A Creative Couple’s Loft-Style Pad, With Brooklyn Vibes!

The building entrance showcases the original warehouse steelwork. Photo – Eve Wilson for The Design Files. Styling – Annie Portelli.

Homeowners Phi Do (left) and Yaniv Brayer (right). ‘Play’ artwork by Yan Guo. Photo – Eve Wilson for The Design Files. Styling – Annie Portelli.

A view from the mezzanine. ‘Tana shelf unit’ from TIDE Design. Cushions from Hommey. Pot from Plant Society. Photo – Eve Wilson for The Design Files. Styling – Annie Portelli.

Artwork by HeyShop and Mark Conlan. Photo – Eve Wilson for The Design Files. Styling – Annie Portelli.

A salon-style hang featuring art depicting various urban landscapes. Artwork by Hanah Wexler, Wabi Projects, Places We Swim and Cinta Vidal. Framing by WILMA Contemporary Framing. Cushions from Hommey. Photo – Eve Wilson for The Design Files. Styling – Annie Portelli.

‘Tana shelf unit’ from TIDE Design. Amber martini glasses bought secondhand from an op shop in Bairnsdale. Jug from Dinosaur Designs. Vases from Mud Australia. Ceramics by Oh Hey Grace. Tram from Make Me Iconic. Photo – Eve Wilson for The Design Files. Styling – Annie Portelli.

‘Dance Your Own Dance’ Artwork by Spencer Harrison. ‘We loved Spencer’s mural in Peel St, Collingwood so much that we commissioned him to create a print so it could live happily in our dining room,’ says Phi. Table and Thonet bentwood chairs bought secondhand. Photo – Eve Wilson for The Design Files. Styling – Annie Portelli.

Canelés from nearby Morning Market. Fresh blooms and fruit from Richmond’s Gleadell Street Market. Bowls from Mud Australia and Dinosaur Designs. Table and Thonet Bentwood chairs bought secondhand. Photo – Eve Wilson for The Design Files. Styling – Annie Portelli.

‘The first thing we did when we moved in was paint the kitchen cabinets (from red), tile the kitchen and replace the floorboards. We wanted to make minor cosmetic changes so it felt like us from the get-go,’ says Yaniv. able and Thonet Bentwood chairs bought secondhand comprise the dining setting, which overlooks the courtyard. Photo – Eve Wilson for The Design Files. Styling – Annie Portelli.

‘In all our design decisions, we wanted to stay true to the industrial heritage of the building. We removed the plaster ceiling from the kitchen to expose the mezzanine’s original wooden beams. We also used subway tiles in the kitchen to amplify the urban feel,’ explains Phi. He handcrafted the plywood shelves himself! Vases by kaclay (top left). Fresh blooms from Richmond’s Gleadell Street Market. Mortar and pestle from Mud Australia . Tableware by Made in Japan. Pot plant from Ghost Wares. Photo – Eve Wilson for The Design Files. Styling – Annie Portelli.

‘When we moved in this was a bare wall in the kitchen. We love cooking and entertaining so decided to fill it with an open pantry,’ says Yaniv. Plywood shelving handcrafted by Phi Do. Photo – Eve Wilson for The Design Files. Styling – Annie Portelli.

Vases by kaclay (top left). Fresh blooms from Richmond’s Gleadell Street Market. Mortar and pestle from Mud Australia . Tableware by Made in Japan. Pot plant from Ghost Wares. Photo – Eve Wilson for The Design Files. Styling – Annie Portelli.

‘We kept the bedroom purposefully minimalist to create maximum calmness. Another private courtyard off the bedroom lets in lots of natural light,’ says Phi. Linen from Bed Threads. ‘Ziggy’ bedside table from TLD Woodworking. Photo – Eve Wilson for The Design Files. Styling – Annie Portelli.

Bedside table handcrafted by Phi Do. Linen from Bed Threads. Shelving from Like Butter. David Shrigley tea towel from Third Drawer Down. Tram artwork by Jen Harper. Vase from Journey of Something. Photo – Eve Wilson for The Design Files. Styling – Annie Portelli.

‘We wanted to be as sustainable and reduce waste as much as possible. For example, we re-used our subway kitchen tiles in the bathroom but applied them vertically to create a different look,’ says Yaniv. Steel windows and cabinetry by Touch Wood Joinery. Lord Sconce wall lights from Dowel Jones. Photo – Eve Wilson for The Design Files. Styling – Annie Portelli.

‘The bathroom was recently renovated and takes up the entire mezzanine level. We designed the bathroom with floor-to-ceiling steel windows to let the light from our north-facing windows flow through to the rest of the house, and swapped the position of the toilet and laundry to create a European laundry tucked underneath the stairs,’ explains Phi. Steel windows and cabinetry by Touch Wood Joinery. Photo – Eve Wilson for The Design Files. Styling – Annie Portelli.

‘When we first moved in, everything was red – a red kitchen and red feature walls,’ remembers Phi Do. ‘The first challenge was to remove all the red.’

The couple are avid renovators, and have conducted a number of alterations to their three-storey warehouse-style townhouse over the five years they’ve been living here. Phi designs and Yaniv project manages!

After tackling the kitchen cabinetry, the pair expanded the bathroom over the whole mezzanine level. Floor-to-ceiling steel frame windows with fluted glass now replace the bathroom walls, allowing natural light to filter through the middle level and spill into the other rooms below.

‘We’ve always loved the warehouse aesthetic and dreamt of owning one,’ says Yaniv. ‘We fell in love with this New York-style warehouse conversion for its high ceilings, the industrial look of the Besser Block bricks and exposed steel beams. We wanted something with character and history, not something too new.’

Yaniv’s not joking when he says the ceilings are high – they are 4.3m tall, and the frontage itself is only 3.2 metres wide! These unique proportions lend themselves to careful decoration.

‘We’ve opted for large-scale art and a salon-style hang to draw the eye up,’ says Phi. Their favourite artworks are ‘Play’ by Yan Guo (purchased from Modern Times) and ‘Dance Your Own Dance’ by Spencer Harrison.

Inspired by Japanese and Scandinavian design principles, the warm and layered home features a combination of natural timber, organic homewares and pops of colour.

‘Our home is also a little love letter to Melbourne – celebrating many of its artists and makers,’ says Yaniv.