Past Romance

This Melbourne apartment had extraordinary bones to begin with. Double height ceilings, a deep arched bay window at the far end of the formal living room, wide timber floors. The Stylesmiths understood exactly how to work with them.

The formal living room is the centrepiece. Two white sofas face each other across a marble coffee table, amber velvet cushions running their length. A pair of tan leather mid century armchairs sit by the window. Two large textured abstract paintings hang on either side of the room, catching the light differently as the day moves through. A single pendant drops from the centre of the arch on a long cord. It is a room that has been put together with real thought, and you feel it when you walk in.

The kitchen is restrained by comparison — marble island on a fluted plinth, brass bridge tap, leather bar stools. It does not need to compete. Above, a curved brass balustrade on the mezzanine level traces the volume of the space.

The bookshelves are the room that made me love this apartment. Backs painted a soft blue grey, loaded with paperbacks and hardcovers and a brass trumpet sitting somewhere in the middle of it all. Not styled to impress. Just genuinely lived in.

The bedroom carries the same easy confidence: a linen scalloped bedhead, brass double wall sconces, dark green velvet cushions without fuss. Nicole England's photography finds the light in every room and knows when to stay still.