This Heritage Home Hides A Delightful Renovation Filled With Art

Inside the renovated Fitzroy home by Hindley & Co. Photo – Tatjana Plitt

An overhaul of the house has revived the old Victorian to meet the needs of modern family living. Photo – Tatjana Plitt

As one of the owners works on the production of artwork and sculpture for Patricia Piccinnini and Peter Hennessey for two decades, he bought a ‘sculptor’s perspective’ to the renovation, which is filled with works by both artists! Photo – Tatjana Plitt

Contemporary furniture has been placed as sculptures in the new light-filled living space. Photo – Tatjana Plitt

A built-in study space is integrated into the living room. Photo – Tatjana Plitt

In addition to a cosy reading nook! Photo – Tatjana Plitt

Muted blue tones bring personality to the kitchen joinery, which also ensures there’s multiple ways to display artwork across the many shelves, benches and nooks. Photo – Tatjana Plitt

Inside the main bedroom. Photo – Tatjana Plitt

The steep old staircase is a nod to the home’s Victorian roots. Photo – Tatjana Plitt

One of the sleek bathrooms! Photo – Tatjana Plitt

Terrazzo finishes combine with a more budget friendly mix of tiles. Photo – Tatjana Plitt

The new backyard was also designed for entertaining, allowing the family to enjoy indoor-outdoor living. Photo – Tatjana Plitt

The home is nestled in the heart of Fitzroy. Photo – Tatjana Plitt

The beautiful facade! Photo – Tatjana Plitt

The all-white, heritage facade of this Fitzroy home refuses to give anything away about what lies inside, but that’s exactly what makes it so much fun.

It’s the family residence of Dennis Daniel, his wife and their two children. Dennis is an architect by trade, but has worked as a sculptor for artists Patricia Piccinini and Peter Hennessey since he finished university, and had even ‘been tinkering with a moody grayscale 3D model of his dream renovation for years’ before he engaged design practice Hindley & Co for the transformation.

‘Dennis’ sculptural model of the house was the starting point,’ Hindley & Co director and principal architect Anne Hindley reveals.

Together, they reconciled the Victorian-era home’s dark spaces and impractical floorplan with his creative vision – approaching the renovation as if it was a work of art itself, Anne adds.

It helped that ‘[Dennis] appreciates colour, texture and composition in a way that many clients do not, as well as having access to some of Patricia’s amazing artwork to use in the house.’

They also adopted a ‘spendy-savey’ attitude to the materials. This meant mixing feature tiles with budget-friendly utility tiles and a combination of laminate and timber for the joinery, while the Baltic pine floors were kept for warmth wherever possible.

‘We transformed the steep old Victorian staircase by wrapping it in feature finishes, and making it glow from within, installing strip lighting inside the balustrade. The unused under-stair area was turned into an all-blue secret laundry and powder room,’ Anne explains.

Upstairs, the front two rooms were turned into a wide main bedroom, allowing the grand front windows that overlook the street to give it a European apartment feel. Skylights throughout fill the interior with light, and the extended living room made way for a new study and reading nook thoughtfully hidden behind a clear screen.

Anne says the contrast between the simplicity of the interiors and the whimsical styling was all about ensuring longevity. The built-in forms feel aligned with the home’s elegant roots, creating a timeless backdrop that heroes the family’s ever-changing collection of colourful art and sculptural furniture.