Back To Top

For Its Color Blind Owners, the Designer of This Sustainable Melbourne Home Had to Dial Up the Intensity of the Hues Inside

The renovation of this period home in Melbourne references both the Scandi and Middle Eastern roots of its owners, tied up in colorful yet luxurious finishes

By
published
in Features
Living space with neutral walls and vibrant, tiled flooring and skirting. An earth toned wall tapestry hangs at the back of the space, with a plum coloured sofa in front. In the foreground sits a round, terracotta coffee table with a mustard armchair and beige, textured footstool surrounding.
(Image credit: Anson Smart. Design: YSG Studio)

‘Trust is the operative term,’ admits Yasmine Saleh Ghoniem, referring to the rapport she developed with the owners of this Melbourne Victorian weatherboard house that her studio, YSG, recently reimagined. The interior scheme is a riot of bespoke pattern and energizing color — a surprising departure for a period home, especially since her clients happen to be color blind.

For both owners, a couple with two teenage children, muted tones appear neutrally washed out. "We decided we could afford to go bold," says Yasmine. Accelerating tonal intensities, especially in areas where sunlight drenches the newly constructed spaces such as the kitchen, the result is a fantastic palette illuminated by the colorful leadlights that stream aromatic shades (think turmeric and saffron) into the modern home.

The family was already living in the classic residence in the Fitzroy North neighborhood, complete with an extension from the 1990s that included an open living space along with a retreat for the parents. ‘But it didn’t work,’ recalls Yasmine. The parents’ suite hogged views of the garden, and thus most of the natural light it afforded, rendering the communal spaces dark and ignored as the clients ended up spending much of their time outside.

Yasmine Saleh Ghoniem

Located in the suburbs of Sydney, YSG was founded by Yasmine Saleh Ghoniem, known for her layered aesthetic, abundant with bespoke details.

An intricate, cream porch above a peachy pink front door, with a terracotta, small tiled path and step, surrounded by manicured greenery.

‘They’re soft and dreamy compared to the usual darker shades the homes in the area use,’ says Yasmine of the front porch’s gentle creams and apricot tones. (Image credit: Anson Smart. Design: Yasmine Saleh Ghoniem)

The Victorian weatherboard residence is located in Fitzroy North, a Melbourne neighbourhood with a bohemian feel. An entrance in the original home leads to a hallway with a newly built laundry, powder room, main bathroom and kids’ bedrooms on either side. A rear, light-filled extension includes the open-plan kitchen with living space, plus principle suite.

Destined for an overhaul, in many ways it was the perfect project for Yasmine; while one client is Danish (fond of clean finishes and pale timber), the other is Egyptian-Australian (mad about pattern and color), mirroring Yasmine’s own ancestry (their mothers even share the same name). Beyond an immediate bond through heritage, it also happened to be a timely match for YSG, which recently added an architectural branch to the studio.

Bedroom with sand colored walls and bow-tie style cornicing at the ceiling. A custom, deep green headboard runs along the back wall with a wood side table to the left of the bed. The modern, geometric windows to the left, cast light onto the custom bedding and throw blanket, with niched, shelves below the windowsill.

There’s a soothing shift in the main bedroom color ideas, where the palette embraces gentle colors that contrast with the brighter tones in the living spaces. "You’ll note the floor is tiled, but we used lighter tones so it’s softer," says Yasmine. "The bowtie tiles lining the cornice are mirrored in the nearby ensuite, where they are blue." (Image credit: Anson Smart. Design: Yasmine Saleh Ghoniem)

But the real story is the collision of contrasting tastes, and the clients’ trust that YSG could harmonize their ‘radically different’ aesthetic inclinations. Leaning towards Scandinavian design, the interior scheme maintains a minimalist look, including iconic furniture from names like Erik Ole Jørgensen and Fritz Hansen, while the kitchen joinery features Queensland Maple. Embracing Middle Eastern design, a Hammam-inspired tub in the kids’ bathroom is a luxurious escape in and of itself; while an intricate tiled floor throughout the new extension is undoubtedly the hero of the project.

To pull off the mesmerizing flooring, YSG referenced wool and silk Persian rugs to help create the one-of-a-kind mosaic. ‘When you look closely, within the pixelations there are three distinct “rugs” incorporated in the design,’ says Yasmine, noting how the pattern shifts throughout the open kitchen, creating different zones, but is unified by radiant color.

If the whole scheme feels invigorating, that’s sort of the point. ‘They wanted a home that awakened the senses,’ says Yasmine. The result is seriously sensational.

