘It’s close enough to us for them to feel connected, but separate enough that when they have friends over they have their own space to play or watch movies in.’
Both the front and back gardens have been landscaped by Gardens of the Sun in keeping with the architecture, while referencing the garden of Angie’s childhood Castlemaine home.
‘With over 300 different types of roses, it was pretty magical! I hoped to recreate that on a much smaller scale in our garden,’ Angie says.
Out the front, the restored facade provides the perfect backdrop for the cottage-style garden, complete with a pastel pink front door. ‘We chose pink as it matched the faded colour of the corrugated roof, suited the pretty Victorian features, and I have always wanted a pink door!’ says Angie. ‘We receive many lovely comments about it from everyone that walks past!’
Angie chose most of the finishes and fixtures in the home herself, drawing on her experience in visual merchandise and styling, and again taking inspiration from her parents’ Castlemaine house.
‘I grew up in homes that were filled with art and colour. My mother worked in fashion and my stepfather is the late artist, Robert Jacks AO,’ Angie explains. ‘They gave me confidence to be bold with style choices, to love playing with colour and to never base design decisions on “what if we want to sell our house in the future!”
Angie’s own colour selections are whimsical and pretty, while still sitting harmoniously alongside the home’s original features. Patterned tiles in the bathroom invite a playful energy, and the kitchen features a fresh shade of pastel green (Liberty Green by Porter’s Paints) accentuated by a skylight behind the cupboards.
The entire renovation was completed by builders Appetite for Construction in a speedy 10 months in and around Covid lockdowns.
Coming home to her dream home every day is never lost on Angie.
‘Every single time I arrive home, our pink door, pretty house, and gorgeous garden makes my heart sing,’ she says. ‘I am reminded of how lucky we are to have such a beautiful home… Incredibly cheesy, but true!’
