The home with a calming elegance
Subtle hums of colour set the mood in this Toorak Gardens home, proving that neutral doesn’t have to mean beige.
When Ali and her husband discovered their Toorak Gardens home in 2021, it was a patchwork of renovations and additions that had been bestowed upon the property over the years.
When Ali saw the early 1900s sandstone villa, named Rotherwood, after having viewed several other potential homes for her family, she just knew this was the one.
“The block size was good and the house is just beautiful,” Ali says. “I call it ‘she’. She’s a grand old lady and she’d had many different owners who had left their mark over the years.
“I just got a feeling. My husband asks me why I said yes to this one after looking at so many others and it sounds funny, but I felt it – I could just tell.
“We wanted to simplify a home that has had many lives through different owners – pare it back and reinstate its heritage features, while making it a chic family home.
“What we’ve done means this place will live on for another couple of hundred years. She’s still so elegant, but now she has that modern liveability.”
Ali set about assembling a dream team to make it all integrate as a cohesive, liveable space. The pair wanted to retain all the charm the home came with, so they revived the original ceilings, fret work and floorboards, while adding skylights throughout to bathe the old rooms in light.
Calm doesn’t mean beige in Rotherwood and from the outset, the home introduces a hum of colour. The front door’s subtle blue-grey tone welcomes, spilling into the entryway with a tiled checkerboard floor.
As Ali chats about the project, she’s standing in her kitchen, next to a quartzite island countertop in a warm neutral tone, which pairs perfectly with soothing sage green joinery.
“I love the different times of day in here; you get the light beams coming through, hitting different parts of the room.”
This kitchen is a truly special one – the feeling that Ali was so sure about comes to fruition in this space.
It’s not only the elevated design choices – selected with the help of Georgie Shepherd Interiors – but also the feeling of connectedness it encourages.
The breakfast bar is a place where the family of four – including their young children – congregate for casual meals together or to do homework amongst the rest of the household.
“We love eating casually and this is all really easy – it has this calm about it.”
The space has understated curves – something Ali was conscious not to push the envelope with. “Georgie Shepherd was really good at coming to us with ideas, but also listening and understanding.
“The rangehood had a bit of a different design and was very on trend. I told her I didn’t think I would love it in five or 10 years. So, she’s come up with something that fits perfectly.”
Being a family home, this area is also practical and versatile – a butler’s pantry tucked along the back of the kitchen conceals all the necessary – but not so pretty – items, while an admin cupboard with school forms and all the things that tend to accumulate on a bench is hidden away.
There’s a cosy living space amongst this family area, with that same pared-back palette lending itself to subtle details in the materials and textures
The fireplace is surrounded by white bag brick, which continues on the home’s exterior. A wraparound concrete bench holds a lounging seat beside the window and beautiful timber cabinetry, brought to life by The Building Company, along with the rest of the renovation.
While Ali says they don’t tend towards “loud” design, they wanted to add some pops – albeit more grounded – to their otherwise neutral palette.
The Lemme modular sofa from Jardan in the living area is a soothing and subtle hue, set off wonderfully by a painting by artist, Bridie Gillman.
One of the things Ali wanted in this home was the opportunity to be all together as a family, or to break off into different zones.
Outside, the pool is now more connected to the home after a slight extension in the living space, and a quarter court gives the kids a place to play, all surrounded by well-planned greenery, designed by Alex Game from Landskap and tended to by the team at My Gardener.
The family moved from Rose Park – a house they thought would be their forever home. “Then we had children and needed more space in the sense of having separate areas.”
The children have their own play space upstairs, while the adults have a very chic sitting room of their own.
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Deep grey-blue walls introduce the richness and the tone carries up to the ceiling with original decorative plaster work.
The Armadillo Malawi rug in amber from Terrace Floors + Furnishings brings boldness to the flooring and the curtains are very clever in that they’re sheer two thirds of the way down, ushering light into the moody room, then a panel of deep russet sits at the bottom.
“This was about us having a bit of space if we wanted a different room to come to – we’ve got a young family and we love entertaining and having lots of people here, but this is our own little escape.”
The powder room is another that oozes personality. The Iksel La Fete Chinoise wallpaper from Greenfield & Hunter is a lovely surprise, along with rich elements, such as Asser & Co Curvature hand towel and robe hooks.
“I wanted something with a bit of pizazz – I love going to someone’s house and their powder room is a bit opulent.”
This project was a harmonious team effort between the owners, designers, architects and builders.
When the family purchased the home in 2021, there was a long settlement, which allowed the lead time to assemble their team.
“I’ve known Georgie for a long time and have absolutely loved and admired her work – her team is phenomenal,” Ali says.
“Other family members have worked with TBC before and I know them socially. We’d seen they were creating some really beautiful work, so we were keen to get them on board.”
The couple wanted architect Bec Ryan on the project, but she was so busy she wasn’t able to dedicate the necessary time. In the end, they got the best of two worlds, with Bec able to put in the time to draw the initial concepts, while she recommended Sean MacGregor to tag team in for the rest.
Ali says Bec was wonderful at visualising how the home would best flow – the floorplan ended up changing vastly from its initial layout.
Ali and her husband both work from home, with Ali seeing clients regularly. Bec positioned the office at the very front of the home, so clients can come and go easily, while the rest of the home remains private.
Walking through her adults’ retreat with master bedroom, walk-in wardrobe and en suite, Ali points out one of her favourite details – wall lights from Handmade & Found.
“Every time I turn them on, I feel like I’m staying in a luxe hotel room.
“The team that helped us have chosen some really beautiful features and pieces, but I don’t feel too precious in it. It’s got an ease to it – you feel like you can live in it and relax.”
This article first appeared in the January 2026 issue of SALIFE magazine.
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