A beige powder room with baby blue, geometric tiles at 3/4 height. To the right is a custom, turquoise basin, with a wood cabinet beneath. The space is floored with a pale, turquoise and a pinky beige lite with a multi-coloured window to the left. In the middle hangs a small, bronze pendant light with vertical, bronze towel warmers behind.

A jewel-toned shower is a mood enhancer in the morning light. "Clients are sometimes wary of adding expenses to rooms not usually seen by guests, but these ones embraced the private treat," says Yasmine. (Image credit: Anson Smart. Design: Yasmine Saleh Ghoniem)

A duck egg blue, tiled bathroom with a custom, crescent bath along the right wall, with bronze tap. Along the far wall, a dado rail at half heigh with cream walls and plate artwork. Also on the back wall hangs two towel rails and a small side table to the left of the space, in front of the cupboards.

The hammam-inspired bath in the kids’ room is so nice, Yasmine admits, that they don’t get it all to themselves: "It’s also used by the parents as it’s the only tub in the home!" (Image credit: Anson Smart. Design: Yasmine Saleh Ghoniem)

A light, modern, high ceiling living area with tall windows along the far wall, dressed with custom rust coloured curtains, and a white, industrial style chandelier. On the left wall hangs a monochrome textile piece, above a deep, plum coloured sofa. In the centre of the space is a geometric design rug, with a glass coffee table and modern, fur upholstered chair.

While this cozy lounge shows YSG’s eye for curation, the studio couldn’t resist its inclination towards customization. ‘"Our coppery curtains are incredible as the patterns differ on both, accentuated in the daytime when sunlight filters in from behind,’ says Yasmine. ‘We love their pom-poms." (Image credit: Anson Smart. Design: Yasmine Saleh Ghoniem)

Living space with neutral walls and vibrant, tiled flooring and skirting. An earth toned wall tapestry hangs at the back of the space, with a plum coloured sofa in front. In the foreground sits a round, terracotta coffee table with a mustard armchair and beige, textured footstool surrounding.

"It’s like a metaphor for the new extension that upon first appearance looks bold and confident, yet it’s actually intricately detailed," says Yasmine of the desert sand shade on the walls of the sitting area, which calms the richly patterned circular rug at its center. (Image credit: Anson Smart. Design: YSG Studio)

Bright, open kitchen are with high windows and wood cupboards and storage underneath. A wooden islands stand in the middle of the space with a custom turquoise, marble feature. Below, a geometric, rug style tile flooring in bright blue and earthy tones.

Treading carefully, YSG ensured the rug-patterned tiles weren’t hidden by the kitchen units. "Tiles creep up the island’s kickboard, incorporating it; while a timber counter features rounded trim legs that tread lightly upon the tiles," says Yasmine. (Image credit: Anson Smart. Design: Yasmine Saleh Ghoniem)

Breakfast nook surrounded by tall, geometric windows with coloured glass inserts. A custom rust coloured bench sits in the alcove of the nook with a wooden table and two rust rattan chairs, with light wooden custom joinery to the left of the seating area.

"Instead of customary floral inlays, we chose colored glass ribbons," says Yasmine of the breakfast niche's tinted windows, a twist on the traditional leadlight windows found in similar period residences. "Their dual bands enable uninterrupted garden views." (Image credit: Anson Smart. Design: Yasmine Saleh Ghoniem)

Neutral coloured exterior to the property and terracotta tile walkway with green lawn and plant pots in front. A pergola supports lush greenery at the full height of the windows and a tree sits to the left.

"We spent a long time figuring out the areas the family would live in and how we could inject the most sunlight into them," says Yasmine, noting how spaces like the kitchen are bathed in northerly light through strategically designed windows. "Now every room in the new extension offers garden views, including the primary suite." (Image credit: Anson Smart. Design: Yasmine Saleh Ghoniem)

"This project is actually our first completed new build," says Yasmine, noting how the clients were keen to build sustainably. While the bulk of the weatherboard structure was maintained, the decades-old extension was scrapped entirely for a refreshed layout that prioritizes light and garden views.

Along with tried-and-true strategies such as thermal planning and solar power, YSG went the hard route by using earth-friendly Hempcrete (a difficult find in Australia, according to Yasmine) as the main building material, finishing surfaces in a natural and porous limewash paint to give the interiors the lightest glow.

Keith Flanagan
Contributing Editor

Keith Flanagan is a New York based journalist specialising in design, food and travel. He has been an editor at Time Out New York, and has written for such publications as Architectural Digest, Conde Nast Traveller, Food 52 and USA Today. He regularly contributes to Livingetc, reporting on design trends and offering insight from the biggest names in the US. His intelligent approach to interiors also sees him as an expert in explaining the different disciplines in design.

Back To Top