There’s no two ways about it – apartment living is the future. As the Australian population continues to grow, we need to start thinking about apartments not as investments or commodities, but as real homes – because first as foremost, that’s what they should be.
We love to feature beautiful, personality-filled apartments – spaces that are full of life, and show just how fabulous apartment-living can be!
So – from a tree-top art deco flat filled with vintage treasures, to an interior designer’s personalised Bondi pad, these are our top five favourite apartments of the year!
Today we kick off our annual tradition of revisiting the BEST OF stories of 2021! First up – we’re returning to the most popular Australian Homes we featured over the past twelve months. And boy, did we uncover some gems this year!
In between multiple lockdowns and ever-changing restrictions, we managed to shoot so many homes from across the country, from a restored mid-century house overlooking the Great Ocean Road, to a renovation of a ‘90s Tuscan-style villa in Fremantle, and a former boarding house in inner-city Melbourne.
The following properties were our most-read homes stories from the entire year – let’s get into it!
The house of artist Madeleine Stamer, Lantern Printing owner Karl Stamer, and their children Wilhelmina (15) and Ada (12) was already renovated when they moved in – it just needed their combined decorative flair to make it home. Already liveable and warm, the family’s belongings have added an extra layer of colour and fun.
Located in Melbourne’s bayside area, the home today is a cheery reflection of Madeleine and Karl’s colourful outlook on life!
The Featherston House is one of Melbourne’s most architecturally-significant homes, having been designed by Robin Boyd for the prolific design duo, Grant and Mary Featherston.
What most people don’t realise, is that this 1969 Ivanhoe house has been constantly evolving in line with new technologies, allowing Boyd’s vision to be fully realised.
The most recent updates have been completed by Grant and Mary’s son and daughter-in-law, Julian and Vicky Featherston, co-founders of multi-disciplinary consultancy Two Feathers, who now live here with their two children Elka (9) and Otto (6). (Mary also lives next door in a ‘granny flat’ designed by Julian, adjoining the main house.)
This is SUCH an incredible house, and we’re so honoured to be sharing the sensitively-renovated main house in its current iteration for the very first time! (AND we also made a video – scroll down to watch!)
The Fremantle home of Poppy Lissiman and Harrison Kennedy feels like a beautiful boutique hotel, combining influences of retail, hospitality and residential design into the one unique space.
The couple bought the Tuscan villa-style house earlier this year, proceeding to renovate the space for improved outdoor connections and plenty of personality. Their secret weapon – Harrison’s mum and acclaimed architect Louise St John Kennedy, who designed the updated house plans.
Whilst renovating can often be stressful, Poppy describes the process as ‘pure heaven’, resulting in one seriously gorgeous home.
The maximalist yet personal feel of Leila Sanderson and sound engineer Tony Espie‘s South Yarra apartment is something that can only be achieved over a long period of time… 12 years to be exact!
Leila and Tony have filled the art deco space with plenty of contrasting colour, ribbon rosettes made by Leila (aka Skinny, owner of Skinny Wolf), and foliage from her florist work with Katie Marx.
It’s a heartwarming space, which celebrates the history and style of its original architecture. And would you believe, it’s a rental?!
Charlotte Ree has lived in Sydney for 14 years, but she’s never seen another property quite like her Potts Point apartment!
The head of marketing at Pan Macmillan Australia, recipe developer, author of Just Desserts and the upcoming food memoir Heartbake, was immediately attracted to the apartment’s unique mix of warehouse features in an art deco building, and of course, its private rooftop!
A mere three months since moving in, Charlotte feels more at home here than ever before.
We see a lot of houses here at TDF, but we’ve never seen an Australian house quite like Bronte Taton’s!
Bronte’s family home is reminiscent of classical Greek architecture, and surrounded by a French-inspired garden in Darlington – a quaint country town 30 minutes from Perth.
The creative director and antique collector at Cleo Collects moved here with her husband Joshua Casey, Indigenous program coordinator and design teacher shortly after the birth of their daughter, Clementine. The move has felt like returning home to Bronte, who grew up between Paris and California. The dream!
Every day feels like a holiday in the home of Cheryl and James Kitchener!
The couple purchased this ‘80s property in Suffolk Park, located six kilometres from Byron Bay, for its retro feel, privacy, and connection to the garden.
Subsequent renovations have enhanced these features and more, resulting in the ultimate tropical retreat… just steps from the beach!
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